Joan Baez / Indigo Girls @ Bethel Woods Center For The Arts, Bethel, NY

Live Reviews | Jul 2nd, 2013

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Date: Saturday June 22nd 2013
Venue Link: www.bethelwoodscenter.org

On a gorgeous evening in June, Bethel Woods opened this seasons first Pavilion show with a Double headlining show featuring legendary folk Singer, and Woodstock Veteran, Joan Baez and Lesbian icons The Indigo Girls.

The Indigo Girls opened the show to a heroes welcome from their legions of fans, and basically had the crowd eating out of their hands from the get-go. Their first few songs were pulled from their recent release ‘Beauty Queen Sister’. During their set as they played fan favorite ‘Yield’, Joan Baez herself was inspired to come dancing out onto the stage from the side wings, such is the catchiness of The Indigo Girls music.

The Indigo Girls also showed their more serious, less playful side when they played the Pro-Immigrant song “Shane On You” and the Anti-Death Penalty number “Faye Tucker.” The girls then gave the spotlight to their backing band, a group from Atlanta, Georgia, The Shadowboxers, who were decent, but more like Hanson then Crosby, Stills and Nash with their Harmonies.

Joan Baez came on stage around 9.20pm and it was clear who the majority of people had come to see, and it didn’t take long to see, or hear why. At 72 years old, Joans Voice sounds as good as ever, it has aged slightly but sounds all the better for it. Early into the set she sang “Joe Hill” a song which had performed 44 years earlier at the Original Woodstock Festival on this very site. She mentioned that when she performed at the original Woodstock festival she was pregnant and then introduced her band, including her drummer who she told us was actually the baby she was carrying in 1969. She did a wonderful rendition of Paul Simons “The Boxer.” One of the highlights of Baezs set came with “Hard Times Come Again No More” a cover of Steve Earles “Jerusalem” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” which she dedicated to her mother who recently passed away at the age of 100. Baez, of course covered Dylan, with excellent versions of “Its all over now, baby blue” and “Don’t think twice, its alright.”

The Indigo Girls rejoined Baez for the last few songs closing out the night in an upbeat style and sending home the baby-boomers and everyone else alike home happy. A great show and an excellent start to a great season at one of the prettiest venues in the country.

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