"The absolute best concert I EVER went to...I was just thinking about it today, years later and how amazing the experience was. I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to see them live again."
"I can honestly say, the Dixie chicks were amongst my most memorable [concerts]. A definite MUST see!!!!! (please go on tour again chicks...PLEASE!!!)"
"What can you say about a show that not only meets but exceeds your expectations? I liked the Chicks coming in, I LOVED them going out. "
(2006 Fan Reviews from Ticketmaster.com)
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From Fan Photo SiteThe Chicks early performing days in 2000:Emily, Natalie, and Martie |
The Dixie Chicks had their first headlining tour in 2000 and it was huge. It came right after releasing their first two major albums with Sony, Wide Open Spaces and Fly, which together had skyrocketed these three cute, young blondes with perhaps surprising musical prowess to superstardom. Originally scheduled from June to October, 15 dates were added to take the Fly Tour into December. The group was playing arenas, stadiums, domes, and other impresivlely large venues.
1. Tina Turner: $80.2 million
2. 'NSYNC: $76.4 million
3. Dave Matthews Band: $68.2 million
4. Kiss: $62.7 million
5. Tim McGraw/Faith Hill: $48.8 million
6. Dixie Chicks: $47.3 million
7. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: $45.9 million
8. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: $42.1 million
9. Metallica: $42 million
10. Britney Spears: $40.5 million
(Dixie Chicks Henhouse)
2. 'NSYNC: $76.4 million
3. Dave Matthews Band: $68.2 million
4. Kiss: $62.7 million
5. Tim McGraw/Faith Hill: $48.8 million
6. Dixie Chicks: $47.3 million
7. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band: $45.9 million
8. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: $42.1 million
9. Metallica: $42 million
10. Britney Spears: $40.5 million
(Dixie Chicks Henhouse)
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(From ebay)Ticket prices for the Fly Tour ranged near this price of $37.50 |
As you can clearly see from the above pictures and from the videos of their performances below, the Dixie Chicks had quite an image. They clearly were very into their rather wild hair and makeup, as well as bright colors and lots of pink, metallics, showing midriff...
- Entertainment Weekly, July 1999
Although their style might be seen today as horribly tacky and over the top, we have to remember that this was really just what was hip at the time. The Spice Girls, who were hugely popular simultaneously, were dressing similarly. It is important to note, however, that the Dixie Chicks' style continued to change with the time and as they grew older.
The Dixie Chicks perform "Wide Open Spaces" in Shepherd's Bush Empire, London in June 1999
"Wide Open Spaces" is the title track from the band's first major album. This is one of the earliest live performances of the Dixie Chicks available. Even early in their career, the Chicks had amazing performing ability and great stage presence. Near the beginning of this performance, you hear Natalie tell the audience to "Sing it!" as they were starting to sing along already. This video shows how diverse their audience was in England. This is not an enormous venue, but it is packed with girls - and guys. Surprise? As one Youtube comment on this post mentions, it is "such a relatable song, even for a guy." - jvjames1
In the late 90s and early 2000s, even too-hip-for-country teens were getting into the act. A growing legion of adolescent female fans prompted some to dub the Chicks the Spice Girls of country. Girls wore Chicks Rule T-shirts and carried "I Want to Be a Dixie Chick" signs (People 1998). Young girls obviously made up the majority of the original fan base for the Dixie Chicks.
(From Fan Site)
Cover of Country Weekly referencing their song "Goodbye Earl"
"Goodbye Earl," which spun the tale of an abusive husband who died at the hands of his vengeful wife, was another of the Chicks' smash hits. Although the lyrics owed a good deal to black comedy, "Goodbye Earl" (as well as another song from their Fly album, "Sin Wagon," whose lyrics touched upon Natalie's desire to "do a little mattress dancing") proved that the Dixie Chicks didn't always adhere to the conservative ideals of their country fan base.
The Dixie Chicks perform "Goodbye Earl" Live on their 2000 Fly Tour
From this performance of "Goodbye Earl", one of my personal favorite songs, you really get a sense of how enormous the Dixie Chicks were. They are completely surrounded by screaming fans jumping up and down. Fans are shown to be young and older, female and male too. The audience, as encouraged, is participating heartily by singing along loudly, dancing, and clapping along. Absolutely everyone seems to be having a great time - the audience a well as the Dixie Chicks themselves. I love how Emily, on banjo, even sings along to the song when she is not miked.
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| (Dixie Chicks Henhouse) |
The Dixie Chicks' biggest tour was the Top of the World Tour in 2003. The Dixie Chicks sold $38.6 million worth of albums and an additional $62.2 million in concert tickets, setting a record by selling nearly 800,000 tickets in one day. The Top Of The World tour was the most lucrative country tour up to 2003. They finished 5th on Billboard's top concert tours for 2003. The Chicks also made the 2003 Ultimate Top 10 list, which combines album and concert ticket sales to show which artists U.S. pop fans spent the most money on. (Dixie Chicks Henhouse)
Chicks On Ultimate 10 List
For Top of the World Tour
1. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, $132.8 million.
