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Dixie Chicks in prime form at Nationwide Arena
By Caitlin Essig, for The Columbus Dispatch
To start their Columbus show, notes of Prince's "Let's Go Crazy" whipped heads to attention. Suddenly, neon jail bars lit
up the darkness, eventually rising to reveal the trio, who began their set with "The Long Way Around."
The trio certainly took the long way in returning to touring this year, emerging from a 10-year hiatus, during which they
took time to focus on family after being ostracized from the public eye because of comments criticizing then-President George
W. Bush.
But Friday night at Nationwide Arena, Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire proved it's time to stop dwelling
on that part of their past, and time to rejuvenate another part, the notes of good, soulful country music.
The Chicks revived country rock — tearing into "Lubbock or Leave It" and "Truth No. 2." The opening notes of "Long
Time Gone" and "Cowboy Take Me Away" rang in with a burst of nostalgia, setting off an eruption of cheers.
But "Goodbye Earl" possibly drew the loudest reaction of the night, as if the show had started just then. Anyone sitting
down leapt up and just about everyone shouted the words as black and white images from film noir played on the screen behind
the trio, with more recent images like Chris Brown's mugshot and Donald Trump with devil horns thrown in.
A short break allowed for a costume change (though they stuck with simple black and white), then the trio was back with
"Travelin' Soldier."
On songs such as "Top of the World," Maguire's violin provided the deep bluegrass soul we've been missing in country lineups
since the Dixie Chicks stepped away. And the visuals at this show were well-crafted, bordering on the spiritual during slow
and easy "Easy Silence," versus the comical, during "Ready to Run," complete with images mocking current and past presidential
candidates.
These queens of country took on pop royalty, performing a slightly more country version of Beyoncé's "Daddy Lessons," and
dedicating a rendition of "Nothing Compares 2 U" to the fallen great Prince.
One of the most beautiful moments of the night brought fantastic opener Elle King back onstage to help sing Fleetwood Mac's
"Landslide." Of course, both "Wide Open Spaces" and polar opposite "Sin Wagon" were heavily anticipated and celebrated toward
the end of the night.
But encore "Not Ready to Make Nice" was what most were waiting for, and the trio ended on a high note with "Better Way,"
dedicated to the positive vision they have for the future.
The Dixie Chicks proved time can't dull their shine or their passion onstage.
Dixie Chicks rule the roost at Nationwide Arena
By Ashley Layne, The Lantern
The Dixie Chicks returned to Columbus last night after a ten-year absence, and it was clear from the start that the group
was happy to be back in Ohio’s capital.
Elle King, who spent some of her childhood in Columbus, opened the show perfectly. With a sound that is a rock and roll
and country music-hybrid, her deep and growling vocals and unpolished stage presence were reminiscent of Janis Joplin.
Watching King be so openly grateful to be back home and playing this size of venue — even if it was as an opener
— was infectious.
The Chicks winked about their time away by starting their set with "The Long Way Around".
Natalie Maines, Emily Robison, and Martie Maguire stood in a line across the stage as the rest of their band played on
the sidelines during the first half of the concert.
After a brief wardrobe change (this is their first tour with such a thing, Maines commented), the trio returned to the
alone to play a few songs, one of which was a beautiful rendition of "Travelin’ Soldier."
The ladies then welcomed their band back on stage to begin a performance that felt more like I was at an intimate front-porch
jamboree than a cavernous arena.
The Chicks spent most of their evening running through crowd-favorites like, "Goodbye Earl" and "Cowboy Take Me Away."
There was also an element of homage paid to the artists that came before and those that they respect today. Before taking
the stage, The Chicks played Prince’s recording of "Let’s Go Crazy" in its entirety. The group also paid their
respects by covering "Nothing Compares 2 U", a song famously written by The Purple One himself.
Having famously covered Fleetwood Mac’s "Landslide" years before, it was almost a guarantee that the song would make
an appearance at some point, which it did, but this time The Chicks brought Elle King back on stage to sing along.
And while The Chicks are known to have moxie they further proved that by venturing a road that few dare to travel by attempting
a cover of Beyoncé’s "Daddy Lessons".
