The Chicks remain the same during great Bay Area show
Jenny Lewis opened the concert at Shoreline
By
Jim Harrington, Bay Area News Group
The Chicks shortened their
band name in 2020, saying that they wanted to “meet this moment” and eschew a word — “Dixie”
— that is often associated with the Confederacy and slavery.
That, however, is about the
only thing that has changed with the three Chicks — vocalist-guitarist Natalie Maines and multi-instrumentalists Martie
Maguire and Emily Strayer — who made their Bay Area debut under their new name on Saturday, July 30, at Shoreline Amphitheatre
at Mountain View.
Otherwise, the band is still
fiery, political, immensely talented and intent on giving fans plenty for their money in concert. And it’s still making
great music and remaining incredibly relevant and popular, despite being basically ignored by country music radio since a
major backlash occurred after comments that Maines made about then-President George W. Bush to a London crowd in 2003.
Following a winning opening
set by Jenny Lewis, the former Rilo Kiley vocalist who is supporting the 2019 solo effort “On the Line,” the mostly
female crowd was treated to a steady stream of cool videos of rock acts that feature women in the lead singer role (and sometimes
in other roles as well) — Blondie, Pretenders, Heart, Runaways, etc.
The last video in the string
was Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” — which felt like a nod to the Chicks’ willingness to embrace
and even celebrate its own outsider status in modern-day mainstream country music — and then the three musicians appeared
on stage with their superb five-piece backing band and began to roll through the rowdy opener “Sin Wagon.”
The trio was an absolute powerhouse
at the start of the concert, with Maines’ work on the microphone quickly soothing over any concerns that might have
remained since the singer halted a show in Indianapolis a month ago — and then postponed a trio of others — due
to vocal difficulties.
The two other band members
were just as sensational, with Maguire repeatedly wowing on fiddle and Strayer showing her talents on a mind-blowing number
of instruments, including guitar, piano, Dobro and, of course, banjo.
Following that opening number
— which hailed from 1999’s “Fly” — the Chicks moved right into modern times and played the title
track from their most recent album, 2020’s “Gaslighter.” They’d devote a little less than half the
night to the new material, with 10 of the 22 songs played at the concert hailing from “Gaslighter.”
That turned about to be a very
good thing, since the “Gaslighter” numbers were some of the best — and certainly most poignant — of
the show. Much of the polish was gone, leaving just the raw emotion to be heard and felt, as Maines delivered aching versions
of some of the songs that were inspired by her messy divorce in 2019. In particular, the pair of stripped-down “Gaslighter”
tunes toward the end of the show — “Everybody Loves You” (with Strayer playing a white piano) and “Set
Me Free” — were incredibly impactful.
The Chicks also got political
— which probably everyone was expecting given the band’s outspoken nature and the way things are in the world
now. They’d do so in ways that were semi-discreet — such as Maines sporting a Ruth Bader Ginsburg shirt and performing
the Patty Griffin-penned “Don’t Let Me Die in Florida” — in ways that were more direct, including
showing a graphic of a vessel carrying select Supreme Court justices that would explode in dramatic fashion during “Tights
on My Boat.”
The band closed the two-hour-plus
set with two of its most popular songs — “Not Ready to Make Nice” and “Goodbye Earl” —
which served to underscore why the Chicks remain one of country music’s top acts in concert.
Set list:
Sin Wagon
Gaslighter
Texas Man
Julianna Calm Down
The Long Way Around
My Best Friend’s Weddings
Sleep at Night
Mississippi
Wide Open Spaces
Tights on My Boat
Lubbock or Leave It
Cowboy Take Me Away
Long Time Gone
Landslide
Don’t Let Me Die in Florida
March March
For Her
White Trash Wedding
Everybody Loves You
Set Me Free
Not Ready to Make Nice
Goodbye Earl
Still unafraid of a fight, the Chicks dive into messy divorce at Bay Area concert
by Gabe Lehman, SFGATE
Nearly two decades later and the Chicks are still "Not Ready to Make Nice" — maybe less so now than
ever before.
The Chicks returned to the Bay Area on Saturday, July 30, for the first time in nearly six years (and the
first time since dropping "Dixie" from their name) to play for a raucous Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. The band,
which gained notoriety for criticizing President George W. Bush for the Iraq War all the way back in 2003, proved they are
just as unafraid of a fight as ever.
Performing to adoring fans decked out in flannel and cowboy hats, the Chicks heavily featured songs from "Gaslighter,"
their first album in 14 years, which was written in response to lead singer Natalie Maines’ contentious divorce from
actor Adrian Pasdar.
The divorce came with tabloid-ready accusations of infidelity, and Maines did not shy away from the more scandalous
details in her songwriting. Lyrics like "Yeah, you can tell the girl who left her tights on my boat that she can have you
now" don't leave much to the imagination.
On Saturday, material from the new album ("Gaslighter," "Texas Man" and "Juliana Calm Down") made up three
of the first four songs played before the Chicks broke out "The Long Way Around," the lead track from 2006’s "Taking
the Long Way."
From there, the trio (lead singer Maines, and sisters Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire, who each play a number
of string instruments) mixed in their classics along with songs from the new album, including "Wide Open Spaces," "Cowboy
Take Me Away" and "Long Time Gone."
Earlier this summer, the Chicks had to end a show early and cancel three tour dates because Maines was having
trouble with her vocal cords. These issues didn’t cause any major problems at the Bay Area show, but Maines did appear
to be holding back at points, mostly early on in the set. However, as the night wore on, especially during the Chicks’
most popular songs, Maines was able to dial up the intensity, to the audience’s delight.
At this point in her career, Maines is like a veteran pitcher who can no longer throw 100 mph for an entire
game but can still bring the heat for a high-leverage strikeout.
While many of the songs focused on the breakdown of a family, the concert itself was the complete opposite.
Maines’ son Slade and Maguire’s daughter Eva are both part of the Chicks’ backing band.
Maines introduced Slade before playing a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s "Landslide," in which Maines talked
about how the song has meant more to her since the birth of her children.
The trio waded into recent politics as well, with Maines joking that she’s grown to really appreciate
the message of Patti Griffin’s "Don’t Let Me Die In Florida." On a more serious note, a harrowing list of recent
mass shootings was projected behind the band before the song "March March" off of "Gaslighter."
For their penultimate song, the Chicks broke out their biggest hit "Not Ready To Make Nice," which was written
in response to the Iraq War controversy but has taken on new meaning in light of the divorce. The track, which earned Record
of the Year honors at the 2007 Grammys, hit just as strongly as ever.
To close out the night, Maines announced, "We’ve only got one thing left to do," before breaking into
a barn-storming version of "Goodbye Earl," a ballad about a woman and her pal who get murderous revenge on an abusive husband.
It was a fitting end to the evening.
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