Dixie Chicks sparkle on stage

Country music fans witnessed a changing of the guard Friday night at The Bryce Jordan Center, when legendary singer Willie Nelson opened for the Dixie Chicks, a trio of crossover wonders currently on their first headlining tour.

The cowboy hats dotting the audience told the tale of changing times and tastes. Traditional brown and black ones vied for attention with the spangled, zebra-striped and leopard-print varieties.

In trademark braids and red bandana, Nelson received a cordial welcome as he strode on stage with his seven-piece band and broke into "Whiskey River."

He moved quickly through some lesser-known tunes, delivered in Nelson's ripened twang.

But a string of three favorites, kicked off by "Mama Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys," earned him a heartier reaction and "Always On My Mind" brought out the first lighters of the evening.

During his 40-minute set, the man whose career has spanned four decades performed against a modest backdrop emblazoned with a western motif and his self-named Web site address.

After tossing some extra bandanas into the front rows and waving to all corners of the center, Nelson left the stage to a standing ovation.

Touring in support of the group's second album,　Fly　, the Dixie Chicks made its first appearance from behind a circular curtain decorated to look like the top half of a pair of jeans. Only moments before, an inflatable black insect had been set aloft to hover above the crowd.

In gold-tinted outfits, the trio from Texas — Natalie Maines, Martie Seidel and Emily Erwin — launched into "Ready to Run," a song popularized by the movie　Runaway Bride　.

"We are going to attempt to entertain you," vocalist Maines said afterwards, a sly nod to the group's 2000 Country Music Association Entertainer of the Year award.

The crowd preferred the Chicks' up-tempo singles such as "There's Your Trouble," "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me" and "I Can Love You Better." A few of the first ballads suffered as audience members kept cheering th roughout and clapped too soon.

The Chicks presented mostly album versions, but fiddler Seidel and banjo/guitar player Erwin revealed their group's bluegrass roots with "The Lobotomy Breakdown," a hoe-down piece honed on the street corners of their Texas hometown.

Following an acoustic set, the band pulled out the larger production numbers. Fake snow sprinkled the heads of the audience during "Cold Day in July," and a stage-spanning red curtain swelled at the back of the stage after the intro of "Sin Wagon."

Fans at the center Friday night also had several distractions to fill the downtime.

Early comers to the show watched a pop-rock collection of Dixie-Chicks-approved music videos mingled with campy promos for the band. In one, the lead singer slurps from a hotel bidet and calls it a water fountain. In another, the trio is caught stealthily leaving an elevator carrying bags bursting with complimentary toiletry items.

Also, in the half-hour between acts, Nathan from the MTV's　Real World Seattle ran around passing out prizes to promote a country music web site. Dozens of young fans followed him around the center's floor afterwards, looking for photo ops.

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