Country trio The 'Dixie' Chicks will be coming to Jones Beach Theater on Sat, July 2 after five years away from touring. Patty Griffin will be the opening act. tix: http://DIXIECHICKS.jonesbeach.comThe 'Dixie' Chicks to play Jones Beach after 5 years.. The band, which consists of Natalie Maines (vocals/guitar), Martie Maguire (backing vocals/fiddle/mandolin) and Emily Strayer (backing vocals/banjo/dobro/guitar), is supporting its latest album, "Gaslighter," which was released in 2020 featuring the hit title track.
"While we were recording the ‘Gaslighter’ album, I was constantly picturing performing all of those songs on tour," said Maguire, 52, in a statement to The Associated Press. "The ultimate payoff is always the live show for us." .. Strayer, 49, added, "What I have missed the most about touring is the first couple minutes of every show. The house lights going dark, the roar of the crowd and the opening song pumping through the PA. I think we’ve all missed being connected through live music!"
Despite having massive success, the group has been no stranger to controversy. In 2003, Maines told a concert crowd that she was against the U.S. invasion of Iraq and that she was "ashamed" President George W. Bush "was from Texas." Maines initially issued an apology for being "disrespectful" to the then-commander in chief, but later rescinded it. This caused The (Dixie) Chicks to receive backlash, including a drop in album sales and being blacklisted at country radio stations.
In 2020, the band removed the "Dixie" from its name due to its reference to the Mason-Dixon Line, which separated Southern slave states and Northern free states. The change was a controversial effort by the group to highlight racial inequality in the United States.
Patricia Jean Griffin (born March 16, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She is a vocalist and plays guitar and piano. She is known for her stripped-down songwriting style in the folk music genre. Her songs have been covered by numerous musicians, including Emmylou Harris, Ellis Paul, Kelly Clarkson, Rory Block, Dave Hause, Sugarland and The (Dixie) Chicks.
The (Dixie) Chicks have won 13 GRAMMY Awards and launched to global superstardom in their decades-long career, packed with hits like “Wide Open Spaces,” “Ready to Run,” “Goodbye Earl,” “Cowboy Take Me Away,” “Landslide,” “Not Ready To Make Nice,” “Gaslighter” and plenty others. The summer tour is set to kick off in June at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre STL in St. Louis, Missouri, and wrap up in August at The Gorge in George, Washington.