We're Better Off for All That We Let In

lessons from an iconic duo

Lately I’ve been diving into the enchanting podcast series, 60 Songs that Explain the ‘90s. Host Rob Harvilla covers one song per episode (and blew past the 60th song long ago). During his deep dive into Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” he interviewed author Gerrick Kennedy, who penned a book about Whitney and believes that this peerless power ballad haunted her as she aged. “It’s a song that imprisoned her,” he said. “If she couldn’t sing it that way for the rest of her life, then [audiences] were going to have a strong opinion [about that]… she couldn’t perform that song in that way, with that power, forever… Who could have maintained that?” 

That interview was on my mind this week as I attended an Indigo Girls concert at Wolf Trap, the national park and storied outdoor venue located almost in my backyard. I’ve seen the Indigo Girls perhaps a dozen times, but the last time I did, I wondered if it would be my last. The ‘Girls are noted for their flawless harmonies, but Emily Saliers’s voice has changed a lot in recent years. It’s not as strong, which becomes very noticeable alongside Amy Ray’s still-powerful contralto. It’s also a lot less controlled, more warbly. I enjoyed the last concert I attended, but it left me feeling a bit sad too, so I put off buying tickets for this show until a couple of weeks prior. (This all feels catty even to type, but I promise I’m going somewhere with it.) 

What changed my mind? The many people (i.e. women) I knew would be there, and sure enough, I saw folks from almost every dimension of my life in Northern Virginia over the last twenty years, from running buddies to Trinity pals to neighbors to clergy colleagues. I also brought my daughter Caroline with me, who would be seeing them for the second time. Getting to hug old friends was very needed, even before a single note was sung.

a few of the loveys.

But the show was also great, musically and emotionally. The band did a number of things differently this time. During the last concert I attended, they performed with a guest musician who was clearly there to provide some backing support to bolster Emily’s parts. And they played all the crowd-pleasing hits, many of which weren’t ideal for Emily’s new range. This time, they played with a full band, which added a lot of energy and joy, and they reached back into their vast, 35+ year catalog to play some more obscure but meaningful selections. They said they hadn’t played “Virginia Woolf” for a decade, to cite just one example, and a friend who knows their discography better than anyone I know said they were leaning into the LGBT/activism content, probably in honor of Pride Month. I love belting out the hits with thousands of my closest friends, but I always respect when bands choose songs for their enjoyment… And it seemed clear enough that the songs were chosen at least in part because they sat comfortably in Emily’s current range.

“a lovestruck Romeo sang the streets a serenade…”

You’ve heard the idea that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link? I much prefer the philosophy I learned at the Second City Training Center, which offers improv workshops: a team is only as strong as its ability to support its weakest member and help them to shine. If a group isn’t performing well together, the question isn’t “who’s not pulling their weight?” but rather “how can the rest of us bring out the best that this person is currently capable of?”

I’m not suggesting Emily is a weak link. If anything, her guitar playing is better than it’s ever been. And anyone who’s been to an Indigo Girls concert has felt the Spirit in the place—the loving connection between performers and audience, the humble “thanks y’all”s after each song, and the full-throated communal singing, to the point that the band often drops out and throws on the house lights and lets the audience carry a verse or two. It’s as much an experience of church as I experience outside a sanctuary. (Years ago I attended a workshop led by Emily and her father, worship professor Don Saliers, in which they explored these very themes, breaking down the artificial walls between sacred and secular.) 

What I’m suggesting is that this week’s concert was a beautiful and satisfying experience because everyone leaned into where they are now, instead of trying to replicate the magic of past performances. To be honest, I felt a little sad again, but it was a different kind of sadness, a good kind: the kind that acknowledges the passage of years and the bittersweet awareness that our time is short. Someday these powerful women will retire from their church leadership, and it will be a day of grief for a lot of us. In the meantime, if we want unrivaled harmonies, we have the recordings. For me, a woman at the beginning of her 50s as these two women prepare to exit them, the gift was seeing them embrace the present, graciously and without apology. 

I’ll be back next time they’re in town.

~

What I’m Up To

The Celtic Curriculum has begun for supporting subscribers… read the first bit of week one here, and consider joining us! 

~

Link Love

Speaking of curricula, I enjoyed this list of summer “unschooling” activities. 

Steady on.