Turning the song into a bluegrass-tinged treat, the crowd ate it up.
As the evening came to an end, the ladies played "Wide Open Spaces" as the audience sang along so loud that Maines’
powerful voice was swallowed whole by the enthusiasm.
Saving their angst-ridden hit "Not Ready to Make Nice" for the two-song encore was a perfect way to end the evening.
It was clear from the beginning that The Chicks haven’t lost their edge in the decade that has passed since their
last visit to Columbus. Maines’ incredible vocals are as strong as ever. Maguire and Robison’s skills at playing
the fiddle and banjo, respectively, fill out the Chicks’ sound.
Let’s hope that it isn’t 2026 before The Dixie Chicks visit us again.
The Chicks Soar and King Reigns at Nationwide Arena
by Grant Walters, Columbus Underground
The Dixie Chicks made a triumphant return to Columbus on their DCX MMXVI World Tour Friday night, bringing former resident
and rising star Elle King for support.
The big, loud crowd that would nearly fill Nationwide Arena to capacity on Friday night started lining up early to cash
in their tickets, anxious to welcome the Dixie Chicks back to Columbus after more than a decade since their last stop here
in July 2006. Near the end of the show, lead singer Natalie Maines would acknowledge their absence with tongue planted firmly
in cheek: "Columbus, we hope it won’t take you another ten years to invite us back."
Of course, Maines’ joke has multiple layers. Riding the high of the phenomenal success of the band’s exceptional
2002 album, Home, she famously disparaged sitting US President George W. Bush during an overseas interview. In a short amount
of time, the Dixie Chicks went from being revered almost universally by country and pop music audiences, to receiving death
threats and having their records banned from swaths of radio stations around the country. Considering the current state of
affairs in American politics, Maines’ comment seems lukewarm by comparison – undeserving of the seething vitriol
it received at the time. Don’t get me wrong – there are still plenty of people who insist that the opinions of
performing artists have no place in political discussion. But I have to believe that in 2016 Maines’ feather-ruffling
would probably sink quickly into abyss of the Twitter-verse, or at least be overshadowed by endless stream of soundbites churned
out by the media.
Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer have not mounted a headlining US tour in ten years, nor has there been
any new music released under the Dixie Chicks’ moniker in just as long. But if the impressive grosses this outing has
generated is any indication, there seems to no longer be much interest in controversies, breaks, sour grapes, or other bygones.
The DCX MMXVI World Tour opened with a European leg in April, and moved back Stateside in June. Fifty-one US dates have been
scheduled (Columbus is the forty-fourth), with a final stop in Los Angeles planned for October 10.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside Nationwide Arena appeared to be nothing less than celebratory – including the gregarious
gentleman seated next to me with a stack of tallboys who asked my name and gave me permission to elbow him in the ribs if
he got too loud.
Former Columbusite and RCA recording artist Elle King served as the evening’s opening act, which was a winning choice.
Her powerful bluesy wail filled up the venue to the rafters, playfully bantering with the audience in between tracks. Her
gritty folksiness and soulful delivery has rightfully earned her comparisons to Amy Winehouse to Janis Joplin, but King proved
that she was a force all her own as she tore through the reflective "Jackson", gospel-tinged "Ain’t Gonna Drown", and
the sultry "I Told You I Was Mean" from current album, Love Stuff. Other highlights included a deliciously brassy cover of
the Beatles’ "Oh! Darling" and yet-to-be-released standout "The Compromise". The crowd showed no hesitation in cheering
for King on, especially as she introduced her family who watched her adoringly from the lower bowl. They jumped to their feet
for her recent top ten radio hit "Ex’s & Oh’s", building momentum for set closer and new single "America’s
Sweetheart". King’s endearingly informal persona and vocal firepower undoubtedly sent more than a few new fans to the
box office for her return to Columbus as a headliner on November 4 at Express Live!
