Top of the World Tour
Tour by Dixie Chicks | |
Tour memorabilia | |
Associated album | Home |
---|---|
Start date | May 1, 2003 |
End date | October 12, 2003 |
Legs | 3 |
Number 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.
History
The tour began with three promotional concerts in Europe and Australia. During the first of these on March 10, 2003, at Shepherds 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The tour grossed $60.5 million, making it the highest grossing country music tour up until that time (since superseded by several artists).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.
The show
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.
Opening Acts
- Joan Osborne (North America, Spring 2003)[3] Start-Philadelphia
- Michelle Branch (North America, Summer 2003)[4]
- Jann Arden (Canada, August 2003)
- The Thorns (Europe, Australia)[5]
Set list
The following songs were performed during the concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. It does not represent all songs performed on tour.
- "Goodbye Earl"
- "Some Days You Gotta Dance"
- "There's Your Trouble"
- "Long Time Gone"
- "Tortured, Tangled Hearts"
- "Travelin' Soldier
- "Am I The Only One (Who's Ever Felt This Way)"
- "Hello Mr. Heartache"
- "Cold Day in July"
- "White Trash Wedding"
- "Lil' Jack Slade"
- "A Home"
- "Truth No. 2"
- "If I Fall You're Going Down with Me"
- "Mississippi"
- "Cowboy Take Me Away"
- "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"
- "Landslide"
- "Ready To Run"
- "Wide Open Spaces"
- Encore
Tour dates
- Cancellations and rescheduled shows
June 2, 2003 | Cleveland, Ohio | Gund Arena | Rescheduled to June 11, 2003 |
June 12, 2013 | Toronto, Canada | Air Canada Centre | Rescheduled to August 6, 2003[10] |
Backing band
There may have been minor changes to this lineup depending on the venue.
- Roscoe Beck - bass
- John Deaderick - keyboards
- John Gardner - drums
- David Grissom - acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- John Mock - pennywhistle, concertina, percussion, guitar and more.
- Brent Truitt - mandolin
- Robbie Turner - steel guitar
- Keith Sewell - acoustic guitar
External links
- [www.dixiechicks.com Dixie Chicks Official Website]
- Tour Info
References
- ↑ Democracy Now! (2007). "Shut Up And Sing: Dixie Chicks' Big Grammy Win Caps Comeback From Backlash Over Anti-War Stance" Democracy Now! (accessed 24 Feb 2007)
- ↑ "Thousands more take stand against conflict in demonstrations throughout Britain" The Guardian, 10 March 2003. Access date 15 May 2010.
- ↑ Seely, Mike (May 7, 2003). "Dixie Chicks with Joan Osborne". The Riverfront Times. Voice Media Group. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- ↑ Moss, Corey; Pak, SuChin (May 23, 2003). "Michelle Branch Ignores Sophomore Jinx Like She Ignored Death Threats". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- 1 2 3 Jeckell, Barry A. (July 31, 2003). Cohen, Jonathan, ed. "Dixie Chicks Pluck Thorns For Euro, Oz Dates". Billboard. VNU eMedia Inc. Archived from the original on August 2, 2003. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Top of the World Tour". Dixie Chicks Official Artist Club. Yahoo! Inc. Archived from the original on April 2, 2003. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Chicks in Europe". Dixie Chicks Official Artist Club. Yahoo! Inc. May 14, 2003. Archived from the original on June 21, 2003. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
- ↑ "CALENDAR AND EVENTS". The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, North Carolina: The McClatchy Company). September 19, 2003. p. 14E.
- 1 2 "Chicks Join Eagles at Benefit Concert". CMT News. MTV Networks. September 8, 2003. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
- ↑ "The Buzz: Dixie Chicks Concert Postponed". WHDH. Sunbeam Television. Retrieved November 18, 2013.
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