The Chicks Tour / 2023 World Tour was the sixth headlining concert tour from American country music trio The Chicks and the first since their name change in June 2020. It began on June 14, 2022, in Maryland Heights, Missouri and initially concluded in Austin, Texas. Following this, the group played their first ever Las Vegas residency, The Chicks: Six Nights in Vegas in May 2023, at the Zappos Theater. The 2023 portion of the tour began on June 20, 2023, in Oslo, Norway and finished on October 30, 2023, in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Background
The first leg of the tour was announced on February 28, 2022.[1] In February 2023, The Chicks announced the second leg of the tour, rebranded as The Chicks World Tour 2023.[2] Australian and New Zealand dates were announced on April 30, 2023.[3][4]
Show synopsis
The show begins with music from female bands playing across the venue, then The Chicks emerge from the back of the stage. They start off with their 1999 single, "Sin Wagon". The graphics on the video boards are used throughout the show. They depict from featuring the five Supreme Court judges who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, protests, marches, etc. They play mostly their past hits along with a few from their 2020 album Gaslighter. The show ends with "Goodbye Earl".[5]
Sorena Dadgar of CLTure attended the Raleigh show and said, "The Chicks's return to the limelight felt seamless; songs from the group's latest album drew just as much of a response as their most popular albums Fly and Wide Open Spaces from the late '90s."[5]SFGATE's Gabe Lehman who attend the Mountain View show praised lead singer Natalie Maines' (who had been a brief vocal rest) vocals. He said, "Maines is like a veteran pitcher who can no longer throw 100 mph for an entire game but still can bring the heat for a high-leverage strikeout."[6]The Guardian's Betsy Reed gave the Cardiff show four out of five stars. Reed wrote, "Maines sells each kiss-off with glee, throwing up middle fingers and threatening to stomp a hole in the stage, while Julianna Calm Down is a marvel of melody and lyrical sleight of hand carried off with cut-glass interplay."[7] Writing for The Mancunion, Jay Darcy who went to Manchester show said, "The Chicks are all middle-aged mothers now but they have not lost their edge; they're three of the coolest moms out there. They're multi-instrumentalist masters of country, with gorgeous voices and pretty faces to match."[8]
For the shows in Tinley Park, Holmdel and Camden "Travelin' Soldier" was performed in place of "Truth #2"
For the first show in Toronto and the shows in Syracuse, Hartford, Wantagh, Charlotte, the second show in Morrison and Boise, "Ready to Run" was performed in place of "Truth #2"
For the shows in Cleveland, Bristow, the first show in Los Angeles and the first show in Denver "Give It Up or Let Me Go" was performed in place of "Truth #2"
For the shows in Chula Vista and George, "There's Your Trouble" was performed in place of "Truth #2".[11]
In Mountain View, "Mississippi" was performed in place of "Truth #2"
Beginning with the show in Hartford, "Set Me Free" was sometimes performed in place of "Young Man"
Hope It's Something Good was not performed in Raleigh. [5]
Beginning with the show in Bristow, "Travelin' Soldier" was added to the setlist in-between "Not Ready to Make Nice" and "Goodbye Earl" but it was dropped beginning with the show in Chula Vista. It was re-added to the setlist at the first show in Los Angeles. It was not performed in Mountain View, West Valley City, Boise or Bend.
Beginning with the show in Rogers, "Truth #2" replaced "Don't Let Me Die in Florida" and "Travelin' Soldier" was added in-between "Sleep at Night" and "Wide Open Spaces".
Starting with the European leg of the tour, the show now opens with "Gaslighter" followed by "Sin Wagon"
The Chicks had to postpone three shows when lead singer Natalie Maines was placed on vocal rest by doctors following her stopping their show in Noblesville after half an hour. Five of their 2023 shows were postponed or canceled due to illness in the band.[13][14]
The June 22, 2022, show in Clarkston was rescheduled to September 28.
The June 19, 2022, show in Noblesville was rescheduled to September 30.
The June 21, 2022, show in Cincinnati was rescheduled to October 2.
The July 27, 2023, show in Nashville was rescheduled to September 23.
The July 29, 2023, show in Knoxville was rescheduled to September 21.
The July 30, 2023, show in Greensboro was rescheduled to August 8.
The August 2, 2023, show in Columbia, was rescheduled to September 20.
