codeorama Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 Politics is in the air as Dixie Chicks open tour in S.C. By Brian Mansfield, special for USA TODAY GREENVILLE, S.C. — Jim Doyle drove down from Prudenville, Mich., to see what all the fuss was about. Fan Shirley Rampey supports Natalie Maines' assessment of President Bush. By Patrick Schneider, via AP "I got tickets for their concert up in Michigan," said Doyle, 53, who was wearing a pale blue T-shirt embroidered "Chicks Rule." "But when I heard about all the fuss, I had to come down." But if Doyle expected to find any fuss before the show, where extensive protests had been expected, he was doomed to disappointment. Demonstrators for and against the Dixie Chicks outside the Bi-Lo Center were outnumbered by media — and by security. At 6:30, an hour before the arena's doors opened, the "grassy knoll" reserved for demonstrations was populated by six protesters, 10 security personnel and 25 reporters. The venue's security precautions included bomb-sniffing dogs and a full lockdown of the building. Anyone who came in or out, including crew, arena employees and even Chicks singer Natalie Maines on one occasion, was compelled to go through a metal detector. As it turned out, the sold-out, 15,000-strong crowd was rabidly enthusiastic and the protesters were few. Building manager Ed Rubinstein said, "The best sign I saw out there said 'Duh.' " Nancy Capps, 27, from Laurens, S.C., carried a "Natalie Doesn't Speak for This Dixie Chick" sign. "I have nothing against what they said, exactly. But to say it in a time of war to a foreign audience was over the line," she said. But Ashlynn Landreth, 7, from Hendersonville, S.C., carried a sign reading "My Dad Is a Soldier. I Support Him and I Support You." An anti-Chicks concert in Spartanburg, S.C., starring the Marshall Tucker Band drew 2,000 people, according to Steve Moore, promoter of the Chicks' Greenville show. Rubinstein said, "That's really turned out to be a blessing for us," adding that it likely drew away the people most likely to cause a scene. The Chicks opened the show with Goodbye Earl, an upbeat ditty about spousal abuse and retaliatory murder, but said nothing to the audience until after the third song, There's Your Trouble. Maines said, "Hello, y'all. They said you might not come out, but we knew you would because we have the greatest fans in the whole world." Then, although no unfriendly crowd response was audible, she added, "Oh, wait, I hear some boos. ... We welcome this because we welcome freedom of speech. So we're gonna give you 15 seconds to get whatever you have out of your system. So on the count of three, you can start to boo." If anyone booed, the cheers drowned them out. Any message the group wished to convey seemed clearer in their choice of pre-show music. After songs by two musicians who had supported them, Elvis Costello's (What's So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding and Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA, the sequence ran: Everybody Wants to Rule the World (by Tears for Fears), Our Lips Are Sealed (The Go-Go's), Band on the Run (Wings) and Tammy Wynette's Your Good Girl's Gonna Go Bad. (Related item: Lipton ices some Chicks promos.) As for the show's encore, Maines came back on stage and said she'd just been told backstage that President Bush had announced the war was over. (Bush spoke to a national TV audience from the deck of an aircraft carrier.) "It seems a little strange to keep playing songs, but I guess we'll celebrate," Maines said. She and the Chicks then went on to finish the show with Top of the World and Sin Wagon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codeorama Posted May 2, 2003 Author Share Posted May 2, 2003 The conservative majority is making them pay dearly....:doh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJWatson3 Posted May 2, 2003 Share Posted May 2, 2003 it must really hurt them, to sell 15 less CD's because of this whole NMaines statement. no surprise here, i knew this crap was gonna blow over in no time flat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fansince62 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 it's not crap Aj...but it's good that your time is occupied by relatively unimportant matters such as this while others exercise real power..........the Chicks are now condemned to appeal to a certain audience...they cannot achieve a wider base...this does have an impact....but in the grand scheme of things........they are...as even the libs on this board have stated.....rather ignorant and insignificant....... btw...glad you feel comfortable with murder as a device for domestic reconciliation....oh yea, forgot...it's just tongue in cheek when entertainers make bombastic statements..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJWatson3 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Originally posted by fansince62 it's not crap Aj...but it's good that your time is occupied by relatively unimportant matters such as this while others exercise real power.......... btw...glad you feel comfortable with murder as a device for domestic reconciliation....oh yea, forgot...it's just tongue in cheek when entertainers make bombastic statements..... sorry, you lost me on both these points. you obviously have as much time to post on the subject as myself when you aren't exercising your supreme power... and what is with the murder thing? did they make some new ignorant and insignificant remarks that i missed? or are you referring to the earl song? even i have heard that one... even though i don't give two-sh!ts about them it makes me a supporter of murder? i can't imagine what you think of those who actually like them. quite a bombastic statement bro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilmer17 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 This is SOOOOOO last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJWatson3 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 basically the point i was trying to make. seems some think this is gonna hurt their ability to draw new fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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