“…There’s more than one answer to these
questions, pointing us in a crooked line…”
Most
everyone knows the song, Closer To Fine by the Indigo Girls. It’s been around
longer than I have. Over the decades, Amy and Emily’s harmonies have evolved,
but their love stories and messages of social justice remain consistent.
For
sixteen years, I’ve been lucky enough to attend countless Indigo experiences.
Rock concerts, festivals appearances, fundraisers, radio shows, and solo endeavors.
Last night’s show was a full length acoustic set at the Kirkland Performance
Center in Kirkland, Washington with a small capacity of 400. Having only been
once before, I had forgotten that the tiny auditorium’s sound is as crisp as
morning light.
Here
is my run down of the show:
1. Fill It Up Again - Amy and Emily came out on
their guitars and we’re greeted with Hawaiian leis. I missed the connection,
but the flowers smelled beautiful from were I was sitting in the third row.
“Better than I was smellin,” Amy said! Haha!
Lucy
Wainright Roche sang back-up on almost every song filling in the sweetness that
Emily’s voice carried in the ’90’s.
2. Devotion - This song always feels like it
belongs in the beginning of the show.
3. Power Of Two - Too early to pee.
4. Dairy Queen - So exciting! It’s been a while
since I’ve seen this song and the suck-n-blow harmonica was back! People
actually laughed at the first line “I heard that you were drunk and mean down
at Dairy Queen” like they did when it first came out in 2003!
5. Elizabeth - Emily told us that she had flown
to New York last night to see Jojo, who was a young singer from the early
2000’s. I guess Jojo fell victim to the music industry and had to lay dormant
for years, but now she is back and Emily was very excited to support her.
However, she acknowledged her jet lag looniness and joked, “Thats why you
shouldn’t fly in the day of the show, but it’s more fun this way!”
6. Spread the Pain Around (aka Keg-o-wine) -
Breathtaking. The sound in this venue is superb. After the song, Amy said,
“Whenever I sing this in Seattle, I think of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam since I
used the phrase “better man.” Then they bantered about how easy it is to rip
off songs, but whenever they finally realize it in the writing process, they
drop the song all together. Perfect segue into mentioning they are working on
their new album. No details, but Emily mentioned she was working on a song she
was really diggin, but realized it was the same song she had written the week
before!
7. Get Out The Map - when the chorus came its
like the entire audience had been holding in one collective sneeze that they
were dying to get out like an explosive choir. This seemed like the crowd
favorite of the entire night. You could tell that the ‘Girls were impressed
with the crowd’s singing once everyone opened up for the rest of the show.
“…With every lesson learned a line upon your
beautiful face
We’ll amuse ourselves one day with these
memories we’ll trace
Get out the map, and lay your finger anywhere
down…”
8. Three Hits - After the song, someone in the
crowd yelled out “The John Song!” in reference to John, from the album, Beauty
Queen Sister.
Emily: “Thats a good one! I should relearn it……
You said, John, right?”
Girl: “Yes! He’s here!”
Emily: …… words can’t describe the look on her
face…..
Relieved Emily: “ Oh, you mean, a John
is here?!
Girl: “YEA!”
Emily: Oof, you can’t do that to me, I take
things very literally, and need time to process what I’m told. I was like… ‘no,
that’s impossible!”
She
was legit shook.
9. Able to Sing - Emily introduced this song as
her political song. She explained the nursery rhyme reference, she sang the ‘4
and 20 Blackbirds’ song and related the birds to singing to the king
for a change. “Truth into power,” she said!
10. Slo-Go - Since the symphony arrangement of
Go, it’s very tame these days, but I loved that even though Amy was on her
acoustic, Emily tore it up on Electric! This also may have been the first time
we got some spit action from Amy.
11. Watershed - Did I mention how great the
sound was in this place?!
12. Second Time Around - As Amy is grabbing the
harmonica for this song, she introduced their new guitar tech, Jerry.
Amy: “He’s got a sprained left shoulder.”
Crowd: “Ohhhh…”
Amy: “I know. I think he was playing some bat
game at the baseball game with his kid between the 7th and 8th inning. What was
it? Chase the bat? I dunno, some traditional Texas game.”
Jerry: not responding.
Emily: “He’s focused on tuning.”
Amy: “Haha! Not listening! Anyway, he’s being a
trooper. Must be the pain pills.”
Crowd laughs.
Amy: “I mean, he was holding it funny earlier,
but now he seems fine.”
Crowd laughs.
Amy: “I shouldn’t make jokes about that….. I
just can’t help myself.”
Crowd laughs.
Amy tunes her mandolin: “I almost hear it”
It’s not in tune. She shakes her head and
exclaims: “Ah, Jerry!!!”
And from the side of the stage Jerry yells,
“It’s the drugs!”
13. It’s Alright. Always one of my faves.
14. Sugar Tongue. This was my favorite part of
the night. The song has another new arrangement with Amy on electric guitar and
Emily on acoustic. You can tell they don’t have it flushed out yet though
because Amy forgot some words and had to hum along. “I was so shocked I hit
those high notes, I just forgot what I was doing!” She apologized after. Emily
chirped that when those moments happen, they always go by so fast! This also
may have been where the running joke of the night started - Emily was sassy and
kept saying that things weren’t competitive, with a sly look in her eye that
said otherwise. It came up twice and her timing was just hilarious!
15. Hope Alone. A shock and truly amazing! And
Amy was on her 12 string guitar!
16. Shame On You. During the guitar handoff
before the song, I hear Emily say to Jerry, “This is the one with the switch.
Can you remember that?” She said it a few times, then joked into the mic that
they were working on their logistics. When Jerry switched out Emily’s banjo for
her electric guitar midway through the song, Amy yelled out, “Jerry’s big
moment!!!” The crowd went nuts.
17. Hammond Song. Written by Lucy’s mom, the
three-part harmony with her and the ‘Girls always gets me.
18. Jesus Was a Walkin’ Man. New Amy solo song
from her upcoming album! Gospel, political, blunt, and with reference to “the
wall”, it was well received, and people even clapped on beat.
19. Galileo.
Encore:
20. Share The Moon.
21. Closer To Fine.
Awesome
set. My expectations have already been exceeded and this was only night 1 of 4!
I also managed to get in a song request after the show. So send it up to the
song Goddesses and maybe I’ll hear Point Hope for the first time this week!
Too early to pee...I'm still laughing!
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