High-flying Dixie Chicks make a triumphant return

Make no mistake, the Dixie Chicks are Texas-branded.

Sure, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Seidel can play New York and Los Angeles, rack up a shelf full of Grammys, even get the VH1 Behind the Music treatment. But when you strip away the trappings of stardom, you're left with three wisecracking girls who pick and sing with a sideways grin and a rock-charged attitude.

Before a packed house Thursday night at Reunion Arena, Dallas' beloved trio delivered a set filled with strong musicianship, soaring harmonies and bluegrass-based country tunes. And when their irreverent humor merged with their Lone Star swagger - as on the rambunctious "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me" and the salacious "Sin Wagon" - the audience roared for more.

The show, part of the Chicks' 70-city Fly Tour, served as the group's official homecoming. Since releasing their major-label debut, 1998's Wide Open Spaces, the Chicks have trekked through Dallas-Fort Worth a time or two. But when you sell 15 million records, you return as local superstars. Come Friday night, they'll play the second concert of a two-night Reunion stand.

And to use the title of a hit single, the Dixie Chicks are "Ready to Run." The Celtic-laced number arrived early, creating an earthy yet frolicking mood that prevailed throughout the set.

The stage decor was minimal - a few risers, three video screens, an old-fashioned curtain - so as to keep the focus on the music. These girls don't need props to impress. Ms. Robison plucked the dobro and Ms. Seidel sawed the fiddle during the scorching "Give It Up or Let Me Go." Ms. Maines tore up the song, vamping, dancing and spitting the lyrics with fiery gusto.

They have a soft side, too. With opening act Patty Griffin, Ms. Maines sang "Let Him Fly" as dobro, fiddle and acoustic guitar provided quiet accompaniment. An emotional performance, similar in tone to their cover of Sheryl Crow's plaintive ballad "Strong Enough."

Then, they offset the seriousness with delicious slices of humor. We were treated to a slide show filled with pictures of Natalie and sisters Emily and Martie growing up. It could have been a self-aggrandizing exercise. Instead, it was self-deprecating as they poked fun at each other's adolesecent awkwardness.

Quintessential Dixie Chicks. But for the most telling characteristic, we go back to those instruments. As they sat on a couch midstage, they launched into "Brilliancy," a bluegrass instrumental dating back to the act's formation in 1989.

A homespun hoedown: Ms. Seidel was relentless on the fiddle while Ms. Robison picked the banjo with frenetic precision. It was a showcase for the sisters,with Ms. Maines in the background playing acoustic guitar.

And yet the song also belongs to the current incarnation. "Brilliancy" is the bridge joining the quirky bluegrass quartet of yesterday with the rocking bluegrass trio you see today.

Return To Tour Dates/Reviews page

Return To Fly Tour page