Indigo Girls preach to their choir in lively folk-rock finale to Meijer Gardens series (Review, photos)

Thursday night’s season-ending concert brought Georgia’s Indigo Girls back to one of their favorite Grand Rapids haunts, with devotees helping pack the sold-out amphitheater.

 

In the annals of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park’s 11-year concert history, a handful of familiar and beloved returning performers would stand out as ideal choices to close out the amphitheater’s annual summer series on a high note: Lyle Lovett, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos, Buddy Guy.

The Indigo Girls proved on Thursday that they, too, ascend to that can’t-miss level, mostly because they churn out feel-good shows filled with Amy Ray and Emily Saliers’ ultra-devoted concertgoers who turn the events into spirited, sing-along-styled, folk-rock revival gatherings.

Of course, it helped that Thursday’s sold-out show took place on a resplendently sunny summer evening – a night that wrapped up Meijer Gardens’ most successful concert season ever.

While I’ve certainly heard The Indigo Girls in better voice – Saliers in particular seemed to struggle at times – the duo’s concerts are more about the communal experience anyway, one that’s driven in great part by the energy of the crowd. (That included folks waving hand-drawn “You Are Awesome” signs that tout an upcoming flash mob event being planned for the first day of Grand Rapids’ ArtPrize competition.)

On this particular night, that energy also came from animated Indigo Girls’ violinist Lyris Hung and opening act, Hannah Thomas, who joined the girls at the end of the night for powerful renditions of “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” and “Closer to Fine.”

Thomas, a singer-songwriter who like The Indigo Girls hails from Georgia, already had pumped things up with a 34-minute opening set of soulful, rootsy rock and country by her band that included a guest appearance by Ray on “Pacifier.” (By the way, fans have a chance to see Thomas perform in West Michigan again on Friday, when she plays a solo show at Spring Lake’s intimate Seven Steps Up. Get ticket details online at pindropconcerts.com.)

The packed house of 1,900 seemed apropos for the final show of a summer season that saw record attendance of 46,916 for 29 concerts that began with B.B. King on June 3. Nearly half of those concerts – the most ever booked at the amphitheater in a single summer – were sellouts, seemingly validating the approach taken by Meijer Gardens in booking diverse acts in a broad range of genres.

And that attendance doesn’t even count the 12,626 people who turned out for Tuesday Evening Music Club concerts featuring local and regional acts in July and August.

Ray and Saliers clearly were pleased to be back at Meijer Gardens, grinning and chuckling, gushing “Thanks y’all” repeatedly, and delivering a 1-hour-and-48-minute set covering 23 songs that spanned their career, including the duo’s most recent album, 2011’s “Beauty Queen Sister.” They vowed Thursday they’ll have a new album in 2014, which of course, could mean yet another return to Meijer Gardens.

THE NIGHT’S BIG MOMENTS

Early on, “This Train” featured solid slide-guitar work from Saliers and melancholy fiddling by Hung with a driving rock back-beat, and crowd favorites “Shame on You,” “Galileo” and “Closer to Fine” naturally earned rousing ovations and lively audience participation. But nothing matched the intensity and political fire of “Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee,” with Thomas pitching in on vocals and Cooper Carter of the Hannah Thomas Band joining The Indigo Girls on lead guitar.

THE BANTER

“It’s great to be back here. I love this place.” – Emily Saliers, after taking the stage and surveying the amphitheater.

“I’m feeling good already and it’s not even sundown.” – Hannah Thomas, midway through her sun-splashed set.

THE INDIGO GIRLS: THE LOCAL SPINS PHOTO GALLERY BY ANTHONY NORKUS (9/5/13)

Email John Sinkevics at jsinkevics@gmail.com.
Copyright 2013, Spins on Music