Dixie Chicks Rock the TD
Bank North Garden, Boston
August,
2006
By M. MacPherson (originally appeared on
CountryInterviewsOnline.net )
The
Dixie Chicks brought a party to the TD Bank North Garden when they arrived with
their “Accidents and Accusations” tour and the crowd of over 12,500 was ready to
do just that. This was not about politics, this was about music.
Combining songs from their older hits with their newest CD, the group moved from one fine tune to the next, demonstrating Natalie Maines’ exceptional vocals and the fine musicianship of the sisters, Martie and Emily. Backed by a 9 person band that included a classical violin and a viola, the music ran from audience favorites like “Wide Open Spaces”, “Long Time Gone” and “Cowboy Take Me Away” to several new songs like, “Taking the Long Way Around”, “Easy Silence” and “So Hard” from the new CD.
Especially well done were the crowd-pleasing “Goodbye Earl,” and a stripped down closer, “Travelin’ Soldier (only the Chicks were on stage for this song) and “Not Ready to be Nice.” Even the encore found the Chicks racing on with a cover of Bob Dylan’s Mississippi and their own “Ready to Run.”
The audience was a mix of country and rock fans, college students and younger and older fans, all of whom came to hear the music. They stood and cheered from the minute the group took the stage and never sat down. The Chicks looked both surprised and pleased as well as touched by the affection of the crowd. It’s too bad that so many of the Dixie Chicks’ concerts have been cancelled around the country – those people are missing a great night of music and fun.