LAT: In first concert of new US tour, Dixie Chicks "moving on, redefined"

[DeepModem Mom]

Dixie Chicks moving on, redefined
In the first concert of a new U.S. tour, the former country music darlings don't oversell the controversy of a few years back.
By Richard Cromelin, Times Staff Writer


When Natalie Maines' sang "You don't like the sound of truth coming from my mouth" in Patty Griffin's "Truth No. 2," the crowd roared loudly
(Romain Blanquart/AP)

DETROIT — The Dixie Chicks might not be ready to make nice, as they put it in a song from their new album, but they finally seem to be willing to move on.

That was the major revelation as the trio opened its U.S. tour at the Joe Louis Arena here on Friday, a key step in the career of a band trying to recover after being sidetracked by controversy.

There were no "Free Natalie" T-shirts at the merchandise booths this time, no video during the concert linking their plight to history's struggles for freedom. And the three musicians, who have rarely been reluctant to toss some verbal gasoline on the fire, didn't make say anything from the stage about the controversy.

Instead, the Chicks downplayed the conflict, which started in 2003 when singer Natalie Maines disparaged president Bush over the impending war in Iraq — an opinion that escalated into a full cultural alienation between the group and the country music audience that had made it one of the biggest acts in popular music.

If the Chicks are seen as unpatriotic she-devils by their conservative ex-fans, they have taken on a role as heroes and symbols of independence and freedom to their new ones, and the moments that got the strongest reactions on Friday were those that could be read as references to their saga.

When Maines' sang "You don't like the sound of truth coming from my mouth" in Patty Griffin's "Truth No. 2," the crowd roared loudly, and when Maines reprised the line later, she gave it an extra vocal intensity and sold it with a punching gesture. Huge cheers also greeted the new power ballad "Not Ready to Make Nice," a no-regrets statement of defiance....

http://www.calendarlive.com/music/pop/cl-et-dixiechicks22jul22,0,5142948.story

[Ringo84]

1. Good

It's best that they move on, so that the country can move on as well.

I am proud to have the Dixie Chicks around. even in the face of RW bullies, they courageously stood for their values. All of the girls should be commended.
Ringo