| Tour by Dixie Chicks | |
 Tour memorabilia | |
| Associated album | Home |
|---|---|
| Start date | May 1, 2003 |
| End date | October 12, 2003 |
| Legs | 3 |
| No. of shows | 65 in North America 10 in Europe 6 in Australia 81 Total |
| Dixie Chicks concert chronology | |
The Top of the World Tour was the 2003 concert tour by American country music trio Dixie Chicks. It was in support of their album Home , and named after the song "Top of the World" on that album.
The tour began with three promotional concerts in Europe and Australia. During the first of these on March 10, 2003, at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London, Natalie Maines made her controversial remarks criticizing President George W. Bush a few days before the start of the Iraq War: "Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all. We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas." [1] The backdrop to this statement was the large protests in Britain against the impending war. [2]
The first leg of the tour then took place in North America, running from the beginning of May to mid-August. The Bush controversy and a comment against a Toby Keith song resulted in the state of South Carolina not wanting to let the band in. Natalie Maines stated, "These fans paid their hard earned money to see us play, and we will give them the show they paid to see!" The concert went on. The second leg took place in Western Europe in September, followed by a brief third leg in Australia that finished in early October. A couple of concerts back in the United States finished the tour.
The tour grossed $60.5 million, making it the highest grossing country music tour up until that time (since superseded by several artists). It was also the 8th highest-grossing tour of any genre in 2003.
The live album Top of the World Tour: Live and DVD Top of the World Tour: Live document the tour — both are composed of performances from multiple shows. Dressing room and on-stage scenes from the tour, as well as the effect of Maines' controversial statement on the venture, were included in the 2006 documentary Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing .
 | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (June 2008) |
The multi-tiered in-the-round stage was a feat of engineering complete with shifting hydraulic-lift levels, winding catwalks and walkways that extended over the heads of the audience. It weighed over 80,000 pounds and took up most of the arena floor. A crew of 120 traveled in thirteen busses and seventeen trucks. This show included the largest touring video show, with 1.5 million LED lights displaying graphics on video screens and on the floor of the stage. During the show, artificial flowers, grass, trees and a windmill sprung up from underneath the stage. It took over 2000 amps of power and 240 pounds of CO2 gas to run the special effects for each show.
Recorded pre-show music included "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?", "Band on the Run", "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", and "Born in the U.S.A.".
During the show the three singers used headset microphones and were frequently well apart from each other. Nevertheless, stage patter was fairly frequent, with a notable case of Martie Maguire confessing that her rather unusual clothing assemblage made her look like "Crack whore Barbie". A new addition to the group's repertoire was a long, churning rendition of Bob Dylan's travelphobic "Mississippi".
In the opening U.S. show, Natalie offered fans 15 seconds to boo, in reference of the controversy surrounding the tour. However, after a count of three, there was thunderous applause instead.
The following songs were performed during the concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It does not represent all songs performed on tour.
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Tickets Sold / Available | Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America [6] | |||||
| May 1, 2003 | Greenville | United States | BI-LO Center | 14,811 / 14,811 | $855,146 |
