A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to see the Indigo Girls at Ravinia Festival. I think this was the fifth time I've seen them. The first time was about 25 years ago, while I was still in medical school. My cousin Debbi, who also lived in Nashville at the time, took me to a concert in the gym at Vanderbilt. It was love at first sight. I bought Strange Fire and Indigo Girls right away and drove my roommates nuts as I listened to the albums over and over. I was outraged in 1990 when the tone-deaf morons at the Grammy Awards gave the Best New Artist to Milli Vanilli (as if anyone considered them an 'artist') instead of the Indigo Girls...only to strip MV of the award months later when it was discovered they didn't actually sing.
The Indigo Girls, however, saved their outrage for more important things. It makes it so much easier to lay down money for an album or a concert when you know that the artists are tirelessly working, both on and off stage, for important causes.
What has kept me a fan for all these years has been the music. Songs like The Wood Song, Watershed, and Get Out The Map have been compasses for me, both for staying on track and appreciating hardships and detours. I've pulled wisdom about relationships from Power of Two and Keeper of My Heart, among others. Above all, I have learned to maintain a balance between heartfelt earnestness and the ability to step back to smile and wink at the self-same earnestness.
So, thank you Indigo Girls. I look forward to continuing our journey together.
No comments:
Post a Comment