The Chicks find work in Indiana: On 2nd try, country music trio dazzle at Ruoff

By Rory Appleton, Indianapolis Star

When The Chicks made their first attempt at a Ruoff Music Center showstopper, the central Indiana air got the best of lead singer Natalie Maines' allergies, claiming her voice.

On Friday, she got her revenge. And then some.

After tapping out of the band's June show, Maines made the most her do-over by belting out hits for two hours at the chilly amphitheater, her regained voice carrying the load in front of a massive and rabid crowd.

During "For Her," Maines' vocals seemed to lift the paneled roof and push through the stage's floor. "Long Time Gone" and "Julianna Calm Down" showcased the range and power of the youngest Chick. During the former, the crowd predictably shrieked when Maines' brother found work in Indiana.

"Thank you so much for forgiving me," she told the audience.

The Chicks entered the stage wearing all manner of black, from leather boots to fishnets, and made a powerful go of it. Emily Strayer even plucked a black and gold banjo so badass it can't possibly be street legal.

Much like the Chris Stapleton show I adored in July, there was not a whole lot of movement to the thing — just three Chicks and six backing musicians playing loud and singing their hearts.

Their crowd was no slouch either.

It was roughly 80% women, which led to much better communal vocals than I'm used to during singalong anthems "Gaslighter" and "Cowboy Take Me Away."

With an extra few months to stew, the excitement was uncontainable. The ladies around me began to scream and bowl one another (and me) over during "White Trash Wedding," and I could barely hear the band during an iconic "Goodbye Earl" close.

My favorite moment came when the large band formed an acoustic semicircle for "Lubbock or Leave It." Everyone was slinging bluegrass solos and singing about Texas — it was awesome.

Before launching into their cover of "Landslide," Maines explained she had just given birth to her son, Slade Pasdar, when it was first recorded. That baby, now 21, plays with the band. Those moments are always nice.

It was a fantastic cover, too. I was sitting in just about the same seat at the same venue when I saw Stevie do it only a few days after The Chicks' canceled date.

Now, that begs the obvious question, but it just can't be done. Can one compare a Monet and a van Gogh? Probably, but he sounds boring and pretentious. I'll just say both versions were special.

As they forecasted to me in May, The Chicks also showed a little of their subversive side while on stage Friday. This ranged from funny to markedly serious.

During "Tights on My Boat," photos of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the entire conservative majority of U.S. Supreme Court were superimposed on top of little pool floaties — unicorns, flamingos, you get the idea.

It was at this moment I wondered if the man I saw at the box office wearing a "let's go Brandon" sweatshirt had begun to rethink his wardrobe choice. Nine times out of 10, at a country show in Noblesville, plenty of people would think he was pretty cool.

This was probably that one other time, though.

"March March," the protest song released along with the band's name change in 2020, struck a more somber tone later in the show.

A video flashed the names of Black Americans killed by police officers or lynched, from George Floyd to Emmett Till. Maines pulled back her scarf to reveal a shirt reading "it's my body" in gold lettering, to strong applause, and the video ended with scenes of pro-abortion rights protests, which drew even louder cheers in a state that recently enacted a near-total ban on abortion.

The band said nothing further on the matter and moved back to lighter fare.

My only issue with the show was a few ballads sandwiched between "White Trash Wedding" and "Not Ready to Make Nice" that dropped the energy way down near the end. It was the first time, more than 90 minutes in, that folks sat down. It felt like speedbump during an otherwise smooth ride.

Beyond that, it was a beautiful show well worth a little extra wait.

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