Closer to Fine

There are several firsts a person remembers in their life. Recently I got to experience one of those with my daughter. I feel like it was an epic first, but if I’m being honest with myself, it was way better for me than her. It was her first concert. Exciting, right?! Well, for me, very. It was the Indigo Girls at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. For a 17-year-old, maybe not so much.

I had been wanting to attend this show since I saw it announced on social. I have followed the Indigo Girls for years. Closer to Fine was sung at my wedding. However, I was being a cheap ass and did not purchase tickets.

Fast forward to the day before the show when my sister, who had pneumonia, texts me, “Do you and Josie want my tickets for the Indigo Girls concert? You can have them.” I dashed down to Josie’s room to ask if she was in. She was. I immediately replied back, “Fuck, yes! We are there.” I then booked a hotel room and skipped around my house.

I first saw the Indigo Girls on my 21st birthday. It was an amazing night full of all kinds of weirdness I will not get into. The show was so awesome, I didn’t even mind waking up on the dirty floor of a stranger’s house somewhere in Indiana. As I said, it was a long, weird night. The 90s were also a simpler time and I was with three guy friends, so I was mostly safe.

Fast forward to last week, I was excited to see the Indigo Girls. I was even more excited it was at the Ryman. The Ryman is magical. For those of you not familiar, it is known as the Mother Church of Country Music. Yes, it is actually a church right in the middle of downtown Nashville. Most of the Country’s greats started there. Everything sounds better in the Ryman. It is like Hogwarts for music. I have only seen a handful of shows there but, they were all fantastic and among my favorite concerts ever.

The trip to Nashville was not without peril. At one point, I was driving in road construction and the rain became so hard I woke Josie up from a deep sleep when I started yelling, “I can’t see the road! I can’t see anything! We’re going to die!” I couldn’t pull off because I was in the left lane and there was just a concrete barrier from the construction. Making matters worse, the jack wagon in front of me did not have his lights on. For about 30 seconds I had zero visibility. I’m not sure how we survived.

When we finally rolled into the Ryman after dodging more monsoon-like rain, Josie was very impressed with the aesthetic. We stood in line for a t-shirt and poster and then made our way to our seats. As the usher directed us, Josie’s eyes widened. Being an old church, most of the seating is pews. However, there are two rows of folding chairs down in front. Yeah, baby. That was us. We were in the second row, “Amy Side” of the stage (IYKYK). My sister is not a cheap ass and this is her favorite band. Now, all I needed was for Amy to sing Romeo and Juliet. Please, oh, please!

The opening act was a delight—a jaunty chap by the name of Aaron Lee Tasjan. Josie loved him and was obsessed with his bass player. She really was cool AF. I was into the guitar player who bore a striking resemblance to a young Joan Jett. They really were fantastic.

The Indigo Girls did not disappoint. They were just brilliant. It was amazing how close we were. At one point I felt some of Amy’s spit hit my face. Yeah, I realize that is not ideal in the time of Covid, but here we are. I loved it. About three-fourths of the way into the show it happened. Everyone but Amy left the stage and I began to cry. She belted out Romeo and Juliet and it was the best thing I have ever heard. Josie held my hand.

I know the Indigo Girls were certainly not Josie’s go-to for her first concert. She actually liked the opening band better. However, for me, it was a perfect night with my daughter and one of my favorite bands. I’m sorry my sister was sick, but I’m forever grateful she thought of us.

Angela Traver

What is this blog about? Well, it's a general blog, but it is also a very specific blog. If you get that reference, you get a gold star! I have been a public relations professional and writer of press releases for more than 20 years—primarily in the booze biz. I decided to do some writing for fun and embrace the humor that gets me through most days. Hopefully it will make you chuckle—or at least smile. I’m a certified crazy magnet, and more than a little nutty myself, so buckle up. Also, I have two vices—profanity and red wine/whiskey. You’ve been warned. It should also be noted, that I’m a HUGE Bob & Sheri fan. I’ve been a listener for more than 20 years. This opportunity is a dream come true and it may have made me cry. That being said, I cry at everything. If you are into booze, dogs, food and/or knitting, hit me up on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter (although I’m terrible at Twitter and it scares me) @kyspiritsgal. You can also find all my previous blog posts at www.kyspiritsgal.com.