Concert Review: Indigo Girls rocked the house

Last evening, my crazily-curled love and I headed to the capital of this state and to the sixth concert we’d seen by Emily Saliers and Amy Ray, also known as the Indigo Girls.  The concert, held in a smallish hall used by traveling off-Broadway shows, was phenomenal.  If you  have never heard the sweet harmonies these two exceptional musicians produce, I suggest you go and youtube them right away.  Nevermind, here is one of their best-known songs and one they performed last night.

When I first moved to Seattle, back in 1991, i was a naive, sheltered and did I say naive person?  I don’t think I had ever been around lesbian couples and had certainly never been to a pride parade.  Back then when my husband went to naturopathic medical school, a full forty per cent of the student body was from the GLBT community and when I moved there, I was completely welcomed and made some of the best friends of my life. It was in Seattle that I came to understand the rich possibilities human relationships and expanded my narrow little definition of normal.  Anyway, that is the background to my explaining how comforting I found it to be among groups of paired women from all walks of life, gathering to enjoy a damn fine concert.  One, I should add, that was introduced by the facility director who reminded the gathered that the hall took bookings for commitment ceremonies…

So far, SIdeshow Bob and I have seen the Indigo Girls on the pier in Seattle, in an auditorium in Mesa, AZ, twice up in the White Mountains of NH, at a local U sports center , a beach casino, and now 45 minutes away.  What I love about them aside from their brilliant lyrics and harmonies is that they will tour to all sorts of venues and are so warm and joking with the audience.  Also, that they laugh at themselves: Emily Saliers began a song called “Virginia Woolf” on the wrong channel and stopped dead one verse in to explain.  Then she said, “my bad,” and started over.

Equipped with earplugs, I thoroughly enjoyed myself and can’t wait to see them again next summer on their annual tour.  Some other highlights were “Power of Two,” “Closer to Fine,” and one from their last album they opened with, “Pendulum Swinger.”  I yelled myself semi hoarse, danced in the aisle to get off my injured tail bone and completely immersed myself in good music.  The concert was a nice reminder of how much I cherish, fucking crave music and that I need to listen more often.  Hmm…Pandora ON!

The opening act was a talented singer/songwriter (backed by an insanely tall man playing, gyrating with his teeny tiny electric mandolin) called Rose Polenzani, who is best known for a song she prefaced with “I hope no one EVER writes a song like this about any of YOU!”

What was the last concert YOU went to?