For the first time in forever, folk-rock duo Indigo Girls took a break.
“We took June and July off,” Indigo Girls’ Emily Saliers tells SLM. “I feel rested in a way that I haven’t felt in a very long time. We are just making a concerted effort to put our lives back in balance and to be home as much as we can, but to still tour in chunks of time, because we love what we do.”
Get a guide to the region’s booming music scene
Subscribe to the St. Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts, local artists to watch, and more across an eclectic playlist of genres.
And that love will certainly shine through come August 13 as Saliers and Indigo Girls’ bandmate Amy Ray visit St. Louis once again, this time to perform at Saint Louis Music Park alongside co-headliner Melissa Etheridge.
“We love St. Louis, and playing with Melissa Etheridge? It’s going to be a summer vibe. Summer will still be with us,” Saliers says.
Certainly, there is much to celebrate in the life and career of the Indigo Girl. The queer duo who tore onto the scene back in 1989 with their self-titled album now find themselves thrust back now into an even brighter spotlight, thanks to a new documentary, a new movie, and a fashion doll by the name of Barbie.
“Seeing Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie sing ‘Closer to Fine’ was a personal thrill I’ll never get over,” Saliers laughs. (If you’re one of the few who hasn’t seen the pink-painted film, the career-altering song features prominently in the storyline of the 2023 movie Barbie.) “It’s one of those things you can never predict.”
And Saliers says there are more exciting creative endeavors to come.
“I’m writing three new plays,” she says. “I have become obsessed with musical theater. It’s thrilling, and I’m humbled to get such a toehold so early…And to work with someone like Amy Ray, just the most incredible human being, to be aligned in our values and our goals and our musical endeavors…it’s just such a gift.”
The Indigo Girls and Melissa Etheridge will play Tuesday, August 13, at Saint Louis Music Park. Doors at 6 p.m., show at 7 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit thepageant.com.
