★★★☆☆
Dixie Chicks will never escape the controversy caused by the lead singer Natalie Maines at a concert in London in 2003, when she dissed George W Bush in anti-war comments a few days before the invasion of Iraq. The fallout Stateside (a radio ban, death threats and a public steamrollering of their CDs) didn’t kill the Texan trio’s career — a subsequent album won five Grammy awards — but it took its toll. In 2008 country music’s bestselling band went on hiatus and their occasional concerts since have been largely low-key.
This one, however, felt like a comeback — and not only because of its snazzy staging and two hours-plus running time. A slick, business-like blockbuster that would work in Las Vegas, it had a black and white theme that extended to the outfits and instruments, a giant screen that showed videos and a band so intent on letting the songs do the talking that neither of Maines’s sidekicks — the smiley sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison — spoke a word all night.
For the first 40 minutes, it made for a banal performance that relied on the visuals to inject some energy, although you couldn’t fault Maines’s magnificent voice or Maguire’s fabulous fiddle playing. A cover of Nothing Compares 2 U, in tribute to Prince, was performed with more passion than the seven songs that preceded it combined. Still, it seemed to flick a switch in Maines, who finally cut loose a little, stamping her feet and shaking her hair on the galloping Goodbye Earl, during which a defaced Donald Trump made a momentary appearance on screen.
A subtle costume change — “From white and black to black and white,” as Maines described it — left the audience lumbered with a lengthy video in which the Chicks failed to convince as wine-slugging girl racers, but their return to a smartly shrunken stage began the show’s best section.
Seated with semi-acoustic instruments, sometimes with their male backing musicians, the trio finally located their playful side, careering through a brilliant, bluegrass mash-up of pop hits, conducting a crowd singalong to Travelin’ Soldier and covering the new Beyoncé song Daddy Lessons as fans whooped their approval.
Advertisement
When the big stage returned, Dixie Chicks were more relaxed, although as the show neared the two-hour mark, several solos felt surplus to requirements. However, the sight of Maines headbanging to a cover of Bob Dylan’s Mississippi, the heavenly harmonies on Silent House and the red, white and blue confetti storm and visuals of politicians turned into clowns that accompanied a triumphant Ready To Run made it worth the wait.
SSE Hydro, Glasgow, May 3; Arena, Dublin, May 4