POSTPONED: due to a positive case of COVID-19, the Indigo Girls appearance at the Powell Hall has been postponed. Tickets already purchased will be honored at the new date. Stay tuned here and to SLSO.org for updates!
Indigo Girls w/ the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra | 05.20.22, 7:30pm | Powell Hall, 718 N. Grand Blvd. | All ages | $48-85
If you don’t know the Indigo Girls, they’re most relevant in my experience to the title of a playlist I have on Spotify: “You grew up listening to country music and now you’re a queer leftist.” You likely know their everlong songs “Galileo” and “Get Out the Map.”
Quietly out lesbians since the LATE EIGHTIES (these fucking champions), and loudly activists for Indigenous rights, Women’s rights, and Queer rights, their fans know Amy Ray and Emily Saliers as family. Folks who don’t know them would call them folk music or Americana, but they’d miss out on the soul, the rock, the R&B, and the country aspects of their music. You can’t really put them in a genre. Is rage and love for our country a genre? Is a demand for freedom a genre?
Their newest album, 2020’s Look Long starts with the title of this article—“Shit kickin’.” It speaks to so many of our experiences growing up. “Fight ‘til we’re all free to howl at the moon one and all.” It’s their familiar vibe with a little more funk and those soaring harmonies that pull you in every time.
The Indigo Girls, like any of their musical counterparts, hosted live shows for their fans online during quarantine. One of the things that was notable during their sets is that someone was reading the comments to them between songs. “Hello, Helsinki.” “Thanks for tuning in, St. Louis,” (Woooo.) “We miss you Vancouver.”
The thing that made it notable is that they really meant it. They missed us, just as much as we missed them. I’ve seen the Girls in concert nearly every year since 1997, and the most wonderful part of shows is that for those few hours, in that space, we’re all friends. We all know the words. We’re all so happy to be there. We’re happy to welcome our friends back to St. Louis, and this time, with the wonderful St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. It’s sure to be a magnificent night, and we’ll all still be singing all of the words.
We missed you, Amy and Emily. Welcome back.
You can still get tickets for the Indigo Girls May 20th show, but you should probably hurry. | Melissa Cynova
To purchase tickets, visit slso.org. For a full tour itinerary, visit indigogirls.com.