| May 3, 2003 | Orlando | TD Waterhouse Centre | 15,726 / 15,726 | $872,525 | |
| May 4, 2003 | Sunrise | Office Depot Center | 15,470 / 17,924 | $927,560 | |
| May 5, 2003 | Tampa | St. Pete Times Forum | 15,535 / 17,969 | $953,993 | |
| May 7, 2003 | Knoxville | Thompson–Boling Arena | 18,521 / 18,521 | $1,084,740 | |
| May 8, 2003 | Indianapolis | Conseco Fieldhouse | 15,878 / 15,878 | $927,085 | |
| May 10, 2003 | Kansas City | Kemper Arena | 17,890 / 17,973 | $1,047,310 | |
| May 11, 2003 | St. Louis | Savvis Center | 18,029 / 18,449 | $1,072,595 | |
| May 13, 2003 | Ames | Hilton Coliseum | 13,845 / 13,845 | $805,680 | |
| May 14, 2003 | Moline | The MARK of the Quad Cities | 10,476 / 10,476 | $611,310 | |
| May 16, 2003 | Birmingham | BJCC Arena | — | — | |
| May 17, 2003 | Greensboro | Greensboro Coliseum | |||
| May 18, 2003 | Louisville | Freedom Hall | 16,894 / 16,894 | $996,970 | |
| May 20, 2003 | Oklahoma City | Ford Center | 16,992 / 16,992 | $1,001,425 | |
| May 21, 2003 | Austin | Frank Erwin Center | 14,769 / 14,769 | $828,925 | |
| May 29, 2003 | Chicago | United Center | 36,500 / 36,500 | $2,213,900 | |
| May 30, 2003 | |||||
| June 2, 2003 | Auburn Hills | The Palace of Auburn Hills | 35,389 / 35,389 | $2,110,958 | |
| June 3, 2003 | |||||
| June 5, 2003 | Milwaukee | Bradley Center | 17,364 / 17,364 | $1,032,690 | |
| June 6, 2003 | Saint Paul | Xcel Energy Center | 39,636 / 39,636 | $2,152,655 | |
| June 7, 2003 | |||||
| June 9, 2003 | Cincinnati | U.S. Bank Arena | 15,546 / 16,800 | $950,300 | |
| June 10, 2003 | Columbus | Nationwide Arena | 17,498 / 17,498 | $1,026,200 | |
| June 11, 2003 | Cleveland | Gund Arena | 16,252 / 19,769 | $968,265 | |
| June 13, 2003 | Buffalo | HSBC Arena | 18,102 / 18,102 | $1,054,685 | |
| June 14, 2003 | Pittsburgh | Mellon Arena | 16,276 / 16,276 | $871,090 | |
| June 16, 2003 | Philadelphia | First Union Center | 36,058 / 36,058 | $2,431,384 | |
| June 17, 2003 | |||||
| June 19, 2003 | Boston | FleetCenter | 16,850 / 16,850 | $1,111,390 | |
| June 20, 2003 | New York City | Madison Square Garden | — | — | |
| June 21, 2003 | |||||
| June 23, 2003 | Uniondale | Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum | |||
| June 25, 2003 | Washington, D.C. | MCI Center | 34,155 / 34,155 | $2,063,455 | |
| June 26, 2003 | |||||
| June 27, 2003 | Albany | Pepsi Arena | 14,691 / 14,691 | $884,635 | |
| July 6, 2003 | Dallas | American Airlines Center | 16,704 / 16,704 | $1,011,720 | |
| July 8, 2003 | Denver | Pepsi Center | 16,034 / 16,034 | $964,820 | |
| July 9, 2003 | Salt Lake City | Delta Center | 15,435 / 15,435 | $929,425 | |
| July 11, 2003 | Vancouver | Canada | General Motors Place | 17,429 / 17,429 | $1,060,338 |
| July 12, 2003 | Seattle | United States | KeyArena | 13,484 / 13,484 | $787,220 |
| July 13, 2003 | Portland | Rose Garden Arena | 17,857 / 17,857 | $1,071,345 | |
| July 15, 2003 | Oakland | The Arena in Oakland | 17,072 / 17,072 | $1,047,651 | |
| July 16, 2003 | San Jose | HP Pavilion | 16,977 / 16,977 | $999,300 | |
| July 17, 2003 | Sacramento | ARCO Arena | 15,006 / 15,006 | $862,535 | |
| July 19, 2003 | Los Angeles | Staples Center | 15,609 / 15,609 | $889,285 | |
| July 20, 2003 | Anaheim | Arrowhead Pond | 29,985 / 29,985 | $1,866,945 | |
| July 21, 2003 | |||||
| July 23, 2003 | San Diego | Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl | 11,168 / 11,168 | $723,021 | |
| July 25, 2003 | Phoenix | America West Arena | 15,984 / 15,984 | $965,950 | |
| July 26, 2003 | Las Vegas | MGM Grand Garden Arena | 22,098 / 22,098 | $1,845,845 | |
| July 27, 2003 | |||||
| July 29, 2003 | San Antonio | SBC Center | 14,965 / 14,965 | $857,275 | |
| July 30, 2003 | Houston | Compaq Center | 14,700 / 14,700 | $884,964 | |
| August 1, 2003 | North Little Rock | Alltel Arena | 16,790 / 16,790 | $998,500 | |
| August 2, 2003 | Memphis | Pyramid Arena | 18,745 / 18,745 | $1,112,664 | |
| August 3, 2003 | Atlanta | Philips Arena | 17,101 / 17,101 | $1,001,135 | |
