Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 2016

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Dixie Chicks bring eagle-high harmonies to Rogers Place

By Fish Griwkowsky, Edmonton Sun

The bulk of a 70-date world tour behind them, the Dixie Chicks were tight and mighty Thursday night in a dazzling, electric Frankenstein of Appalachian string tradition, eagle-high female harmonies and video production Nine Inch Nails could sink its teeth into with a black-lipped grin.

"You look fantastic," 41-year-old singer Natalie Maines yelped under a bone-yellow military cut.

"I love your hair! I don’t want to put the pressure on you, but I’m here in heels with three broken toes and a lot of you are sitting," she sassed.

From the first notes of The Long Way Around, the 20-plus song set for the downtown rink’s 13,500 showed why the Chicks outsold all other country music put together some years.

As wilfully idiotic as post 9-11 got, it’s still hard to believe Maines got in so much trouble — by a corporate-sponsored conspiracy with hired bulldozers, actually — for saying she was ashamed George W. Bush was a Texan. These days, it’s hard to find a public setting where someone isn’t at least a little disappointed Donald Trump is from planet Earth.

To wit: "You guys are so lucky you don’t have to stress about our election," said Maines. "Next election, we’re going to have The Bachelor running for president."

She added later, "Even George Bush won’t vote for Donald Trump. We might have a beer together, maybe someday."

Band-founding sister-musicians Emily Robison, 44, and fiddling Martie Maguire, 46, flanked Maines on Lubbock or Leave It, the singalong Easy Silence, a hot country Some Days You Gotta Dance, the upbeat Long Time Gone and an awesome Nothing Compares 2 U cover for Prince — his enigmatic symbol hovering through big-screen purple rain.

Beneath the strobing light show, there was an aura of inclusivity not apparent at every bro country show. On Twitter, @prairie_femme noted, "I usually count the lesbians that I see when I go out, I’ve already lost count at this Dixie Chicks concert."

Patty Griffith’s soaring-sad Top of the World was followed by girl-gangsta Goodbye Earl with an amazing slideshow of murderers — and a splash of OJ — behind them.

A canned, bluegrass Ace of Spades car chase video intermission led to beautiful, acoustic Travelin’ Soldier — the band at its roots — then the country-punk Don’t Let Me Die in Florida and, haha, Beyonce’s Daddy Lessons, a real thing to hear by a seven-piece bluegrass band, including Edmonton’s Justin Weaver.

Sassy blues-rocker Elle King kicked opened the night, her biggest played hit Ex’s and Oh’s’ video directed by Edmonton Micheal Maxxis — to whom she gave a shout-out. She killed it in a quick, microwave-boiled set. "Men and women are equal — equally terrible people," she laughed. Ain’t Gonna Drown was monstrous, and she took righteous care of Paul McCartney’s screamo Oh! Darling.

This was my first big concert at the crown jewel of the Overprice District, beers starting at $11. Up in the rafters, people consistently joked — or trembled — about the steep angle and long drop down from the muddy-audio economy seats. "We’re so high here there’s clouds," Paul Salamon joked to his family before the concert.

The Chicks continued as an instrumental medley trio and with 10 more full songs including White Trash Wedding, 1999’s Ready to Run in an explosion of tri-colour election confetti, Dylan’s Mississippi from Love and Theft, and their Fleetwood Mac cover Landslide with a beaming Elle King.

"I like to think she’s the only girl in this business with balls bigger than mine," Maines said with a smile.

Wide Open Spaces took us way back, then the frenetic Sin Wagon — the encore’s Not Ready to Make Nice a direct statement about it all.

What a ride — so proud of these Dallas buskers who stood up so very tall. May you get that drink, Natalie — Mr. Bush’s will have to be a sparkling root beer, of course …

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