2. 50 Cent, $125 million.
3. Celine Dion, $119.5 million.
4. Toby Keith, $106.6 million.
5. Dixie Chicks, $100.8 million.
6. Cher, $99.4 million.
7. Fleetwood Mac, $92.4 million.
8. The Eagles, $88.8 million.
9. Simon & Garfunkel, $76.2 million.
10. Norah Jones, $74.9 million.
(Dixie Chicks Henhouse)
2. 50 Cent, $125 million.
3. Celine Dion, $119.5 million.
4. Toby Keith, $106.6 million.
5. Dixie Chicks, $100.8 million.
6. Cher, $99.4 million.
7. Fleetwood Mac, $92.4 million.
8. The Eagles, $88.8 million.
9. Simon & Garfunkel, $76.2 million.
10. Norah Jones, $74.9 million.
(Dixie Chicks Henhouse)
(from Fan Forum)
The Chicks perform at their 2006 Accidents and Accusations Tour
The Chicks' last headlining tour was Accidents and Accusations in 2006. According to Billboard's Boxscores, the 44 shows in 4 countries grossed a total of $28,740,272. The ticket prices ranged from $39.50 - $95. They played major venues, with attendance at 443,102 of capacity 459,403 (Dixie Chicks Henhouse). This tour was after Natalie's comment about President Bush and the backlash the band received. Clearly the audience attending this tour were the true fans who kept their allegiance to the Dixie Chicks.
"It was an unforgettable evening with the Chicks! I remember it was only days after the "Bush" comment made by Natalie Maines. This was important, because the 'incident ' played a large role in the feel of the atmosphere in that arena. All that attended were die hard Chicks fans, cause if you weren't you wouldn't be caught dead there."
- Camden, NJ, Susquehanna Bank Center (Ticketmaster)
The Chicks' last tour was with the Eagles and Keith Urban in 2010, with only six dates. Although the Dixie Chicks are not currently touring, their diehard fans can follow them through social media like Facebook and Twitter. I actually subscribe to the Dixie Chicks page on Facebook and enjoy the "Friday Feature" song that is posted weekly.
Works Cited
Judy, Dixie Chicks Henhouse. 2011. http://www.dixiechickshenhouse.com/ (accessed October 28 2012)
Robert Brooks, Tripod. "The All-Inclusive Dixie Chicks Page." Oct. 1999. http://rbrooks.tripod.com/index.html (accessed Sept. 29 2012).
Ticketmaster. "Dixie Chick Tickets." 2010. http://www.ticketmaster.com/Dixie-Chicks-tickets/artist/758656 (accessed October 28 2012).
Richard Skanse, TexasMusic (Winter 2010) http://chickoholic.tripod.com/DixieChicks/Magazine%20Articles/TexasMusic117.pdf (Accessed October 28 2012)
https://www.facebook.com/dixiechicks
https://twitter.com/dixiechicks
I like the overall presentation; you did a good job at picking which videos showed their stage presence and how connected they were to their fans. I was surprised to see how many men were a part of the crowd and how they all seemed to get into it as much as the girls did. While you talked about how well the group did globally there wasn’t much data shown to go along with that, and there was little data showing how successfully they did outside of the top of the world and accidents and accusations tours. I liked the pictures used especially the “Country Weekly” picture which showed how the girls were straying away from the norms of traditional country and still being successful. Overall the presentation was good and the only thing I found missing was some data such as chart standings or some other tangible sign of global popularity.
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the layout of this blog post, once again you made it visually engaging and interactive, the post as a whole fit in well with the poppy attitude that adheres directly to the Dixie Chicks. I thought the way in which you started out the post with the different sized words in the fan quote was very clever. The post flowed well and your use of images and colors made it all even more cohesive. I thought it was interesting looking at how the Dixie Chick’s style in both dress and actual music changed smoothly and effectively over the years. Looking at some of the evidence you present from their early career makes them seem like any other one hit wonder pop band from the 90’s like the Spice Girls (which you reference), but interestingly enough the band proved themselves to be artists that would mature with the times and take on new approaches to their presence and performance, not being afraid to speak out in regard to their own preferences (although still adhering to many of the tropes associated with commercial, and now mainly considered generic, country music).
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job with this blog. You did a great job on covering all the topics that we were supposed to. I really liked how you set the blog up. It looks very professional and well put together. The beginning is original and I think it really worked well. I like how you started out with the quote. I also think it was a great call to change the font size for that quote. Overall the quotes really added to it and the blog flowed nicely. I think you did some really good work and you can tell you put a lot of effort into the blog. Nicely done all around.
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