Walking around the Minnesota State Fair on Friday night, there was a theme. Cowboy hats, cowboy boots, and shirts with slogans like “Cowboy Take Me Away” and “Mary Anne and Wanda’s Roadside Stand: Out on Highway 109” filled the crowd long before the Grandstand gates opened. This unofficial dress code couldn’t have been more appropriate for the night’s headliner, country superstars the Chicks – who removed “Dixie” from their name in 2020. Throughout their joyfully fearless two-plus-hour set, the band blended old fan favorites with new, statement-making sounds. 

Before the Chicks took the stage, the Toronto-based Wild Rivers kicked off the evening with a subdued blend of indie pop and folk. Lead singer Devan Glover’s gentle voice floated over the slowly filling Grandstand, supported by the harmonies of guitarist Khalid Yassein. At three different points in their 45-minute set, Glover encouraged the audience to join her, cueing the early attendees to sing the bridge melodies back to her. While many seemed hesitant to sing at full volume, several concertgoers stood and swayed along to the music. Overall, Wild Rivers were understated and carefree.

The Chicks’ Grandstand performance marked a new chapter for the Texas-based band, touring in support of 2020’s Gaslighter. The album reintroduced the talents of a band that had not released new music since 2006’s The Long Way Around, which was made in response to an intense industry blackballing and cultural cancellation over Maines’ public criticisms of George W. Bush and the Iraq War in 2003. While the Chicks had toured sporadically in the following years – most recently making a stop at the State Fair in 2016 – new music wasn’t on the table. Now, inspired by the emotions of Maines’ own turbulent divorce and made with the help of pop hitmaker Jack Antonoff, Gaslighter feels reminiscent of classic Chicks tracks, but indicative of a band exploring new angles. 

This new music direction didn’t detract from the Chicks’ rebellious persona. In fact, the band blasted Joan Jett’s “Bad Reputation” over the speakers as audience members found their seats. It may have been a small audio cue, but the cheekiness behind its inclusion was unmistakable. 

When the Chicks finally appeared, the trio immediately launched into the energetic sing-shout call of Gaslighter’s title track. Cheers erupted from the audience, fans leaped to their feet, and voices lifted across the Grandstand in one massive sing-a-long. Despite being in a wide-open outdoor venue, the strength of the crowd’s voices filled the air. Bright animated visuals flashed across the screen behind them as the trio strode confidently around the stage, leading audiences to clap in time as they played. Accompanied by sisters Martie Maguire on fiddle and Emily Strayer on banjo, Maines’ own voice rang out clear and defiant as she sang of the pain caused by a cheating ex. Despite the emotionally wrought themes of the song, the Chicks’ energy was upbeat and infectious, even inspiring some in the crowd to link arms and do-si-do in the aisles. 

“Gaslighter” kicked off a string of barn-burners from across their decades-long career, including several early aughts chart toppers like “Sin Wagon,” “Ready to Run,” and “Taking the Long Way Around.” The trio knitted their voices together into impossibly tight harmonies. Despite some songs having been originally recorded a little slower or more understated, the Chicks kept the energy high with Maguire’s blistering fiddle solos and Maines’ soaring country twang. It was clear that time off from making music together had not diminished any of the band’s live performance chops. 

As much as the band shone on the upbeat tracks, the Chicks continued to command their audience’s full attention even when they turned to more understated songs. This downshift in energy allowed the band’s moving lyricism to become the primary focus, which was especially apparent on “Travelin’ Soldier.” Maines’ heartbreaking, evocative narration described a young soldier dying in Vietnam and the young love he left behind, painting a harrowing picture of the loss brought by war. As she sang, Maguire and Strayer added their own tender harmonies, both vocally and through their fiddle and dobro. The crowd, who had remained standing since the show began, swayed solemnly. As the song came to a close, Maguire’s fiddle seemed to act as a fourth vocalist on stage, crying out mournfully against drummer Jimmy Paxson’s harsh, relentless, militaristic snare. The more subdued nature of the song made each lyric feel that much more pronounced and impactful, even when they weren’t truly singing at all. 

It was abundantly clear that the Chicks were going to put on the show they wanted to put on and say what they wanted to say. Toward the end of the evening, the band’s messaging became more political. Early references to their leanings earned the band cheers from the audience, such as visuals of Ron DeSantis being eaten by sharks and Maines introducing a cover of “Rainbowland” by saying Pride should be celebrated year-round. However, the messaging became the clearest with the band’s performance of “March March.” Before the song began, a long list of names of cities like Sandy Hook, and Uvalde flashed on screen followed by a number, a chilling reminder of both the regularity of mass shootings and their magnitude.

As the band came back to the stage, the list was replaced by videos of protests for climate change, Black Lives Matter, and reproductive rights. Underscored by the blazing chords of Strayer’s pedal steel, Maines let her voice become a hoarse yell as she repeated the phrase “March, march / to my own drum.” The song built to a fever pitch, with Maguire delivering squealing fiddle licks and Maines literally pounding a drum. Behind the band, names of Black people killed by racial violence clicked rapidly on the screen. 

This overt show of political leaning might have felt like a shock for some fans looking for a night of easy, breezy country, but for a band who had been blacklisted from their industry for previous political statements, the fervor of “March, March” felt par for the course. It was a stunning display from a band that has already proven they will stand up for what they believe in, no matter the cost.

The night's final song gave the crowd the moment they had been waiting for: As soon as the first chords of “Goodbye Earl” began, everyone was on their feet, jumping up and down and gleefully screaming the lyrics word for word. No lyric received more emphasis than the pre-chorus proclamation “Earl had to die.” For a song about killing off an abusive husband, its performance was pure joy. The trio smiled broadly as they looked out over the crowd, with Maguire even cupping her hand behind to encourage the crowd to sing louder – as if they needed any more encouragement.

Fireworks exploded behind the stage as the song came to a close, the crowd’s thunderous applause echoing the booms in the sky as the band took their bows. As fans remained on their feet and clapping even after the entire band had left the stage, it was clear that fans would be waiting in anticipation for the next time the Chicks would come to town.

Setlist

Gaslighter

Sin Wagon

Texas Man

Julianna Calm Down 

The Long Way Around

My Best Friend’s Weddings

Sleep at Night

Ready to Run 

Travelin’ Soldier

Wide Open Spaces

Tights on my Boat

Daddy Lessons/Long Time Gone

Cowboy Take Me Away

Landslide (Fleetwood Mac cover)

Rainbowland (Miley Cyrus cover)

Don’t Let Me Die in Florida (Patty Griffin cover)

March March

For Her

Everybody Loves You

White Trash Wedding

Not Ready to Make Nice

Goodbye Earl