Dixie Chicks make trip to the top seem easy

By Kevin C. Johnson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

It was just over a year ago that the Dixie Chicks were at Riverport Amphitheatre opening for country music superstar Tim McGraw. At the time, the Dixie Chicks were flying high with their debut CD, "Wide Open Spaces," and introduced the crowd to future hits "Ready to Run" and "Goodbye Earl." Much has changed since then.

"Fly," the group's second CD, has since gone on to sell 7 million copies, more than doubling McGraw's latest. Also, the group's Natalie Maines (she's pregnant), Martie Seidel and Emily Robison are headlining their own sold-out concert, which happened at the Savvis Center Friday night, with opening act Willie Nelson, no less.

Clearly, the women had no trouble making the transition from support act to headliner, delivering a two-hour concert that felt as if they belonged there all along. From the moment the denim jean crotch backdrop dropped away after the zipper was lowered (great touch!), the group easily commanded the stage with charisma, charm and genuine talent.

The women turned the Savvis Center into a gigantic honky-tonk. They played their trademark fiddle, dobro and banjo to partially eschew any labels of "new country," performing music unmistakably country, not necessarily "new" or "old."

"Ready to Run" opened the concert in high-flying style, followed by faithful takes on "There's Your Trouble," "Hello Mr. Heartache," "If I Fall You're Going Down With Me" and "Without You." The ballad "You Were Mine," which they described as the first song the group ever finished, included a piercing note from Maines that was J almost blood-curdling. Who knew she had it in her?

Nelson joined them for his classic "Bloody Mary Morning," the performance begging for a future hook-up between the two acts. The women paid tribute to Bonnie Raitt on "Give It Up or Let Me Go," which nearly set the place on fire, as did "Let 'Er Rip" and, of course, "Sin Wagon." An acoustic set brought out "Let Him Fly," "Heartbreak Town" and a mesmerizing cover of Sheryl Crow's "Strong Enough."

One entertaining segment featured a slide show of the women at various stages during childhood and adolescence, with the women cracking jokes about their own and one another's young looks. The en core featured big hit "Goodbye Earl," with Maines surfacing on a platform in the rear of the arena floor while her cohorts appeared way up high in the cheap seats.

The sing-along of "Wide Open Spaces" brought the show to a fitting close.

Some may be bewildered by the presence of legend Nelson on the bill. Truly, the inclusion of the red headed stranger is a clear indication of the Dixie Chicks' respect for traditional country. Also, Nelson has spoken out on how country mu sic is fragmented between traditional and contemporary sounds, and his inclusion is a thumbs up from him on the Dixie Chicks' music.

Grizzled though not haggard, Nelson and his band took fans on a brief tour of his outlaw brand of country music. It had little to do with the Dixie Chicks, but for younger fans in the house, it should've proven inspiring as they watched the pro plow through "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain," "On the Road Again," "You Were Always on My Mind" and Hank Williams' "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It."

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