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« Irritating the 'Naifeh 11' The | Main | Parsing the Chick's Cheeping » March 14, 2003The Dixie ChecksGive the audience what they want. Apparently, that's advice the Dixie Chicks have ingrained, because while playing a show in London lead Dixie Chick singer Natalie Maines said she was ashamed of President Bush and sorry he was from Texas - the Chicks' home state. She later expanded her comment with some generalized anti-war comments in a brief statement to the press. The Chicks are currently making a zillion bucks off of "Traveling Soldier," a hit song that tells the story of an American soldier doing his duty in Vietnam and his girlfriend back home. But in Europe, where anti-Americanism is running high, Maines felt free to criticize America. That's her right - just like it's your right to not spend money on the Chicks' music. It's called playing to the crowd. But playing to the crowd is tough when there are two crowds, and they like different things. In America, the Chicks' core audience is country music fans, a group that largely leans to the right in politics and is filled with flag-waving Bush supporters who likely favor the coming liberation of Iraq by American military forces. In Europe, the audience is likely more anti-American. Maines' comments wouldn't have been nearly as enthusiastically received in Oklahoma City - and Oklahomans don't much like Texans, either. A recent Wall Street Journal story notes that the Dixie Chicks, like many acts, have started selling tickets for their summer concert tours much earlier than usual, in part because of the struggling economy and uncertainty over the war. Where the Dixie Chicks are concerned, the story is filled with irony: March is traditionally the month when musicians and concert promoters make their plans for the key summer season, when most concerts are scheduled. But this year, with war pending and the economy in bad shape, concert promoters are approaching their critical summer season even more aggressively. The industry's goal: Lock in its share of people's summer spending money as early as possible. Last week, the first handful of the biggest summer tours went on sale. Departing from standard industry practices, the Dixie Chicks put all but eight of their 59 upcoming tour dates on sale on the same day - an unusual practice in ticketing, which traditionally has staggered on-sale dates. In three days, fans grabbed 870,000 tickets, ringing up nearly $49 million in sales.In other words, the Dixie Chicks - who claimed to be "honored" by the invitation to sing the national anthem at the Super Bowl - are cashing in on American patriotism, and doing it early in hopes the war and the economy won't cut into their Dixie checks - while also pandering to anti-American feelings in their lucrative European audience. Time - and the Billboard charts - will tell how well they balanced the two. UPDATE: Reader Stan B. writes to say he plans on showing his contempt for the Chicks' anti-Bush statement by not buying their merchandise, and he was looking for a way to email the band or their record label. I couldn't find an email address for the Chicks, but their official website has a message boards section where, presumably, you could voice your opinion - but only after you pay the Chicks $30 for an annual fan club membership. The message thread regarding the controversial anti-Bush remarks Maines made in London was quite long - more than 2,400 comments. UPDATE: Go here for a follow-up. And there's more here and here and here. |
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