The Chicks make a nice ruckus at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre

Country legends played timeless hits and lots of new songs off ‘Gaslighter’ for Chula Vista crowd

By Seth Combs, The San Diego Union- Tribune

I like to say that The Chicks gained one loyal fan at a time when they were losing thousands.

This was back in 2003 when, just before the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines made a remark to a London audience about how the band was “ashamed” that then-president George W. Bush was from their home state of Texas. As extemporaneous as the commentary was then, and as mildly inoffensive as it seems by today’s standards, conservative media jumped all over Maines’ remarks. Fans and peers denounced them as “unpatriotic,” they were blacklisted and boycotted by country radio, and they even received death threats.

“I made my bed, and I sleep like a baby with no regrets,” sang Maines on Saturday night just before The Chicks closed out a concert with a spirited performance of “Not Ready to Make Nice,” the first single the band released in 2006 after the Bush controversy.

Backed by fellow Chicks Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer, as well as a stellar backing band, Maines’ words flooded me with memories of the time it was released. Before that controversy, and the subsequent single in which they ostensibly double-downed on their criticisms, I’d been admittedly dismissive of the band’s bubbly amalgamation of pop and country music. “Not Ready to Make Nice,” however, as well as the band’s unabashed outspokenness at a time when other artists were shying away from any political commentary, made a fan of me.

And yes, the crowd at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre seemed much more keen on belting along and raising their phones for the band’s other big hits (“Cowboy Take Me Away,” “Wide Open Spaces,” and the band’s tender take on Fleetwood Mac’s iconic “Landslide”), but it was “Not Ready to Make Nice” that got this journalist all up in his feels.

One could argue we need The Chicks’ brand of candidness more than ever, and while the band didn’t have a ton of between-song commentary, there were a few moments during the concert where it was clear they still wear their hearts on their sleeves. At a time of bitter political hostility and the recent Supreme Court overturning of Roe v. Wade, Maines, who sported a gold-on-black Ruth Bader Ginsburg T-shirt, seemed emboldened while doing her best to keep the mood lighthearted.

“That was the first time I’ve ever done the running man to that song,” Maines said after playing “Trouble” and referring to the popular early ‘90s dance move.

Looking back on the band’s vast catalog of hit records, some of which they played on this night, it’s easy to hear how much they laid the template for contemporary country musicians, especially women artists. They are, after all, the top-selling woman band of all time. And just as unafraid as their musical forbearers were — see: Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, etc. — The Chicks’ biggest songs have become something of a formula, a template that has been dutifully replicated by artists such as Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and, yes, Taylor Swift. It’s hard to imagine a world in which Swift’s music, much less her recent openness about her political beliefs, would have existed if The Chicks hadn’t paved the proverbial county road.

What’s more, the band is still making waves, both personally and musically. On the former, there’s of course the fact that they changed their name to The Chicks from the more problematic Dixie Chicks in 2020 and did so at the height of the George Floyd protests for racial justice. And when it comes to the music, much of the concert on Saturday was filled with songs from their most recent album, 2020’s “Gaslighter.” And of those 10 new-ish songs — they didn’t get to tour after recording the album due to the pandemic — it was evident that the band is still tapping into the zeitgeist.

Sure, the topic of a cheating spouse (“Gaslighter,” “Sleep At Night,” “Tights On My Boat”) is something of a country music modus operandi, a formula as broken-in as a favorite pair of cowboy boots, but the songs The Chicks are making now — after a 14-year break — are as good as anything they’ve done.

There were some somber moments on a night otherwise filled with singalong escapism. Just before playing “March March,” a montage on the screen behind the band flashed the names of the cities where mass shootings have occurred along with the number of victims. They followed it with a tender, emboldening performance of “For Her,” a song that directly encourages listeners to fight back not just for themselves, but for the daughters who will inherit the world.

If any fans took issue with a song that directly addressed the issue of guns in the wake of a year filled with gun violence, it was hard to notice. Most of the audience seemed not only receptive, but grateful to have a band seemingly unafraid to speak up about important issues. Of course, it wasn’t always like this, and while it’s likely there were fans on Saturday night who disagreed with The Chicks’ progressive politics, the concert served as a microcosm of how we could all take a moment, come together, and listen to what others have to say.

The Chicks themselves still may not be ready to make nice, but their audience seems more receptive to share their joy as well as their pain.

The Chicks North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre set list, July 24, 2022

1. “Sin Wagon”

2. “Gaslighter”

3. “Texas Man”

4. “Juliana Calm Down”

5. “Long Way Around”

6. “My Best Friend’s Wedding”

7. “Sleep at Night”

8. “There’s Your Trouble”

9. “Wide Open Spaces”

10. “Tights on My Boat”

11. “Lubbock or Leave It”

12. “Cowboy Take Me Away”

13. [medley] “Long Time Gone”

14. “Landslide”

15. “Don’t Let Me Die In Florida”

16. “March March”

17. “For Her”

18. “White Trash Wedding”

19. “Everybody Loves You”

20. “Set Me Free”

21. “Not Ready to Make Nice”

22. “Goodbye Earl”