| August 4, 2003 | Nashville | Gaylord Entertainment Center | 15,696 / 15,696 | $921,730 | |
| August 6, 2003 | Toronto | Canada | Air Canada Centre | 17,470 / 17,470 | $1,031,779 |
| August 7, 2003 | Ottawa | Corel Centre | — | — | |
| August 8, 2003 | Hamilton | Copps Coliseum | |||
| August 12, 2003 | Edmonton | Skyreach Centre | 12,590 / 12,590 | $732,590 | |
| August 13, 2003 | Calgary | Pengrowth Saddledome | 13,442 / 13,442 | $850,800 | |
| Europe [5] [7] | |||||
| September 6, 2003 | Stockholm | Sweden | Annexet | — | — |
| September 8, 2003 | Hamburg | Germany | CCH Hall 1 | ||
| September 10, 2003 | Birmingham | England | NEC Arena | ||
| September 11, 2003 | Manchester | Carling Apollo Manchester | |||
| September 14, 2003 | London | Royal Albert Hall | 7,022 / 7,216 | $323,270 | |
| September 15, 2003 | |||||
| September 18, 2003 | Dublin | Ireland | Point Theatre | — | — |
| September 19, 2003 | Glasgow | Scotland | Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre | ||
| September 21, 2003 | Munich | Germany | Olympiahalle | ||
| September 22, 2003 | Frankfurt | Jahrhunderthalle | |||
| Australia [5] | |||||
| September 28, 2003 | Melbourne | Australia | Rod Laver Arena | — | — |
| September 29, 2003 | |||||
| October 1, 2003 | Brisbane | Brisbane Entertainment Centre | |||
| October 2, 2003 | |||||
| October 4, 2003 | Sydney | Sydney Super Dome | |||
| October 5, 2003 | Sydney Entertainment Centre | ||||
| North America [8] [9] | |||||
| October 10, 2003 | Charlotte | United States | Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre | — | |
| October 12, 2003 [A] | Washington, D.C. | MCI Center | 11,102 / 12,200 | $896,827 | |
| June 2, 2003 | Cleveland, Ohio | Gund Arena | Rescheduled to June 11, 2003 |
| June 12, 2003 | Toronto, Canada | Air Canada Centre | Rescheduled to August 6, 2003 [10] |
There may have been minor changes to this lineup depending on the venue.
Martha Elenor Maguire is an American musician who is a founding member of the country band the Chicks and the country bluegrass duo Court Yard Hounds. She won awards in national fiddle championships while still a teenager. Maguire is accomplished on several other instruments, including the mandolin, viola, double bass and guitar. She has written and co-written a number of the band's songs, some of which have become chart-topping hits. She also contributes her skills in vocal harmony and backing vocals, as well as orchestrating string arrangements for the band.
Natalie Louise Maines is an American musician. She is the lead vocalist for the country band the Chicks.
Taking the Long Way is the seventh studio album by American country music group Dixie Chicks. Released on May 23, 2006, through Columbia Nashville, it was also the group's last album released under the “Dixie Chicks” name. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and sold over 2.5 million copies in the U.S., being certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on July 11, 2007. It won five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year in February 2007.
The Fly Tour (2000) was the debut North American concert tour by country music band The Chicks', performing sold-out shows in over 80 cities across Canada and the contiguous United States. The tour was primarily in-support of their sophomore album Fly (1999), as well as featuring songs from their debut album, Wide Open Spaces (1998). The Chicks would also feature several new or specially-selected songs at various stops on the tour, as well as an instrumental bluegrass “jam” piece titled “Roanoke”, alternating with another instrumental called simple “Brilliancy”.
"Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue " is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Toby Keith. The song was written in late 2001, and was inspired by Keith's father's death in March 2001, as well as the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States later that year. It was released in May 2002 as the lead single from the album, Unleashed.
