Photography by Tom Bielli

Maybe it was the apple donuts. Or maybe the cooler temperatures, the earthy valley view from the top of a windy hill, the two-thirds moon rising in the fresh, Central NY air, or the crowd of fans pressing up against the photographers’ pit by invitation; but whatever it was, the Indigo Girls seemed relaxed, happy, in prime form (despite a “f—ed-up neck”) and in their element back on stage at the Beak & Skiff Apple Orchard in Lafayette on Sunday, Aug. 23.

“Everything’s apples here,’’ Emily Saliers of the Indigo Girls said at one point as she improvised while tuning one of the many instruments the band uses to back up their unique blend of gorgeous harmonies and profound lyrics. “We’ve been a lot of places, but we always remember the food. Tonight we got the donuts!”

Saliers and her counterpart, Amy Ray, last appeared on the Orchard’s outdoor stage five years ago in June 2021, and this year closed the venue’s summer series along with the part of their tour opened by the powerful voice of Trina Meade.

“Meade & Co.” warmed up the crowd at 7 p.m. with almost a 70s vibe that at times came across as hard rock and pop yet was tinged with Gospel. Joined by her talented drummer, Daniel Harper, bass guitar player Jon Schwenke and guitarist Daniel Groover, who also provided background vocals, Meade commanded the crowd with her charisma, vocal prowess, yowls and antics and touted the Indigo Girls on several occasions.

“Did you feel love here today?” Meade shouted out to the crowd. “The people in this community who come see the Indigo Girls are amazing…Long after our bones have turned to dust, the music of the Indigo Girls will live on. What a legacy.”

The Indigo Girls, known for their political views on social injustice, gender and nature advocacy, were not alone, as Meade wove spiritual, social and moral references into her own act.

“Lord, have mercy on my soul…It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” she sang in “What About the People?” “If we have the power of love…at will…it’s the most powerful thing we have. Let’s use it,” she said before closing.

Ray and Saliers took over the stage at about 8:20 p.m. with three accompanists after their crew unrolled a backdrop. The graphic featured several computers behind windows overlooking unpopulated benches draped with jackets, luggage and a small American flag. Red letters spelling “V O T E” were pasted on the windows, and the words “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration” were prominent nearby, along with a listing of nations and areas such as the Caribbean recently in the news.

Ray made some Immigration-related references in and around the first number, “Shame on You,” but overall, the tone and setlist seemed somehow lighter than when my husband and I covered the Indigo Girls at SPAC about a year ago.

For example, one tuning break between “Fish Tails” and “It’s All Right’’ defaulted to a series of short jokes with which one of the Indigo Girls’ fathers had “tormented” guest singer-songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche and her young daughter.

“Lucy has a joke,” Salier cued the surprised Roche, who recovered to share: “Why did the bicycle fall over? Because it was two tired.” It drew a mix of laughter and good-natured groans from the crowd.

The number of band members also was lighter Sunday night. While Roche, who has accompanied the Indigo Girls for a few years, was on board, and Lyris Hung and Jeff Fielder wowed the crowd on fiddle and various stringed instruments, respectively, Carol Isaacs on keyboards, accordion and flute was not along for this go-round, nor was drummer TK Johnson, who provided rhythm last year at SPAC.

Despite the lack of a rhythm section, the string-and-vocal showcase, with its complex harmonies and variety of instruments (guitar, dobro, mandolin, bouzouki, ukulele, among others), produced a rich, full sound, and fans, many of whom knew Indigo Girls’ lyrics by heart, contributed frequently with refrains and even some verses, when cued. Saliers voice seemed to quaver or not be at full strength at times, but she led vocals for the openings of several songs, including a rousing, audience-participation version of “Galileo”. She also contributed terrific guitar work and harmonies as usual.

The themes of existentialism, self-searching and a somewhat jaded philosophy inherent to the Indigo Girls’ music were still evident, but love, wonder and appreciation of the enthusiastic audience seemed to prevail.

“You sound great, y’all,” “We love your energy,” and “Thank you for listening to us” were among the praises.

“Y’all are yelling out some good requests.” Ray said, “We’re just gonna rewrite the setlist as we go.”

Mid-set, Roche did a solo acoustic-guitar rendition of her song, “Soft Line,” off her 2018 album, Little Beast. A few numbers later, the band cranked out an expanded version of “Chicken Man” which featured several instrumental interludes and variations in tempo and force for vocals.

Meade joined the band on stage for its two encores, “Kid Fears” and “Closer to Fine,” taking powerful solo parts, amid an onslaught of bubbles from the crowd that reflected various colors of spotlights.

Meade and Ray embraced at the end of the show before Ray’s closing words, which summed up the tone and ease of the evening: “Thanks for the joy, y’all. Thanks for the joy!”

Setlist: Shame On You, The Power of Two, Ozilline, Fill It Up, Fishtails, It’s All Right, Dairy Queen, Pendulum Swinger, Go, I Believe in Love, Yield, Soft Line (written and performed by Lucy Wainwright Roche), Sure Feels Good Anyway, Get Out the Map, Share the Moon, Least Complicated, Chicken Man, Galileo, Kid Fears, Closer to Fine.