The shadow looming over the new songs is a legendary 8 year stint starting from the country explosion of WIDE OPEN SPACES in 1998 and a string of connective anthems with enormous far reaching appeal. The reaction to timeless classics such as ‘Travelin’ Soldier’, ‘Cowboy Take Me Away’, ‘Wide Open Spaces’, ‘Not Ready to Make Nice’ and ‘Goodbye Earl’ was spine tingling, hugely personal and straight to the core of a passion. The Chicks openly condemn gun violence, but you can’t beat a bit of revenge poisoning in a folk song! With the exception of the new album’s title track, which opened tonight’s show to a rapturous reception, the classics tended to dwarf proceedings as interpreted by the ‘energy generated’ in Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena (currently under Utilita sponsorship). *excuse the corporate pun* Evolve they may have, but The Chicks expose their artistic desire and cultural relevance in the most alluring way for fans old and new.
During the recording hiatus, and once the Natalie Maines solo venture and Court Yard Hounds project had fizzled out, The Chicks periodically kept the flame alive through live shows. The UK had the pleasure of twice being the host - Country to Country in 2014 and more extensively in various arenas during the 2016 world tour. We got an inkling to the development with an inventive cover of Beyonce’s ‘Daddy Lessons’ securing a set slot aided by the clever intermingling with parts of ‘Long Time Gone. Joining that song this evening was an invited singalong to the Miley Cyrus/Dolly Parton number ‘Rainbowland’ that has gained further impetus in recent months in the face of a culture war fuelling. Sharing the lyrics on the back screen worked well except for those of us seated where you couldn’t see it. I’ll bite my tongue on arena shows with the adage that only the very select few entice me these days. It may even be down to two artists.
The other fresh cover shared was a version of Patty Griffin’s ‘Don’t Let Me Die in Florida’ that was one of many occasions where the crack backing band stepped to the fore to shine. The Chicks owe a lot to this esteemed American songwriter for being the source of many fine songs in the day. On a far more commercial platform, first borrowing and then totally transforming Bruce Robison’s ‘Travellin’ Soldier was a masterstroke and a dose of keeping it in the family as he’s Emily’s brother-in law from a previous marriage. Likewise the Stevie Nicks classic ‘Landslide’ took on another dimension when The Chicks recorded it and saw it fly to the chart summit.
The unit of Natalie and the Erwin sisters (Martie and Emily) remains as strong as ever. On stage they purposefully play their parts, no more so than Natalie’s charismatic leadership. Fiddle, dobro, and banjo from the sisters increasingly shine through given the sound constraints of this venue. Once those in control twiddled the knobs, the clarity improved and occasional snippets of mandolin from the back was sublime. ‘Sin Wagon’ would have come across better later in the set as it didn’t quite sound right in the number 2 slot after the ‘Gaslighter’ introduction. Things were a lot better when the other pacy roots stomper ‘White Trash Wedding’ twanged its brief passage into a Birmingham night.
From the band’s perspective, 2023 is all about sharing the wealth from GASLIGHTER to fans around the world. This highly personally inspired album, inadvertently or by design, re-invented The Chicks alongside the inevitable name change and brought a host of younger new fans into the fray. The view that some of the new material hasn’t quite bedded into the Chicks repertoire could be upheld. As earlier intimated, a less seismic creative recording journey would have smoothed the path with a more gradual switch easing folks through the evolution. Time can never be altered and Chicks fans were already primed for an equally significant change when Rick Rubin stripped the country out of TAKING THE LONG WAY. Without going over old ground, in those days we were dealt the incredible emotive intensity of ‘Not Ready To Make Nice’; the definitive Chicks song when the dust settles. The wryly sung lyric ‘but I kinda like it’ says it all about how we got from 1998 to 2006 via Shepherd’s Bush 2003. Natalie referred to her past State comments during this show when introducing the Patty Griffin song. So it was more Florida than Texas this time, and a more appealing President.
For this leg of the tour at least, The Chicks have invited contemporary country star Maren Morris to open with a lengthy 45-minute set. To put credit in her bank last year’s album was a decent listen, the ‘My Church’ anthem has a distinct appeal and being one of the Highwomen accrues kudos. Yet listening to her live in an arena was a muffled, bland and a cold experience. The powerhouse vocals are probably at home, but there was little from the band and any subtle tweaking to make an impact. Her day may come again, but it was destined to pale into insignificance once the main dish was served.
The Chicks are a seminal act to me. They opened the door and continue to press all the right buttons twenty years on with songs reverberating around the soul. Phases of the attraction are unconditional, but I wouldn’t be true to myself without some aspect of rational conditionality. I desperately want the band to be a progressive act with a retro streak. 2023 may not quite be that place, though confidence is eternal that this entity will power on to new heights. Wherever they go, I’ll be there in spirit at least; ‘checking the oil’, ‘on a pillow of blue bonnets’ and avoiding the ‘black eyed peas’. He deserved it though.
