Politics is part of mix for Indigo Girls

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 4, 2004 by Stephen Speckman Deseret Morning News

INDIGO GIRLS, Kingsbury Hall, Friday.

So, you haven't been to a concert lately where your favorite big- time musicians strolled out into the crowd with large baskets to collect cards that audience members signed, urging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to keep nuclear waste out of Utah.

You must have missed the Indigo Girls Friday night at University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall.

Part activists, part socially conscious song writers, part flawless two-part harmonies, the Girls don't just play their music, collect their paycheck and leave town. They know Utah almost as much as fans here know their music.

The Girls' Honor the Earth tour stop here began with opening act John Trudell, a Lou Reed-like sound punctuated by Indian chants and earth-friendly messages. Trudell's nine-song set was the perfect opener.

But it was business first before Amy Ray and Emily Saliers -- known as the Indigo Girls -- strummed their opening chords.

A mostly stone-faced Winona LaDuke, director of the national "native organization" called Honor the Earth, told a nearly sold out crowd, "Democracy is not a spectator sport."

LaDuke urged people to go vote on Nov. 2 and to let their voices be heard in opposition to storing nuclear waste on the Goshute Indian Reservation in Utah's Skull Valley.

Sammy Blackbear, vice chairman of the Skull Valley Goshutes, called Utah a "place worth saving" and spoke for the Goshutes by saying, "The nuclear waste won't come to our land as long as we say so."

By 9 p.m. the Girls were ready to launch into an 18-song set, beginning with "Fill It Up Again," from their latest CD "All That We Let In." The live version of the title track from that CD was easily the most beautiful song of the evening -- and it's one of the prettiest, lyrically potent songs from anyone to come along in a while.

Dressed in T-shirts and jeans, Ray and Saliers gave an all- acoustic show by themselves that was nothing short of remarkable. Voices -- fans included -- were strong throughout as the Girls cranked out crowd favorites like "Closer to Fine," "Power of Two" and, for the two-song encore, "Galileo" and the new "Cordova."

Before the music ended, the lesbian duo asked listeners to vote "no" on Amendment No. 3, which would change the Utah Constitution to define marriage as between one man and one woman. They also collected cards to be sent to the NRC.

Caring, down to earth and still very talented after 20 years of recording, the Girls were just downright nice, saying "Thanks, y'all," after about every song.

No, thank you for putting sincerity and passion into every song you play, whether it's for a new CD or a few thousand adoring fans.

E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com