Dixie Chicks’ fans are birds of a feather

Spencer Patterson

Monday, July 28, 2003 | 8:21 a.m.

As the throng of Dixie Chicks fans moved through the MGM Grand on Sunday night, two men in cowboy hats walked past the crowd, headed in the opposite direction.

"Looks like there's a fight," one of them said, surmising that the night's main event was a boxing match.

Responded the other: "Yeah, it's Oscar De La Hoya against the Dixie Chicks. I'd like to see that one."

Such sentiments such have been common in the months since Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines made her public announcement that she was "ashamed" to be from the same state as President Bush.

The Austin, Texas, trio have been banned from dozens of radio stations, become embroiled in an ugly feud with fellow country star Toby Keith and, reportedly, even received death threats since the March incident.

Sunday night, however, the man loudly deriding the Dixie Chicks in the MGM's halls might very well have been the lone voice of dissent in a building teeming with the group's loyal supporters.

There were no protesters outside the facility, nor did anyone heckle the three unexpectedly controversial musicians during the concert.

Instead, a crowd of 10,254 cheered the country group's every move, from the music produced onstage to several pointed comments made by Maine.

"We have learned that voting is a nice, safe way to voice your opinion. Nobody knows what you're doing behind the curtain," Maines said, encouraging young people to cast ballots in upcoming elections.

In the front row, two young women even celebrated Maines' bitter rivalry with Keith by wearing white T-shirts adorned with the letters "F.U.T.K." in gold glitter. They were replicas of the shirt worn by Maines during May's "Academy of Country Music Awards" broadcast, and most people took the message as a profane barb at Keith.

Sunday night, Maines toned her attire down somewhat, opting for a black tank top with the words "Dare to be free" printed across the front.

The 28-year-old Maines had this to say while introducing "Truth No. 2," from last year's chart-topping album, "Home:" "The next song is about free speech and freedom of expression, and it has a whole new meaning for us since about four months ago."

Indeed, so much has changed for the Dixie Chicks in that short time. Yet the trio -- Maines, mandolin/guitar picker Emily Robison and fiddler Martie Maguire -- remain the same in one important respect: They still know how to entertain a large audience.

Performing on a round stage centered on the arena floor, the three women used every inch of turf at their disposal, regularly visiting with different sections of their audience.

Maguire might even have identified the world's first Chickhead, a fan named Michael who has followed the group throughout its "Top of the World" tour. After pointing him out to the crowd, Maguire told him, "The next show is on me."

Backed by an eight-piece band and supplemented further by a four-piece string section on occasion, the Chicks also crafted some fine music during their one-hour, 40-minute show.

Most memorable were two acoustic bluegrass pieces -- "White Trash Wedding" and "Lil' Jack Blade" -- songs that showed off the instrumental prowess of Robison and Maguire, as well as the talents their less famous bandmates.

Another interesting stretch came late in the concert. The Dixie Chicks played a soft lullaby ("Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)"), their harmonious Fleetwood Mac cover hit ("Landslide") and an upbeat, poppy confection ("Ready to Run") in succession, showing off their impressive range.

On the downside, Maines' voice ran a bit shrill on a couple of occasions, most notably during the opening number, "Goodbye Earl."