Melissa Etheridge and the Indigo Girls both made a huge splash with their self-titled albums, released in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Their popularity only grew over the next decade when they came out as lesbians and became queer icons who were able to stay true to their musical visions and to themselves while finding mainstream success. And each, in their own way, has inspired a number of musicians — particularly other women. Their distinctive styles were on full display in their recent appearance together at Wolf Trap.

A native of Leavenworth, Kansas — which she noted has “five prisons within 20 miles of my house — Etheridge is one of the few notable women in heartland rock, a genre dominated by men like Bruce Springsteen and John Mellencamp. (I love heartland rock, but it’s a fact that it doesn’t have anything even approaching a gender balance.)  She may be a bit older now, but she still has her trademark sultry growl, reminiscent of Janis Joplin. It’s a voice that can cut through a loud band, and Melissa came out to a blistering, bluesy, pounding opening with “All American Girl” at Wolf Trap on August 25.

After her opening number, Etheridge told the audience to “expect fun tonight,” and she spoke the truth: The revved-up crowd spent much of both sets on their feet. (I would’ve been standing up too, but for a hurt knee.) Melissa continued, saying she was going to “sing those song about those people you’ve long forgotten. Those poor choices. Even the ones you’ve never told.” 

She played “Angels Would Fall,” then said, “Let’s go back to the ’80s,” and added, “My first album was just blistering naughtiness.” I suspect it’s a trick that she learned from Springsteen’s songwriting: how to be sexy and naughty in her lyrics, but always suggestive, never truly dirty, like in “Don’t You Need.”

Watch the official music video for “Angels Would Fall” by Melissa Etheridge on YouTube:

“In the ’90s,” Melissa said, “we were still making poor choices. They were just more expensive. But it didn’t matter: We wanted what we wanted.” After “I Want To Come Over,” she noted, “It’s a beautiful sunset. I get to see it, you guys don’t.” In the best traditions of heartland rock, she talked about a car she had when she was young, a ’64 Chevy Impala: “It was blue, with one door that was really dark blue.” The band left the stage, and she played a song about those younger days in her hometown, “Nowhere To Go,” on piano. She introduced “Yes I Am” by saying, “In the ’90s, I said three little words that changed my life.”

When she was seven, Etheridge told the audience, Johnny Cash visited Leavenworth to play a concert at a prison. She didn’t get to go, of course, but his example influenced her to pursue activism and to go into prisons. The film I’m Not Broken documents her work behind bars, working especially with women who’ve suffered from addiction. It’s a cause that’s close to her heart: an announcement before the show mentioned her work on the opiate crisis; she lost her son to a fentanyl overdose. “Shadow of a Black Crow,” she explained, is a song about addiction.

For the next number, “You Can Sleep While I Drive,” the Indigo Girls came out to sing harmony vocals. The set was rounded out with several of her biggest hits: “Come To My Window,” “Bring Me Some Water,” “I’m The Only One,” and “Like The Way I Do.”

Melissa came back out for the Indigo Girls’ opening number, “Kid Fears.” The Indigo Girls — Amy Ray and Emily Saliers — have been lifelong friends, meeting each other as elementary school students in Decatur, Georgia, and working together as a duo since the mid-80s, becoming one of the later acts to emerge from the Athens, Georgia music scene. Notably, they never write together, and their songs are quite distinct; Saliers draws from ’60s and ’70s songwriters, like Joni Mitchell, while Ray is more influenced by punk and rock acts. The penultimate song of their set, “Land of Canaan,” an audience request, started out as a ballad, “but then I heard the Replacements,” Ray has said.

Moving on, the set continued with “Hammer and a Nail,” “Howl At The Moon,” “Mystery,” “Scooter Boys,” and “Power of Two.”

Watch the official music video for “Power of Two” by Indigo Girls on YouTube:

After “Joking,” the stage cleared except for Lucy Wainwright Roche, who was singing backup vocals. A noted songwriter in her own right (and my college classmate at Oberlin), Lucy played “The Soft Line,” noting that this show was her last on this tour.

Everyone came back on stage, and the set continued with “Tether” and “Get Out the Map.” The stage once again cleared, except for Amy and the guitarist, who performed “The Rock Is My Foundation,”  a song from her extensive solo catalog. Everyone came back on stage, and the set was rounded out with “Trouble,” “Shame On You,” “Country Radio,” “Yoke,” and “Galileo.” They sent the audience home with their biggest hit, “Closer To Fine,” which recently had a moment when it was featured on the soundtrack to Barbie last year.

I’ve seen the Indigo Girls several times, and they never disappoint. This was my first time seeing Melissa Etheridge on a stage this size, and she absolutely owned it, rocking it out and rocking hard. Both of these acts were a major part of my musical youth, and they continue to be vital and put on great, exciting shows.

Here are some photos of Melissa Etheridge performing at Wolf Trap on August 25, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.

Here are some photos of the Indigo Girls performing at Wolf Trap on August 25, 2024. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.