Indigo Girls Show Pride in Toronto
the Folk Music Group Sang Proudly During Toronto's Pride Week
The Indigo Girls performed outdoors at Toronto's Pride Week on Saturday night, providing a show filled with incredible music and a sense of belonging.
Folk musical group the Indigo Girls tore up the stage Saturday night, on the final eve of Toronto’s Pride Week. The female duo, made up by Amy Ray and Emily Saliers, have been a musical icon in the Gay and Lesbian community for several years and were delighted to be playing in Toronto. Ray shouted at the end of the show, “We’re honoured to be asked to be a part of this.”
The group has been well circulated among indie-mainstream fans for over a decade and has built up a strong, self-autonomous discography. On the outdoor Toronto stage, the Girls provided a perfect blend of classics and new works that left the audience wanting more, while simultaneously feeling satisfied.
The crowd was made up of an eclectic audience of Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transsexuals, Transgenders, Intersexuals, Heterosexuals in support of same-sex rights, music lovers, fans of the group, and more. The colourful combination made the night air come alive. Audience members were all in their element, which created an atmosphere of comfort and ease. And, in turn this created a bond with the women on stage.
The crowd’s energy surged with early favourites like Power of Two, Shame on You, and Closer to Fine. This last song was revamped with a guest appearance by Melissa Ferrick a.k.a. Bitch, formerly from Bitch & Animal. This live add-in musically created more depth, but in respect to the audience, rejuvenated the crowd.
Earlier in the show, when the Girls held out their mics during the Power of Two for the crowd to sing along, the concert goers responded with the chorus timidly. But somewhere between the early summer night warming up and Bitch joining on stage, when the mics were held out during Closer to Fine, there was no holding the fans back as they belted out the tunes.
The pride exuded from this little parking lot concert was bone chilling. At the end of a song one of the Girls rejoiced, “We’re all queers here,” she said. “It’s a beautiful thing.” It was electrifying to watch people with all different backgrounds, from different cities and countries, band together to stand for their rights in such a passionate way. Though events throughout Pride Week consisted of marches and parades, this concert was filled with compassion, a connection to one another, and meaning through lyrics.
The Indigo Girls have always had lyrical strength. Their songs are intellectual and thought provoking, and this authenticity in their song writing follows them wherever they go. This was further proven at the show by the first encore, chosen by Ray. The new song was politically motivated and was filled with sarcasm, rage, and frustration with the Man and our excessive capitalist society—as the main line in the song sang, “The man will set you free.” At the end of the ballad Ray looked at the crowd and genuinely said, “Thanks for hearing that.”
In a world filled with record consciousness, the folk duet has remained true to their roots. No group has ever sounded so real—or so similar to their album sound—as the Indigo Girls did on Saturday night. Their live sound completely mirrors the records.
Their training as musicians was obvious as they switched from electric guitars to classical guitars and back, making sure to produce the right sound with each song played. The strongest instrument of the night was their voices. The grain of each girl’s voice was raw with emotion, provocative and honest. Their voices created a connection to the audience that made it seem like the crowd of a few thousand people was capped below one hundred.
The Girls were interactive throughout the show, talking to the audience, pointing out specific people, dedicating a song to a shout-out from the audience and more, which further added to the authenticity of the night.
It was a crowd pleasing concert that left everyone feeling invigorated and standing proud for who they are. Saliers shouted as she walked off stage, “Happy, Happy Pride!” The crowd cheered and the lights came up.
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