And because “each show uses the symphony from that city,” she added, each performance is different, even if the set list stays the same throughout the tour.
Prior to the tour, the duo teamed up with musical arrangers Sean O’Loughlin (Chris Issak, Feist, The Decemberists, Josh Ritter) and Stephen Barber (Rosanne Cash, Alejandro Escovedo, John Legend). The composers were able to bring new depth to the Indigo Girls’ material, Saliers said.
With an orchestra behind them, the pair “bring[s] new dimension to old songs as well as highlight[s] songs that have string arrangements on the recordings but were never played live in an orchestrated configuration,” Ray said in a press release.
“The ballads especially sound lovelier this way,” Saliers added.
The set list includes everything from fan favorites (“Closer to Fine,” “Galileo”) to more obscure and newer material (“Damo,” “Chickenman”).
The Indigo Girls grew up together just outside of Decatur, Georgia and have been performing together since they were teens in the early 1980s. They’ve ridden the wave from late-night bar gigs to major label success in a pre-Lilith Fair era to independent releases. Saliers credits their longevity to finding a perfect balance between friendship and musical partnership.
“We’re good friends; our families know each other; and we’ve been through a lot of life milestones together,” she said. “But we also live our separate lives and have found a really good balance. We’re lucky. We didn’t set out to find it, but we did.”
They write their own songs separately, and then bring their work to each other to turn them into Indigo Girls’ material. And each brings something different to the collaborative process.
“Amy is more indie rock,” Saliers said. “A lot of our strengths are because of our differences.”
Known for their political activism, the Indigo Girls are especially fierce advocates for the LGBT community, performing at Pride events and encouraging voters to support queer candidates.
“There is a lot of content in our songs about social issues, about being gay and what that experience is like,” Saliers said. “We’ve come a long way in this country, but we still have a long way to go. I can’t believe that in the U.S. gay couples can’t be married and don’t have domestic protections.”
Saliers, whose partner is Canadian, works closely with Immigration Equality, an advocacy group that fights for equality under U.S. immigration law for LGBT and HIV-positive individuals.
Both Ray and Saliers came out early in their careers, despite the fear of being stigmatized by the music industry.
“There was some prejudice, some stereotyping, and we were the brunt of some jokes, but who cares?” Saliers said. “Isn’t it more important to be who we are?”
Ultimately, it all came down to the music, rather than their sexuality.
“I’m happy to be recognized as a lesbian group, as who we are, but people don’t just keep buying tickets because you stand for something,” Saliers said.
For more information, visit the Indigo Girls' website.
The Indigo Girls perform Sat., June 1, 8 p.m., Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen Booth Rd., Clearwater, (727) 791-7400. Tickets are $39, $49 and $59. Visit www.rutheckerdhall.com.
