by Jennifer Ford
staff writer
Saturday, Oct. 14 at 8:30 p.m. Martie Seidel, Natalie Maines and Emily Robison, a.k.a. the Dixie Chicks, played to a sold-out crowd at the First Union Spectrum.
A crowd wearing cowboy hats, suede and boots danced in the aisles as Willie Nelson performed the opening show. He stood picturesque with his braids and signature bandanna as he played to an appreciative crowd.
After his performance,Nathan from “The Real World: Seattle” and Lance, a radio disc jockey, riled the crowd. The two men asked people to dance to fiddle music, make barnyard animal sounds or catch a magic football. All participants and their friends were upgraded to the front row.
To celebrate their new multi-platinum album “Fly,” the concert stage was blocked by a curtain that resembled a pair of jeans. Over the crowd was a balloon of a giant fly. As the fly flew backstage the fly on the jeans curtain opened. The curtain dropped to the floor and the Dixie Chicks made their entrance.
“This is one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. I just recently became a country music fan. This concert makes me love the music even more,” Scott Keehn, an audience member, said.
The concert opened and closed with an explosion of music. There were no elaborate stage or costume changes. The Dixie Chicks simply put on a good show to an attentive crowd.
Towards the middle of the concert the Dixie Chicks took time off from their performing and showed a slide show of the girls from their younger years. Oct.14th was Natalie Maines 30th birthday. The crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to her.
The concert ended with an encore performance of “God-Bye-Earl” and “Wide Open Spaces,” the Dixie Chicks debut song that gave them the fame and following they have today.
“Honey, you ain’t seen a concert till you’ve seen these girls,” Mark Osbi, an audience member, sang as he danced to the music.