 Arts & Music
Whitney Meers
An aura of excitement filled the St. Petersburg Times Forum last night as the Dixie Chicks sang, strummed, and fiddled for over two hours to a cheering crowd of over 18,000 people. The Top of the World 2003 tour concert was accented by animated visual effects and interaction by the Chicks with the audience. The forum was filled near-capacity by fans of all ages and the show left fans cheering and screaming until the Chicks returned for an encore presentation.
The show began with a performance by Joan Osborne, a blues-inspired folk artist from Kentucky who is best known for her 1995 hit “One of Us.” She set the mood for the Dixie Chicks’ show with her powerful singing voice and rock rhythms. She is on tour promoting the recent release of her album How Sweet It Is. 
The Dixie Chicks then took the stage for a dazzling show. They erupted into performance with their hit “Goodbye Earl,” followed by “There’s Your Trouble.” During the set, they also played “Long Time Gone,” “Tortured, Tangled Hearts,” and “Godspeed,” and “Travelin’ Soldier” from their newest album, Home.
Martie Seidel |
The concert showcased the Chick’s musical talent with lead vocalist Natalie Maines singing powerfully and encouraging audience interaction. Martie Seidel’s fiddling talent and sister Emily Erwin’s banjo, dobro, and guitar skills led to an amazing composition of flair for the show.
Video monitors displayed symbolic film clips for many of the songs. Throughout the show, the monitor displayed clips promoting equality and justice and showing the hardships of life. The Dixie Chicks also took the time to introduce their band using a short spin-off video clip from the television show The Brady Bunch.
Natalie Maines | The Chicks were dressed in black with a splash of sparkle, and Maines’s tank top made a statement by showing a large, white peace sign to the audience. Though there were several fans holding up American flags and wearing red, white and blue, no obvious protests were made during the Dixie Chicks’ set.
Regarding the recent negative publicity the Chicks have received, Maines announced to the audience that she now gets a little bit nervous about talking “because talking got me in trouble.” She also said that the Dixie Chicks had “the best fans in the world,” evoking an enormous response from the audience.
The Dixie Chicks’ mixture of fast country tunes and slow, soulful ballads created an outstanding performance. During their set, they covered Bob Dylan’s “Mississippi” and used visual effects and lighting techniques to turn the stage into a virtual pond, even having tall pieces of grass rise out of the stage. They used the same effect during the song “Changes” to have giant daisies rise out of the platform.
A giant windmill raised out of center stage when the Dixie Chicks closed with the title track from their first album, “Wide Open Spaces.” They shook hands with the audience before their crew turned out the lights and closed up. The crowd cheered for the Chicks in excess of five minutes before they returned to the stage with an encore performance.
For their encore set, the Dixie Chicks played “Top of the World,” a Patty Griffin cover after which they named their tour, and then went out with a bang playing the song “Sin Wagon.”
The elaborate stage setting and the beautiful tunes made for a performance that should not be missed as the Dixie Chicks continue their tour across the United States. - ArtsyStuff Magazine
Dixie Chicks Resources:
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Home
Released -- August 27, 2002
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| 1. Long Time Gone -- Released 5/17/02, highest peak #2 |
| 2. Landslide -- Released 8/20/02, highest peak #2 |
| 3. Travelin' Soldier |
| 4. Truth No. 2 |
| 5. White Trash Wedding |
| 6. A Home |
| 7. More Love |
| 8. I Believe In Love |
| 9. Tortured, Tangled Hearts |
| 10. Lil' Jack Slade |
| 11. Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) |
| 12. Top Of The World |
Lyric Sheets
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Landslide
By Stevie Nicks
I took my love and I took it down
I climbed a mountain and I turned around
And I saw my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down
Oh mirror in the sky
What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail thru the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
Uh huh
Uh huh, uh huh
Well I've been afraid of changing
cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
And I'm getting older too
Well..
Well Ive been afraid of changing
cause I built my life around you
But time makes you bolder
Children get older
Im getting older too
Well I'm getting older too
So take this love and take it down
Yeah and if you climb a mountain and ya turn around
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well the landslide brought me down
And if you see my reflection in the snow-covered hills
Well maybe
Well maybe
Well maybe
The landslide will bring you down
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Long Time Gone
By Darrell Scott and Tim OBrien
Daddy sits on a’ front porch swinging
Looking out on a vacant field
Used to be filled with bolls an t’bacca
Now he knows it never will
Brothers’ found work in Indiana
Sisters a nurse at the old folks home
Mama still cooking too much for supper
And me I’ve been a long time gone
Chorus:
Been a long time gone
No, I ain’t hoed a row since I don’t know when
Long time gone
And it ain’t coming back again
Now Deliah plays that ol church pian’a
Sitting out on her daddy’s farm
She always thought that we’d be together
Lord I never meant to do her harm
Said, she could hear me singin’ in the choir
Me, I heard another song
I caught wind and hit the road runnin’
Lord, Ive been a long time gone
Chorus:
Been a long time gone
Lord, I ain’t had a prayer since I don’t know when
Long time gone
And it ain’t comin’ back again
(Instrumental)
(Bridge)
Now me, I went to Nashville,
Tryin’ to be the big deal
Playin’ down on Broadway
Gimmie the hard way
Living from a tip jar
Sleeping in my car
Hocking my guitar
Yeah I’m gonna be a star
Now, me and Deliah singing every Sunday
Watching the children and the garden grow
We listen to the radio to hear what’s cookin’
But the music ain’t got no soul
Now they sound tired but they don’t sound Haggard
They’ve got money but they don’t have Cash
They got Junior but they don’t have Hank
I think, I think, I think
The rest is a long time gone
No, I aint hit the roof since I don’t know when
Long time gone
And it ain’t coming back
Long time gone
No, I ain’t honked the horn since I don’t know when
Long time gone
And it ain’t coming back again
I said a long time, long time, long time gone
Well it’s been a long time
Long time, long time, long time gone
Oh, it’s been a long time gone
Long time, long time, long time gone
Yeah yeah |
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