At The Chicks’ powerful N.J. concert, a stance of unity against devastating odds

By Bobby Olivier, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

There can be power in silence, in allowing the gruesome, inconceivable facts to speak for themselves.

Though few may associate The Chicks (formerly The Dixie Chicks) with such measured quiet, considering it was singer Natalie Maines’ anti-Iraq War, anti-Bush comments, uttered at a concert in 2003, that blackballed the hit-making country trio from the industry for years — early victims of cancel culture, all for speaking briefly in protest.

But at PNC Bank Arts Center Wednesday night, the crowd of about 12,000 did not hear Maines or her bandmates, sisters Martie Maguire or Emily Strayer, say a word about any of the country’s devastating ills. Instead, they watched the big screen as white letters stamped on a black void flashed in sequence: “Uvalde, 22,” “Buffalo, 10,” “El Paso, 23″ “Parkland, 17.”

On and on it went, dozens of cities and numbers without explanation, as none was required. These were, of course, America’s mass shooting statistics. And yes, the list was updated to include “Highland Park, 7.”

That’s where we are, folks. A band can’t even complete a two-month concert tour without having to amend their domestic terror slideshow for accuracy — a minute illustration of this sickening, deplorable period of U.S. history we all must endure.

The damning visual preceded The Chicks’ newer tune “March March,” a protest song that not only touches on this country’s firearm culture — lyrics like “Print yourself a weapon and take it to the gun range (Ah, cut the s***, you ain’t goin’ to the gun range)” — but speaks prophetically on abortion rights (the song was released in 2020): “Tell the ol’ boys in the white bread lobby / What they can and can’t do with their bodies,” Maines, 47, sneered to large cheers as images of recent pro-choice marches played on screen.

Though the Texas-bred group’s two-hour performance — their first New Jersey show in six years — was not defined by its moments of anger or despair, but its commitment to empowerment, agency and action. Such has been the Chicks’ M.O. since their first album with Maines, 1998′s diamond-certified “Wide Open Spaces” — they’ve always been a band to build women up and propel them forward, hence the devout fanbase that stuck with the group after they were erased them from country radio in ‘03 and celebrated their Grammy-winning “Not Ready to Make Nice” return in ‘06.

It would take another 14 years, however, for The Chicks to release a follow-up album — they all paused to raise families — returning in 2020 with the stellar “Gaslighter,” an incisive, more pop-focused LP centered on Maines’ 2019 divorce and produced by New Jersey super-producer Jack Antonoff (it was also around this time the band deleted “Dixie” from their name, citing its connection to racist/slave-holding southern history). But like most albums released in ‘20, much of the “Gaslighter” promotional schedule was unmoored by the pandemic. Only this summer was the group able to finally hit the road and jam the new tracks, like the triumphant and hyper-polished title track — worlds removed from The Chicks’ bluegrass roots — and the more understated yet no less fearsome “Julianna Calm Down,” a love note to perseverance: “Just put on your best shoes and strut the f*** around like you’ve got nothing to lose,” the chorus encourages.

Though the more playful “Tights on my Boat” earned the biggest reaction, as a cartoon backdrop on the big screen depicted five members of the U.S. Supreme Court — those who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade last month — lost at sea on a raft, floating around the two-tiered stage before exploding into the depths. Again, the musicians themselves needed not say a word.

While 10 of the 12 new “Gaslighter” songs made it into Wednesday’s set, the grandest singalongs accompanied the time-tested hits: A fiery opening rendition of “Sin Wagon,” the breezy “Wide Open Spaces,” and a shuffling acoustic take on “Cowboy Take Me Away,” where all nine members of the band (the three core women and six touring members, including Maines’ 21-year-old son, Jackson, on guitar) sat in a row at the front of the stage for an intimate segment.

During that acoustic bit, Americana icon and opener Patty Griffin emerged to perform her 2013 tune “Don’t Let Me Die in Florida” with the band; a serious jam that felt more like an organic after-party session that a moment built into the show. Griffin preceded the set with 45 minutes highlighted by a full cover of Bruce Springsteen’s epic “Jungleland,” a singular and dissonant version true to her singular perspective.

As The Chicks’ set rolled on, Maguire was effortless on violin, Strayer deftly strummed her array of banjos and guitars and Maines’ vocal performance was crisp, impassioned and rarely wavering — very few signs of the strain that caused several tour dates to be canceled late last month. Instead, the night in Central Jersey was an affecting cross-section of the band’s sustained prowess. Even with their hiatuses, they remain one of modern country’s greatest acts, with a cutting discography worthy of deep excavation (not to mention 13 Grammy Awards in tow).

And as they and their fans wade through these tumultuous times, they were sure to build an evocative performance that would exist not only as an exciting night out but a mirror to the day, as unsavory as it might appear. Late in the set, a downtempo newbie called “For Her” played both like a hymn and clarion call as Maines wailed and black-and-white images of girls and young women came on screen, all of them facing the crowd.

Across a performance peppered with poignant moments, this one was perhaps the sharpest knife — an unfettered view of who these recent abortion rulings will affect and whose lives will be potentially rerouted or ruined.

As the song crested, Maines, Maguire, Strayer and a female touring violinist all stepped to the front of the stage in solidarity, standing tall against the odds. Maines continued to sing, her simple and imperative refrain: “Stand up, show love. For her, for her.”

The Chicks’ setlist

“Sin Wagon”

“Gaslighter”

“Texas Man”

“Julianna Calm Down”

“The Long Way Around”

“Hope It’s Something Good”

“Sleep at Night”

“Travelin’ Soldier″ (Bruce Robison cover)

“Wide Open Spaces”

“Tights on My Boat”

“Flip Flop Fly” (Lloyd Maines song)

“Cowboy Take Me Away” (Acoustic)

“Lubbock or Leave It” (Acoustic)

“Long Time Gone” (Daddy’s Lessons snippet)

“Landslide” (Fleetwood Mac cover)

“Don’t Let Me Die in Florida” (Patty Griffin cover) (with Patty Griffin)

“March March”

“For Her”

“White Trash Wedding”

“Everybody Loves You”

“Young Man”

“Not Ready to Make Nice”

“Goodbye Earl”