Hot Dates: Indigo Girls At The Pier

------------------------------------------------------------------ Concert previews

"Summer Nights at the Pier:" The Temptations and the Staple Singers, 7:30 tonight ($25); Tower of Power and War, 7:30 p.m. tomorrow ($18); Al Jarreau, 7 p.m. Sunday ($25); Indigo Girls, 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday ($22); Kenny Loggins, 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday ($24) on Pier 62/63 (628-0888). ------------------------------------------------------------------

Of all the acts playing the Pier tonight through next week, none is hotter than the Indigo Girls. Their spots Tuesday and Wednesday have been sold out since the "Summer Nights at the Pier" series went on sale. The I Girls have played every year at the Pier, and their following and popularity have grown each season. Amy Ray and Emily Saliers met in grade school in Decatur, Ga., 20 years ago. They formed their first duo in 1980, became the Indigo Girls when they began playing clubs in 1983 and had their first album in 1988.

Their fifth and latest, "Swamp Ophelia," is considered by many their best. Instrumentally and lyrically complex, the Indigo Girls write music that demands careful listening presented by voices that blend as naturally as coffee and cream.

The Temptations, who play tonight, are also about harmonies, but of the five-part, Motown style. The group formed in 1961 and has had hits like "My Girl," "The Way You Do The Things You Do" and "Just My Imagination." Baritone Otis Williams and bass Melvin Franklin have been with the group since the beginning. Ron Tyson, Ali Ollie Woodson and Theo Peoples are the newest members. The Temps always play a tight, polished professional show.

The opening Staple Singers are best known for their gospel-based hits "Respect Yourself" and "I'll Take You There."

Tower of Power has been playing Oakland, Calif.-based funk since its 1971 debut album, the aptly named "East Bay Grease." The Tower of Power horn section is often featured on David Letterman's "Late Show."

War, best known for its '70s hits "Spill the Wine" (with Eric Burdon), "Slippin' Into Darkness" and "Lowrider," has just released its first new album in 13 years, called "Peace Sign." Having survived disco and years of constant touring, the band is once again showing up on network television and getting mainstream radio airplay.

Al Jarreau is a soul singer who vacillates between the smooth and the scat. He might be described as a kind of jazzy Johnny Mathis firmly planted in pop. His hits include "We're In This Love Together," "Mornin' " and the theme from the television show "Moonlighting." His newest album is "Tenderness."

Jarreau's Sunday night show is a benefit for the Seattle/King County chapter of the American Red Cross.

Kenny Loggins, Everett homeboy, has seemingly come full circle. His first real hit was "The House at Pooh Corner" in 1972 from his debut recording with Jim Messina, "Sittin' In." His newest release is a collection of children's favorites entitled "Return To Pooh Corner."

Loggins has had a string of hits with Messina - "Danny's Song," "Angry Eyes," "Your Mama Don't Dance" and "Watching The River Run" - and as a solo artist, most notably "Whenever I Call You Friend," "I'm Alright," "Footloose" and "Danger Zone." He has sold more than 20 million records.

Except for the Loggins show on Thursday, all shows are sold out. But it doesn't hurt to hang around the pier box office. You could still get lucky.