Twelve words changed the discussion about the Dixie Chicks.
Twelve words took the country trio with a rock ‘n’ roll twist from the height of popularity to the depths of denigration.
The band once talked about for its unique blend of banjos, fiddles and vocals now evokes only intense reactions on a purely political level.
All because of 12 words.
They came during a concert in London, out of the mouth of lead singer Natalie Maines, who, on the brink of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, said, “We’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”
“The incident,” as Maines has occasionally taken to calling it, was more than three years ago and the backlash still dictates every move the band makes.
The Dixie Chicks’ “Accidents and Allegations Tour,” which makes a stop Saturday at the Tacoma Dome, has not been selling well in certain parts of the country, including Houston, where tickets reportedly never went on sale because country music radio stations refused to accept the band’s paid advertisements.
Despite poor ticket sales, the band’s publicist said Maines and sisters Emily Robison and Martie Maguire were not doing preshow interviews.
One thing we do know, however, is that the band is just as defiant as ever. We know this because the song “Not Ready to Make Nice” off the Chicks’ latest album, “Taking the Long Way,” is the cornerstone of the tour and the ideas behind are more frustration and anger, rather than apologetic.
Some less-than-subtle lyrics from the tune tell it all:
“I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and I don’t have time to go ‘round and ‘round and ‘round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should”
Maines has said that if their beliefs cut into audience turnout, so be it.
“We’ve basically been playing to about half the audience as on the last tour,” Maines said in an Associated Press story in September. “But it’s a different audience. They just look good.
“In the past, I think we always thought, ‘Oh, we have a purpose to entertain them,’ and they were there to absorb that and soak it up and be entertaining. They bought their ticket. Now you feel like they feel they have a purpose, supporting free speech and supporting us.”
Robison echoed those sentiments in an interview provided in press materials.
“It’s so freeing and liberating to just feel like we have nothing to hide,” she said. “We’ve spelled it out on the record and just over the last three years we felt it was important for people to accept us for who we are and come to the show whether you agree or not. That’s our whole point. Let’s have some tolerance and we’re just here to play music.”
Reporter Victor Balta: 425-339-3455 or vbalta@heraldnet.com.
Mark Seliger photo
The Dixie Chicks perform Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
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