I went to see the Dixie Chicks on Friday night. When I arrived, I was relieved to see that there weren’t protesters there–enough is enough and it’s time to let that one comment lay to rest. I was always surprised that Natalie’s having made her remark “on foriegn soil” seemed to be part of the reason for her critics’ ire. In my opinion, if there’s one person to thank for our deteriorating relationships overseas, it’s not Natalie Maines.

Okay, on to the music… The show was at the Gaylord Entertainment Center, and to my delight, it was filled to capacity. There wasn’t a lot of glitz and glamour; just great musicianship, passion, and hard playing. I am a sucker for beautiful harmonies and Natalie, Martie, and Emily were made to sing to together. They played songs off their new CD, Taking the Long Way, as well as faves like “Landslide,” “Longtime Gone” (written by Darrell Scott), “Travelin’ Soldier,” “Goodbye Earle,” and of course “Wide Open Spaces” (which was written by Americana artist Susan Gibson).

Natalie kept the sarcasm at bay Friday night, but she couldn’t resist encouraging us to visit “Pink is the New Blog” to get a glimpse of Britney Spears’ business.

This was my first time seeing the Chicks, and I’m glad I went.

–Leslie Rouffe