The Accidents & Accusations World Tour was a concert tour by the Dixie Chicks. It was their first tour where tickets were sold after the scandal which ensued in 2003 when lead singer Natalie Maines publicly criticized President George W. Bush at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London during the Top of the World Tour, leading to intense criticism of the group. The tour was named after the lyrics in the song "Easy Silence" from the album Taking the Long Way, released in May 2006.
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing is a 2006 American documentary film about the Dixie Chicks controversy, produced and directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck.
"Not Ready to Make Nice" is a song co-written and performed by American country music trio Dixie Chicks. It was released on March 20, 2006 as the first single from the band's seventh studio album, Taking the Long Way. The Dixie Chicks wrote the song in response to the backlash they experienced in 2003 after criticizing President George W. Bush.
The Chicks are an American country band from Dallas, Texas. The band consists of Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer. Maguire and Strayer, both née Erwin, founded the band in 1989, with bassist Laura Lynch and vocalist and guitarist Robin Lynn Macy. They performed bluegrass and country music, busking and touring the bluegrass festival circuits and small venues for six years without attracting a major label. In 1992, Lynch replaced Macy as the lead vocalist.
"Top of the World" is a contemporary folk-country song written by Patty Griffin and most known as recorded and performed in Grammy Award-winning fashion by the Dixie Chicks.
"Wide Open Spaces" is a song written by Susan Gibson and recorded by the American country music group Dixie Chicks. It was released in August 1998 as the third single and title track from the band's album Wide Open Spaces. The song hit number one on the U.S. Country singles chart and spent four weeks there in November 1998. It also placed to number 41 on the U.S. Pop singles chart.
Court Yard Hounds were an American country music and folk duo, founded by sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Robison. They, along with Natalie Maines, make up The Chicks, formerly the Dixie Chicks. The sisters decided to record a side project under a different name. Court Yard Hounds, featuring Robison for the first time as lead vocalist, released a debut album for Columbia Records, the same label for which the Dixie Chicks has recorded, on May 4, 2010. The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 chart, initially selling 61,000 copies. It has sold approximately 825,000 copies in the United States.
The Cocked, Locked, Ready to Rock Tour was a concert tour by American hard rock band Aerosmith that took place during mid-2010. In late spring and early summer of 2010, the band performed in South America and Europe, respectively, marking their first concerts on those continents since 2007. During the second half of summer, the band toured North America. Prior to the tour, the band confirmed that the lead singer would be Steven Tyler, after rumors of his departure in late 2009.
The Speak Now World Tour was the second concert tour by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who embarked on it to support her third studio album, Speak Now (2010). It began on February 9, 2011, visiting Asia and Europe before kicking off in North America on May 27, 2011. It concluded on March 18, 2012, in Oceania. In total, the tour covered 110 shows across 19 territories.
The Best Damn Tour was the third concert tour by Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne. Supporting her third studio album, The Best Damn Thing (2007), the tour played over 100 concerts in North America, Europe and Asia. The trek was recorded at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto for a live DVD set entitled, The Best Damn Tour: Live in Toronto.
"Sin Wagon" is a song written by Natalie Maines, Emily Erwin, and Stephony Smith and recorded by The Chicks for their 1999 album Fly. Though never released as a single, it charted as an album cut. It has been featured in five tours: Fly, Top of the World, Accidents & Accusations, Eagles with Dixie Chicks and the DCX MMXVI World Tour.
Mother is the first solo studio album by American singer Natalie Maines. It was released on May 7, 2013.
The DCX MMXVI World Tour was the fifth headlining concert tour from American country music trio Dixie Chicks. It started on April 16, 2016, in Antwerp, Belgium and finished on April 18, 2017, in London, Ontario, Canada. The tour was the first time in ten years the band had toured the United States and Australia as a headlining act. It was the first time the band performed in New Zealand. For the shows in 2017, the tour was renamed the DCX MMXVII World Tour. This was the last tour where they were known as the Dixie Chicks.
John Mock is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, producer, and photographer with a particular interest in the topic of maritime history and culture.
In March 2003, the American country band the Dixie Chicks publicly criticized President George W. Bush, triggering a backlash. At a concert in London during their Top of the World Tour, the lead singer, Natalie Maines, said the Dixie Chicks were ashamed Bush was from the same state as them, and that they did not support the imminent invasion of Iraq.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)