Amy Ray

Just got back from the Amy Ray concert here in Lawrence. She's the butch half of the Indigo Girls, if by "butch" you mean "plays a very loud and very mean guitar."

It was one of the better shows I have seen in a long, long time. Her band (the Volunteers) was very loose, and played like it was a private party for their best friends. Album tracks were turned into screaming, intense almost punkish numbers played live. Amy played most of the songs off her recent album "Prom" plus about half of her previous album "Stag." Highlights included an intense "Johnny Rottentail", a crisp rendition of "Driver Education" and an anthemic "Laramie." "Black Heart Today" (which is already loud and fast) almost sounded like speed metal played live. The band finished with a single-song encore featuring a stunning cover of Tom Petty's "Refugee" which sent the crowd into the street dazed but very happy.

The venue was great, too. This was Lawrence's famous Bottleneck, which means that there was local microbrewed beer on tap, and no smoking (thanks to Lawrence's indoor smoking ban). Combine this with the fact I was about 6 feet from the stage center front, surrounded by a sea of lesbians, and you couldn't ask for a better concertgoing experience!