Dixie Chicks Rock The Stage
Concert Crowd Was Full Of Wranglers, Teens
I have only one word to describe the Dixie Chicks concert at the Bilo Center on Sept. 17: talent!
In this age of boy bands, teenage girl superstars and hip hop, it's very nice and extremely refreshing to see a pop band that actually plays their own instruments. And quite well, I might add.
The Chicks took the stage of the sold-out Bilo Center about 9 p.m. Sunday in front of what had to be the loudest crowd in history.
Opening the show with their smash hit "Ready to Run," lead singer Natalie Maines, guitarist/banjo player Emily Robinson and fiddler Martie Seidel not only showed the mostly teen audience that they could harmonize, but that they are also proficient musicians.
Running, hopping and spinning around the ramped stage throughout most of the night, the Chicks kicked out almost every song on their two extremely popular albums.
The Wrangler-wearing, cowboy hat-dotted crowd was treated to the likes of the racy "Sin Wagon," the three-part harmony of "Don't Waste Your Time" and the bluesy "Let 'Er Rip."
The middle of the show led the Chicks to a couch placed in the center of the stage, where they performed a few slower songs like "Heartbreak Town" and "Let Him Fly."
Throughout the 105-minute show, the girls pulled out a few of their favorite cover tunes. The simplistic yet powerful "Strong Enough" by Sheryl Crow slowed down the pace a little before the Chicks brought out a few more rocking covers.
Robinson showed off her scorching slide guitar techniques on "Give It Up or Let Me Go," a tribute to queen of the blues Bonnie Raitt.
Later in the show, the girls brought out opener Ricky Skaggs for a foot-stomping bluegrass rendition of "Dixie Chicken."
The show ended with the pop hit "Wide Open Spaces" and the sly "Goodbye Earl," which is about a woman and her best friend poisoning an abusive husband, for a heart-stopping encore.
