Los Angeles Staples Center
The evening is characterized by their unabashed dedication to entertain through excess...
Contemporary country music may enjoy a grand ol' following, but unless you're moved by gems like Www. Memories' or 'Refried Dreams' the whole genre leaves plenty to be desired. Funny, then, that the Dixie Chicks can pack the home of the LA Lakers on their Fly Tour and crossover to those not even remotely involved with the livestock industry.
Granted, a few in the crowd don't quite fill their ten-gallon hats, but for the most part they're demographically Southern Californians simply dreaming of steers and beers: blue-collar guys, spunky moms and a stampede of girls on lease from some Backstreet Boys video. Though a Winnebago-sized fly is being flown overhead, most of them direct their attention to an enormous pair of pants concealing the stage. The remote-controlled fly buzzes off for another stench, and the pant fly drops open revealing three erect Dixie Chicks as they pop into their opener 'Ready To Run'.
The evening is characterized by their unabashed dedication to entertain through excess. Unfortunately, a Sheryl Crow cover is part of it. But where they aggravate by suppressing jamming talent - they each play a variety of instruments from banjo to accordion - with sterilized country-pop, they make up for it with effects like gently falling bubble soap, er, snow. There's even a fake moon floating around during 'Cowboy Take Me Away'.
A very pregnant Natalie Maines (lead vocals) leads us though a slide show of early pics of the Chicks soon after hatching, a sobering reminder to marry out of the family tree. Leaning back on a sofa, the show now plays out more like a behind-the-scenes television special than a big budget concert. Eminem may have popularized the idea of dumping your loved one's body into the trunk of your car, but the Dixie Chicks admit they did it first. A video-encore with their stab at domestic violence, 'Goodbye Earl', depicts a woman murdering her abusive husband and stashing the body in her Pontiac.
The Dixie Chicks make no apologies for being strong, independent and musically accomplished women with a drive to play pop. But the hallmark of timeless country is a crude, unfinished element that sends legends like Willie Nelson searching for that Whisky River, and if lacking, keeps Chicks like these waiting in line at Starbucks.
Tony Bogdanovski
Granted, a few in the crowd don't quite fill their ten-gallon hats, but for the most part they're demographically Southern Californians simply dreaming of steers and beers: blue-collar guys, spunky moms and a stampede of girls on lease from some Backstreet Boys video. Though a Winnebago-sized fly is being flown overhead, most of them direct their attention to an enormous pair of pants concealing the stage. The remote-controlled fly buzzes off for another stench, and the pant fly drops open revealing three erect Dixie Chicks as they pop into their opener 'Ready To Run'.
The evening is characterized by their unabashed dedication to entertain through excess. Unfortunately, a Sheryl Crow cover is part of it. But where they aggravate by suppressing jamming talent - they each play a variety of instruments from banjo to accordion - with sterilized country-pop, they make up for it with effects like gently falling bubble soap, er, snow. There's even a fake moon floating around during 'Cowboy Take Me Away'.
A very pregnant Natalie Maines (lead vocals) leads us though a slide show of early pics of the Chicks soon after hatching, a sobering reminder to marry out of the family tree. Leaning back on a sofa, the show now plays out more like a behind-the-scenes television special than a big budget concert. Eminem may have popularized the idea of dumping your loved one's body into the trunk of your car, but the Dixie Chicks admit they did it first. A video-encore with their stab at domestic violence, 'Goodbye Earl', depicts a woman murdering her abusive husband and stashing the body in her Pontiac.
The Dixie Chicks make no apologies for being strong, independent and musically accomplished women with a drive to play pop. But the hallmark of timeless country is a crude, unfinished element that sends legends like Willie Nelson searching for that Whisky River, and if lacking, keeps Chicks like these waiting in line at Starbucks.
Tony Bogdanovski
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