Dixie Chicks Live!

Dixie Chicks
United Center, Chicago
Tuesday, August 15, 2006

When the Dixie Chicks last rolled through town in 2003, tickets sold out within seconds of being put on sale. But between that day and the actual concert, the group struck up its share of controversy when frontwoman Natalie Maines made negative remarks about President Bush resulting in a media frenzy streaked with protest and sometimes praise. While the comments certainly didn’t resonate with the ladies’ entire fan base, every single seat was full come show date and politics weren’t even on the agenda, allowing for an enjoyable evening of sweetly sung Southern harmonies and many of the trio’s greatest hits.

But this time through sales haven’t been nearly as strong, making the United Center look respectably filled but not overflowing with curtains covering part of the unsold upper balcony. Though it’s unclear why the sudden drop off, especially when fans seemed to remain supportive and used their pre-purchased tickets just a few years ago, perhaps it’s because the Chicks had less luck with radio around the release of its latest album, Taking The Long Way.* Its maverick attitude may be honest, but it has also stuck the threesome between a rock and a hard place as its primary country music demographic hasn’t been exposed to much of the new music — still too twangy for pop radio. As a result, Chicago wasn’t the only market that suffered, forcing the Chicks to revise much of its tour schedule and focus away from more conservative states towards larger cities and Canada.

Amid all the hoopla, the Chicks delivered a generally solid set that stripped back the frills from last tour to highlight each of its vocal and musical talents. There were barely any cowboy hats in the house, and the girls peeled back any layers of gloss they previously had to unveil a more organic feel, while those worried about political influence would’ve been happy to know the topic barely surfaced. After cheekily entering to “Hail To The Chief” (the most overt reference), the group offered the barn-burning introduction of “Lubbock Or Leave It,” the gleeful stomper “Goodbye Earl,” and the more earthy “The Long Way Around.” Throughout each, it was apparent Maines (guitar and lead vocals), Emily Robison (banjo), and Martie Maguire (violin and fiddle) would let the music do the talking through two straight hours of sing-alongs.

An early chestnut included a tender cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” one that was sung much closer to key than the strained Smashing Pumpkins version. “Cowboy Take Me Away” coasted with easygoing harmonies and conjured up a slightly nostalgic longing, while “White Trash Wedding” delightfully poked fun at all of the genre’s typical stereotypes, giving a comical shout out to Pamela Anderson and Kid Rock. The most compelling moment came midway through the set with “Not Ready To Make Nice,” the lead single from Taking The Long Way, chronicling the political firestorm and subsequent death threats sent to Maines, who obliged with a riveting vocal treatment and theatrical emotional outpouring that mirrored the music video.

It’s too bad that type of charisma couldn’t seep into every selection, which were sometimes plagued by the Chicks’ low-key presence and somewhat dry delivery that has been a staple of past performances. Rather than running all around the stage and truly engaging the audience, members mostly stood directly in front of their microphone stands and often painted by the visual numbers. Clearly the girls were attempting to let attendees know they’re taking the tunes more seriously, but that point was already proven with dialed-down production. Tunes like “Lullaby” and “Easy Silence” faded into the background due to indifference.

Luckily the ladies stepped up their game come the home stretch, which tipped its hat at this lineup’s early years with “Wide Open Spaces,” the mold breaking gospel-styled rave up “Sin Wagon,” and a surprisingly competent cover of Bob Dylan’s “Mississippi.” By the time they closed with “Ready To Run,” onlookers appeared satisfied and open to embracing the Chicks once again regardless of this show’s drawbacks and public squabbles. However the trio’s true test will be to rise above backlash from the marketplace that groomed it and officially convert the new masses long beyond the headline hype.

— Andy Argyrakis

Category: Live Reviews, Weekly