Dixie Chicks hottest band for good reason
Trio too talented to be undone by sound gaffes
By Peter North, Edmonton Journal
Let's see now. We've got the hottest act in country music and arguably all of contemporary music on stage. This trio known
as the Dixie Chicks is armed with two albums worth of fabulous material, some originals, other tunes pulled from the books
of some of the most clever and talented tunesmiths around.
It's no secret that Emily Robison, Natalie Maines and Martie Seidel are truly gifted singers and players, who paid serious
dues before hitting the big time and hey, in show business great looks have never hindered a front runner have they?
Almost 12,000 pumped Chicks fans are in the Skyreach Centre and long before the headliners appear on stage, gaggles of
young wandering would-be-Chicks are heard singing songs like Goodbye Earl out on the concourse.
It certainly sounds like all the key ingredients to a perfect concert evening are lined up like sitting ducks, doesn't
it?
Except for the assassin disguised as a soundman sitting at the sound board.
It's true hockey rinks weren't built for music, but is it not inexcusable at $62.50 a pop that somewhere in that huge box-office
ring there isn't room for a considerable amount of money to be earmarked for a pair of serious ears?
No bottom end, piercing high-end action from Seidel’s fiddle as well as that of the steel guitar player, and many
times the same results on the lead vocals from Maines, is quite frankly inexcusable.
With that said and the venting done, it's hard not be completely won over by these women who continue to be the most refreshing
thing with commercial appeal, to come down the line in country music in years.
Hooks, intelligent lyrics, passion in the performances, great and creative soloing, tunes that run all of the tributaries
of country together. It's all there and more.
You prefer hardcore country territory? Look no further than the honky-tonk gem Hello Mr. Heartache that found Maines
pulling of dramatic vocal inflections that came straight out of the '60s country texts.
The same goes for Without You, also pulled from the Chicks latest chart topper Fly. If it's material made to bring
a tear to the eye, no doubt You Were Mine, penned by the sister instrumentalist team of Emily and Martie, grabbed you
by the sleeve. The tune does an incredible job documenting the emotional pain of their parents' divorce. The stark arrangement
also gave us a quick relief from the constant ringing of echoes off the venue's concert walls.
I Can Love You Better and the show opener, Ready To Run, added the heavy grooves to the mix and through it all,
the team consistently added perfectly placed harmonies and tasty instrumental excursions on fiddle, dobro and banjo.
One of the mid-point concert highlights found the trio, and their accomplished six piece band, ripping into Bonnie Raitt's
Give It Up Or Let Me Go. Emily’s red-hot dobro solos were framed by equally blistering piano and steel guitar
responses while Natalie Maines rode the tune with a healthy blues snarl that punctuated the chorus.
It was all a far cry from the bleak opening set from Patty Griffin that lacked any kind of build in terms of pacing or
personality. Yes her Flaming Red disc is a pretty good effort, but if she's hoping to build a fan base with this great tour
opportunity, she'd better get some wind in her sails fast.
In fact maybe Griffin and the Chicks' soundman could team up and head out on their own. Just a thought
