"Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition
Need a little bit more of my tweleve ounce nutrition
One more helpin' of what I've been havin'
I'm takin' my turn on the sin wagon...."
Yep, you guessed it, my Chicks were back in town. Not just any average Chicks, but those fun lovin' Dixie Chicks. You remember them, one of whom made that itsy bitsy comment three years ago about our current President. A comment consisting of twelve words that sparked a country-wide craziness. When they stopped by San Jose in 2003 (shortly after the comment was made), we (my parents and I) were there. You could feel support for Natalie, but nothing as strong as the support she received last Friday night at the Oakland Coliseum.
You had every kind of person in attendance: adults, kids and chicks who loved well other chicks. It was fascinating to watch everyone around us, especially the two gentleman in front of us who how should I put this, let us know that they weren't interested in chicks of any kind.
Before the Chicks hit the stage, the jumbo television showed a two minute trailer for their new "Shut Up and Sing" documentary. People watched, booed that Bush character and cheered on the Chicks. That little two minute trailer pumped up the crowd for a night of entertaining music.
As the lights went out, the anticipation grew. Red lights flashed on the stage as "Hail to the Chief" began to play. The place went nuts with laughter and cheers. The Chicks appeared on stage and went into their fast paced "Lubbock or Leave It" from their new album. From that point on, it was pure joy. As I have stated before, it is so refreshing to go to a concert where the performers are singing and playing their own instruments. It's nice when they aren't dancing around the stage like they've got ants in their pants. The Chicks are there to sing to you and provide you with some pretty powerful, listen-to-me lyrics.
Several favorites were in the show, including the song I had playing during my bouquet toss. This is a little diddy that Natalie dedicated to Britney's soon-to-be ex, Kevin Federline. It was so fitting because the song's title is "White Trash Wedding" and it couldn't have been dedicated to a more fitting person. It's amazing how classy they can pull off white trash anything.
The evening's strongest point came when the Chicks performed "Not Ready to Make Nice", their first single off of their newest album. Considering we are a country where you should be able to say what you feel, the song pretty much says it all. One of my favorite parts of the song is as follows:
I made my bed and I sleep like a baby
With no regrets and I don't mind sayin'
It's a sad sad story when a mother will teach her
Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger
And how in the world can the words that I said
Send somebody so over the edge
That they'd write me a letter
Sayin' that I better shut up and sing
Or my life will be over...
Once the words SHUT UP AND SING were sung, the crowd rose up out of the chairs and applauded with cheers and hollers of agreement. What a beautiful, patriotic moment.
Towards the end of the show, they finished off with a couple of classics, "Wide Open Spaces" and my personal favorite "Sin Wagon", which I never get tired of hearing. It just makes you want to get up and clap along. Their encore consisted of three songs, "Travelin' Soldier", "Mississippi" and "Ready to Run", an ecclectic mix of songs to finish off what was once again a fantastic listening experience.
What can I say that hasn't already been said? Oh yes, it was my husband's first Dixie Chicks concert and what a way to spend our 2 month wedding anniversary. How better to say it than...
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you want to be loved
Is forever enough
Cause I'm never, never giving you up.
(Above lyric is from "Lullaby" song.)
