By Justin Smith
Fans of all types, and I mean all types, showed up July 11 at the Deer Valley Resort to cheer on the Indigo Girls.
Husbands and wives, boyfriends and girlfriends, girlfriends and, well, girlfriends, all set up their blankets and chairs on the hill in front of the stage. Perhaps the greatest perk to the show was the outdoor beauty surrounding the audience, as well as the performers.
The talented voices of the Girls echoed throughout the canyon. Even the audience, on more than one occasion, could be heard singing their hearts out on the more well-known songs.
The Indigo Girls are made up of the duo Amy Ray and Emily Saliers and their band. Ray and Saliers both sing and play guitar, and play it well. Occasionally they switched to instruments like the banjo and ukulele, while the band featured a solid drummer, bass guitar and a unique electric cellist.
They put on a great show backed up with years of performing experience, but I’ll be the first to admit the awkwardness I felt in seeing grindage de baklage which occurred not two feet from my dirty mug. Don’t think I could ever get used to that.
Growing up in Atlanta, Ray and Saliers knew each other in high school, and that’s where they began playing together. They self-released their first single in 1985, and shortly after were picked up by Epic records.
Since then, they have kept their contract with Epic, completing their seventh full-length album in the fall of 1999 called “Come On Now Social.”
Celebrating their latest release, they kicked off their summer tour in early June, saving a consistent spot for Utah on the schedule.
The Girls have sold over seven million albums, including one double platinum disc, three platinum and four gold. Combing their record sales with six Grammy nominations has made them one of the most popular tickets in the country.
As they performed perhaps their most well-known hit, “Closer to Fine,” the audience went nutty. In fact, the Girls, on many parts of the song, left the lyrical melodies up to the audience to solo. And besides those two drunk ladies wabbling next to me who were kind enough to spill several stench-filled suds on my mother’s quilt, you could even make out the song we were singing.
As the Girls came out for their final encore, they brought the crowd to its screaming peak, and also earned a few shout-outs from myself.
Good show, kids.
