Concert Makes Texas Proud Of Their Chicks
Dixie Chicks Show Is Good, Clean Country Fun
Shelby Strudler, Staff WriterAugust 21, 2000, 4:06 p.m. EDT
HOUSTON -- Texas pride runs thicker than blood, and Texans had every reason to be proud Sunday night. The platinum selling, Grammy-winning Dixie Chicks gave a sold out arena two hours of good, clean country fun -- so much fun that the trio has decided to return in December.
Singer-songwriter Patty Griffin warmed up the crowd with songs such as "One Big Love" from her second album "Flaming Red" and ditties from her 1996 debut album "Living With Ghosts."
The powerful and haunting voice of Griffin shows that she's a veritable contender to be a top-notch country star. But the crowd wanted more than that. They wanted the Chicks.
And the Chicks are what they got. To chants of "Dix-ie Chicks, Dix-ie Chicks," the trio walked on stage and ran with it with "Runaway Bride's" theme song, "Ready To Run."
In pure Texas fashion, the girls were glammed up and ready to rock. With today's crossover country becoming more pop than anything else, the Chicks knew what kind of crowd they were dealing with. Not only were there your typical Texans -- cowboy hats, boots, big buckles and Wranglers -- but there were preps, alternababes and businessmen.
There were obviously more females in the audience than males, and as my friend pointed out, the Chicks seem to attract a lot of lesbians.
But no matter what their supposed sexuality of its audience, the Chicks gladly slinked on stage -- Emily in a leather skirt and barely-there kerchief top; Natalie in what we deemed to be a space cowboy outfit (news to the wise -- this is not flattering) and Martie wore brown leather pants, boots and a sleeveless copper top that shimmered -- and belted out their famous and no-so famous tunes that have helped them sell more than 15 million albums.
They invited concertgoers to get as close to the stage as possible so that they could interact with them. The trio's demeanor and facial expressions showed that they were having a good 'ol time and actually enjoyed performing for their fans.
The most interactive part of the concert was when they moved into the crowd for "Goodbye Earl." Martie and Emily played at the top of the arena while Natalie played it loud and proud in the middle of the crowd.
They rocked out when they wanted to with air vents at the front of the stage blowing their hair every which way (they reminded me of Poison in the '80s -- vents blowing their long hair while they played air guitar) that they almost looked like a real rock band, not country crooners. But alas, they showed the crowd where they came from and where their roots are planted.
Martie got down and dirty with her fiddle and the whole crowd was stomping and clapping along -- it was a regular hoedown.
Halfway through the concert, the group took a break and let the crowd in on some shameful secrets -- a slideshow of pictures from the '80s of the girls. The crowd got a good laugh, the girls got a break and in the end, the pictures made them more human and down-to-earth rather than superstars.
After nearly two hours of playing, the Chicks closed with "Wide Open Spaces." The crowd cheered and sang along. Walking out of the arena, not one word of regret for having paid $52 per ticket could be heard.
It was a wild, foot-stompin' time that was worth the wait. I'm thinking of going back in December, and suggest if they come to a town near you, hop on the bandwagon and go see them. There's nothing like those southern Chicks and some good, clean country fun.
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