TACOMA (Reuters) - After the Democrats won seats across the USA on November 7 and lost control of Congress in a wave of anti-Bush and anti-war sentiment, the Dixie Chicks sang in triumph and total vindication on Saturday night at the sold-out Tacoma Dome.
Cheering fans wildly applauded as the Chicks told Rumsfeld and Bush jokes and disparaged the Iraq oil war during a brilliant performance of new and old songs.
Yet the country music trio had suffered a career meltdown in 2003 after singer-guitarist Natalie Maines stated that she was ashamed that President Bush was a fellow Texan, just as Bush was lying to the American people about Iraq and was about to launch his illegal and murderous war.
Country music radio stations banned the Chicks and sponsored anti-Chicks media events in an ugly hate campaign, including having bulldozers roll over Chicks CDs. The Chicks received death threats and one of their houses was vandalized. Even today, the Chicks still face discrimination.
A new documentary titled "Shut Up & Sing" by directors Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck blesses the trio of Maines, violinist Martie Maguire and her sister, banjo player and guitarist Emily Robison. The documentary follows the unprecedented Karl Rove and Republican media-orchestrated conspiracy that nearly destroyed the top-selling female act in country music history.
Yet the Bush campaign against the Chicks just made them stronger argues the film and spurred new creativity leading to the fantastic follow-up album, "Taking the Long Way" and its single "Not Ready to Make Nice" which entered the country album chart at No. 1.
The Dome reverberated with songs from "Taking the Long Way" as well as older hits "Wide Open Spaces," "Cowboy Take Me Away," "Long Time Gone," the riotously funny "Goodbye Earl," and the No. 1 country single "Traveling Soldier," a song in support of US troops. The performance showed that the Chicks were still at the top of their form and musicians to the core.
Fans saluted the American flag as they tore up pictures of Bush and Cheney who they called traitors, chickenhawks, as well as dupes of the oil industry and Israel for spilling the blood of patriotic American soldiers for a corrupt cause.