After a stage reset, the lights dimmed and the familiar first few notes of Prince’s "Let’s Go Crazy" surrounded
the crowd, who obediently rose from their seats and enthusiastically began to dance. As the track ended, a row of bright white
light strips spaced vertically along the stage’s length cut through the darkness – presumptuously symbolic of
a prison – lifting as the Chicks’ band started to play the opening bars of the title track to 2006′s Taking
the Long Way. The silhouettes of Maines, Maguire, and Strayer then appeared, back-lit by brilliant white LED panels as they
began to walk forward to the front of the stage – transforming to living color in the process.
You couldn’t help but be in awe of their presence. There they were: one of the most successful music groups in history.
After all this time, they sounded as magnificent as every album they’d recorded.
They immediately jumped into one of the more controversial songs in their catalog, the gutsy "Lubbock or Leave It", followed
by Patty Griffin’s bluegrass jewel "Truth #2″ from 2002′s Home. "Easy Silence", complemented by a beautiful
lyric video backdrop, was an instant reminder for anyone who had forgotten just how exquisite their ballad work is. But those
who preferred the sassier uptempo version of the band only had to pause temporarily before they returned with the country-rock
romp "Some Days You Gotta Dance". The usually percussion-less "Long Time Gone" arrived with a rhythm section, but its rural
banjo-and-fiddle sway remained intact.
From there, the set list took a detour as Maines entered into a cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U" – an emotional tribute
to the late, great Prince. Performing in front of an image of falling purple rain – with the departed artist’s
iconic glyph logo emblazoned in the middle of the screen – Maines’ reading of the song made famous by Sinead O’Connor
was an outstanding display of versatility and vulnerability. The Chicks excel at creatively interpreting other artists, and
they began a mid-show acoustic subset with "Daddy Issues" from Beyonce’s now omnipotent Lemonade; Maines shared with
the audience that the album has been the "backstage soundtrack of the tour. We’ve been obsessed with it from the very
beginning." Bob Dylan’s "Mississippi" and their renowned version of Fleetwood Mac’s "Landslide" also made the
list. During the latter, Maines invited Elle King to join the group on stage, joking that King was "the only other female
artist with bigger balls than mine. I know. I’ve seen them." All good-natured jibes aside, the blend of their four voices
was gorgeous.
If you’ve never heard Maines, Maguire, and Strayer sing in harmony live, I promise you that it’s one of the
most achingly beautiful sounds in pop music. "Travelin’ Soldier" is perhaps one of the finest examples of just how close
and precise their tone is as a vocal unit. It was sung flawlessly, and the wet eyes I saw in the audience indicated that its
mournful message is just as close to the heart in 2016 as it was in 2002 when the single reached number one the US country
charts.
The Chicks didn’t disappoint those who were hoping to hear a solid succession of their hits. The wistful "Cowboy
Take Me Away", "Wide Open Spaces", and "Top of the World" were greeted with excited cheers. "Ready to Run", probably most
remembered for its association with the However, it was the joyous revenge anthem "Goodbye Earl" from 1998′s Fly that
tore the roof off the arena – Maines’ confident lead vocal was nearly drowned out by the crowd’s start-to-finish
sing-a-long. Set against a video montage of mugshots and newspaper headlines of devious men throughout history, the band took
an opportunity to be inclusive presidential candidate Donald Trump – embellishing one of his formal photos with devil’s
horns and a goatee. It was hard to gauge the audience’s response among the noise, but a few laughs were audible in the
mix. They completed their primary set with the rollicking hoot-’n'-roller of "Sin Wagon" before exiting the stage.
A short time later, the trio returned for their encore with what’s arguably their most successful commercial single,
2006′s "Not Ready to Make Nice". Although the wounds of controversy that prompted the song’s creation are a little
less fresh this long down the line, its intensity is still palpable. As they moved into the show’s closing number, Maines
explained to the audience that they couldn’t "leave you not ready to make nice". They launched into a cover Ben Harper’s
optimistic "Better Way" – a song they’ve performed throughout the tour that has since taken on more significance
for the band in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub massacre of this summer. A rainbow heart beamed behind the stage as
Maines urged the crowd to chant the chorus along with her, insisting that "we can change the energy of the universe."
Whatever lies ahead for us, here’s hoping that it won’t be long until we have new Dixie Chicks music to savor.
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