More than two decades ago, the most successful country music group in history found its career nearly derailed: The Dixie Chicks, as they were known then, were ostracized by the wider country community amid backlash to onstage criticism of then-President George W. Bush.
With the 2006 album "Taking the Long Way," the trio emerged from the imbroglio a bit dazed, plenty defiant and — from an artistic point of view — ultimately triumphant, including a dominating Grammys run that included wins in the top three categories.
Wednesday at Detroit's Fox Theatre, the Chicks brought a sense of purpose as they revisited that transformative life chapter, launching a 20th anniversary tour that celebrates the benchmark album.
In an elegant presentation at the
sold-out Fox, the mood was nostalgic, even sentimental, as lead singer Natalie Maines, fiddler Martie Maguire and banjoist Emily Strayer performed the record in its entirety and reflected on those mid-2000s events, accompanied by video from the era documenting the controversy, the album production and their lives as mothers of young children.
"We are nervous and excited to be here doing our first show of this tour," said Maines, whose Bush remarks during a 2003 London gig had sparked the firestorm. "Who would have thought 20 years ago I had the audacity to bash the president? Yes — 20 years ago, we went through a very bizarre point in our careers."
In a bit of historical rhyming, Detroit was also the U.S. launch pad for the album's original 2006 tour, as Maines pointed out Wednesday.
Seated at stools mid-stage and backed by a six-piece ensemble, the Chicks deftly worked their way through the 14-song cycle of "Taking the Long Way," the expansive Rick Rubin-produced work that took their music beyond the spunky fiddle-banjo-and-harmonies country sound that turned them into arena stars.
Songs such as show opener "The Long Way Around" and the biting "Not Ready to Make Nice" have been staples of the group's live shows since the album's release. But the new tour's format gives a belated airing to deep tracks that have rarely if ever been performed live, including standouts like "Bitter End" and "Baby Hold On," steeped in melodic Jayhawks influence.
Maines, flanked by her multi-instrumentalist bandmates, summoned fittingly sweet sounds from an Omnichord for the celestial "Lullaby," while "Lubbock or Leave It" brought galloping country-meets-power-pop and "I Hope" closed the album set with a soulful, organ-streaked punch.
From the vantage point of 2026, the controversy that turned the Dixie Chicks from country sweethearts into recalcitrant outlaws now feels weirdly ancient. But as a symbol of the online culture wars then starting to take root, it's also discouragingly familiar.
Following an intermission, the Chicks, as they rebranded themselves in 2020, capped Wednesday's show with a 45-minute set of singalong early hits ("Goodbye Earl," "Wide Open Spaces," "Travelin' Soldier") and a pair of more recent ones, including the Beyoncé collab "Daddy Lessons" and the 2020 comeback single "Gaslighter."
With Wednesday's Detroit premiere now a wrap, the Chicks' anniversary tour will head this weekend to Chicago and wind across the United States before wrapping up in early November with a three-night Los Angeles stand.
Contact Detroit Free Press music writer Brian McCollum: 313-223-4450 or bmccollum@freepress.com.
The Chicks, 'Taking the Long Way' tour set list, Detroit opening night
1. “The Long Way Around”
2. “Easy Silence”
3. “Not Ready to Make Nice”
4. “Everybody Knows”
5. “Bitter End”
6. “Lullaby”
7. “Lubbock or Leave It”
8. “Silent House”
9. “Favorite Year”
10. “Voice Inside My Head”
11. “I Like It”
12. “Baby Hold On”
13. “So Hard”
14. “I Hope”
(Intermission)
15. “Goodbye Earl”
16. “Wide Open Spaces”
17. “White Trash Wedding”
18. “Daddy Lessons”
19. “Cowboy Take Me Away”
20. “Landslide”
21. “Gaslighter”
22. “Traveling Soldier”
23. “Sin Wagon”
The Chicks, ‘Taking the Long Way’ 20th Anniversary tour
Oct. 3 – Chicago – The Auditorium
Oct. 4 – Chicago – The Auditorium
Oct. 6 – Washington, DC – The Anthem
Oct. 7 – Philadelphia – The Met
Oct. 9 – Boston – MGM Music Hall of Fenway
Oct. 10 – New York – Beacon Theatre
Oct. 12 – New York – Beacon Theatre
Oct. 13 – New York – Beacon Theatre
Oct. 15 – Nashville – The Truth
Oct. 17 – San Antonio – Majestic Theatre
Oct. 18 – San Antonio – Majestic Theatre
Oct. 20 – Austin – Bass Concert Hall
Oct. 25 – Seattle – Benaroya Hall
Oct. 26 – Seattle – Benaroya Hall
Oct. 29 – San Francisco – The Masonic
Oct. 30 – San Francisco – The Masonic
Nov. 1 – Hollywood – Dolby Theatre
Nov. 2 – Hollywood – Dolby Theatre
Nov. 3 – Hollywood – Dolby Theatre
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: The Chicks kick off national 'Taking the Long Way' tour at Fox Theatre
