Thirteen-time Grammy Award winners The Chicks have announced their return to the road with the Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour in celebration of their record-breaking 2006 album Taking the Long Way.
Earning universal recognition as the biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time, The Chicks have sold more than 30.5 million albums and are among an elite group of artists and the only female group to achieve multiple “diamond” selling (ten million copies) releases.
That's an enormous legacy to look back on, and a lot of their career has been marred by controversy stemming from an early surfacing of "cancel culture," but it's worth revisiting what makes this group so special, as they reflect back on the last 20 years. Because it all started with the live stage.
Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, The Chicks had built one of music's most durable fan relationships because audiences never felt like they were being marketed to — they felt like they were being spoken to. Their music combines a gentle, honest approach to American country music with a take-no-prisoners feminist attitude and perspective.
Beyond their elite harmonies, musicianship, and songwriting, it's in this combination where fans truly believe the humanity at the core of this band.
Here's a Brief History of The Chicks' live concert career, and the turn it would inevitably take. Follow The Chicks on Bandsintown and catch them on tour in 2026.
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1995 - Before the Controversy, They Were One of Country Music's Most Dominant Live Acts
It's easy to forget just how enormous The Chicks were before 2003.
By the early 2000s, they had become one of the best-selling acts in country music, packing arenas through a combination of virtuosic musicianship, sharp humor, and an energy that often felt more rock-and-roll than Nashville. Both Wide Open Spaces (1997) and Fly (1999) were certified multi-platinum, and continued to place in the list of the 50 best-selling albums in American history years after they were released.
One of the biggest live milestones in their career came at the 1998 CMA Awards, where they performed a nationally televised rendition of their hit song, "There's Your Trouble" (video above), and took home two awards that evening: "Vocal Group of the Year" and the "Horizon Award."
For those who had only heard this band's studio recordings over the radio at that point, this widely-viewed moment helped introduce the general public to The Chicks' impressive musicianship and tight vocal harmonies. Unlike many contemporary country acts which were anchored by a single singer/performer, their shows centered heavily on the band chemistry between Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer.
That musicianship helped establish a template that countless female country and Americana acts would later follow, and influenced an entire generation of listeners, especially young women.
2003 - The London Comment That Changed Everything
No discussion of The Chicks' live history can avoid March 2003. While performing in London shortly before the invasion of Iraq, Natalie Maines told the audience:
"We're ashamed the President of the United States is from Texas."
The reaction was immediate and unprecedented. Radio stations organized boycotts. Fans destroyed CDs. Death threats followed. Entire segments of the country music establishment turned against the group.
What makes this a live music story is that it happened live onstage.
A single concert remark altered the trajectory of one of the biggest bands in America. Very few artists can point to a moment during a show that fundamentally changed their careers.
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2003 - The ACM Performance That Felt Like a Public Trial
The months following the controversy transformed every Chicks appearance into a cultural event. Throughout this heated era, The Chicks refused to stop performing and getting on stage, despite receiving death threats and zero support from nationally syndicated radio. (Yet another reason to support independent radio!)
When they appeared at the Academy of Country Music Awards, the performance carried a tension rarely seen in mainstream country music. In fact, they didn't even appear at the location the event was being held in Las Vegas. Instead, they rented a theatre in Austin, Texas, and teleconferenced their live performance in live.
And in this moment of heightened tension, the song they chose to perform could not have been more tender, emotive, and calming.
The band suddenly found themselves navigating an environment where audiences, media, and industry peers were scrutinizing every word and gesture.
In retrospect, these performances became some of the earliest examples of the modern phenomenon where artists are asked to defend not just their music, but their beliefs.
2006 - "Not Ready To Make Nice" Became a Live Anthem
The release of Taking the Long Way in 2006 changed the conversation. Instead of issuing a half-hearted apology, The Chicks answered what they considered to be anti-American, anti-free speech criticism with "Not Ready To Make Nice," transforming a public backlash into one of the defining songs of the decade.
Live, the song evolved into something even bigger than a hit. It became a collective act of catharsis for everyone who supported them through that dark time.
Audiences weren't simply singing along; they were participating in a statement about artistic freedom, public criticism, and refusing to be silenced.
It's no coincidence that this year's 20th anniversary tour is centered around this album, which the band themselves describe as a defining and fearless statement.
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2020 - Their Return Proved They Were Still Willing to Push Forward
After a lengthy hiatus, The Chicks returned with Gaslighter in 2020, a record that demonstrated they had little interest in becoming a nostalgia act.
Subsequent live performances showed a band willing to revisit its history while still engaging with contemporary issues. That balance — honoring legacy without becoming trapped by it — helped introduce the group to a new generation of listeners who were too young to remember the original controversy.
In this post-survival era, the band is unafraid to speak their minds and their hearts, and tours have since turned into an almost therapeutic experience for a fan base that needs this level of honesty from artists more than ever.
The upcoming Taking the Long Way anniversary tour is notable because it isn't just a victory lap, but rather a celebration of the long journey the band has forged thus far.
For two decades, The Chicks have occupied a unique place in American music. They were country superstars, cultural flashpoints, political lightning rods, Grammy winners, and eventually symbols of artistic resilience.
Many artists are remembered for what happened in the studio. The Chicks are remembered for what happened when they stepped onto a stage and spoke honestly.
The Chicks 2026 Tour Dates
JUN 12 — Highland, CA @ Yaamava’ Theater
JUN 13 — Lincoln, CA @ Thunder Valley Casino Resort
JUN 20 — Missoula, MT @ Zootown Music Festival 2026
JUN 26-27 — Halifax, NS @ Halifax Music Fest 2026
JUL 11 — Hershey, PA @ Hersheypark Stadium
JUL 18 — St. John's, NL @ Churchill Park Music Festival
JUL 30 — Boston, MA @ Fenway Park
JUL 31 — Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City
AUG 08 — Oro Station, ON @ Boots and Hearts Music Festival 2026
AUG 22 — Springfield, IL @ Illinois State Fair 2026
AUG 23 — Minneapolis, MN @ Target Field
SEP 30 — Detroit, MI @ Fox Theatre Detroit
OCT 03 — Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre
OCT 04 — Chicago, IL @ Auditorium Theatre
OCT 06 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem
OCT 10 — New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
OCT 12 — New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
OCT 13 — New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
OCT 15 — Nashville, TN @ The Truth
OCT 17 — San Antonio, TX @ Majestic Theatre
OCT 18 — San Antonio, TX @ Majestic Theatre
OCT 20 — Austin, TX @ Bass Concert Hall
OCT 25 — Seattle, WA @ Benaroya Hall
OCT 26 — Seattle, WA @ Benaroya Hall
OCT 29 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
OCT 30 — San Francisco, CA @ The Masonic
NOV 01 — Hollywood, CA @ Dolby Theatre
NOV 02 — Hollywood, CA @ Dolby Theatre
