Indigo Girls get closer to fans at Hill concert

I have to admit that I was a little biased going into last week's Indigo Girls concert. Actually, I am a big Indigo Girls fan.

REVIEW
	Indigo Girls Nov. 14, 1997 Hill Auditorium

OK, actually I am obsessed with Emily Sailers and Amy Ray to the point where my friends are considering putting me into therapy.

But being the incredibly obsessed fan that I am, I have ridiculously high expectations before each concert, which could be potentially dangerous.

I have this fear that eventually I will be extremely disappointed when the Indigo Girls have a bad night. Thus far that night has not come, and Friday's concert at Hill Auditorium was no exception - it was exceptional.

Near the beginning, the Indigo Girls played a set of four new songs from their recent "Shaming of The Sun" CD. "It's Alright," "Shame on You" and "Get out the Map" were all played superbly, almost exact replicas of the album versions.

"Sun"'s "Don't Give that Girl a Gun" was also sublime. Amy's sincerely emotional performance of the song was felt throughout Hill.

For many, the highlight of the night came during the surprising "Romeo and Juliette," a rarely played older song. Amy played this guitar solo with so heart and beauty that some audience members were brought to tears.

The other solo of the night, Emily's "Leeds," was impressive as well. Although it didn't sound quite as wonderful as the album's piano version, Emily did an excellent job.

With legions of fans, Emily Sailers & Amy Ray are closer to fine than ever before.

All the old favorites were as extraordinary as ever. Many fans knew all the words and sang carelessly throughout each song.

At the end of "Least Complicated," all one could hear was an auditorium full of synchronized voices singing "Na na na na na na na" over and over. The crowd also took over for a few verses of "Galileo" as Emily and Amy stood back smiling in delight.

"Scooter Boys" was astounding. It was played straight through pretty much unsurprisingly until the end, when the song was extended for about three minutes. Amy's addition of strong political lyrics to this already deeply meaningful song was outstanding.

Yet another highlight was the inclusion of romantic classics "Power of Two" and "Love Will Come to You" in the set. When "Hey Kind Friend" was played near the end, it, too, was marvelous.

Amy and Emily's friendliness and close relationship to their audience is an important reason why so many fans are attached to them and their music. They spoke on stage to the audience and to each other in such a casual, friendly way that fans felt a connection to them.

"Closer to Fine" came last, as always. This time it was played with the assistance of two more musicians, including opener Sonia Rutstein, the lead singer of Disappear Fear, who did a fine job singing one of the verses.

By the time this song was played there wasn't a single fan not up and dancing, joining in the sea of voices singing along.

As the Indigo Girls rose their heavenly voices over their adoring fans', my ridiculously high expectations were met once again.

11-17-97