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From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

John Soeder
Plain Dealer Pop Music Critic

The Dixie Chicks flew the coop last night.

The superstar country trio called off a sold-out concert at Gund Arena because lead singer Natalie Maines was ill with a throat ailment.

The show has been rescheduled for 7:30 p.m. June 11. Tickets for yesterday's show will be honored. Refunds are available at the point of purchase.

A capacity crowd of 19,000 fans was expected for last night's concert. Many waited more than an hour in long lines stretching around the arena until the postponement was announced at 7:15 p.m., 15 minutes before showtime.

The Dixie Chicks waited until a physician had seen Maines before it was decided they would not perform, said Richard Coble, the band's tour manager.

"The girls want to express their deepest apologies," Coble said.

More feathers were ruffled when fans learned parking lots and garages refused to issue refunds. Some concertgoers had paid as much as $20 to park.

"We're very unhappy," said Chris Mahovlic, 31, of Lyndhurst. He said he had been looking forward to the concert along with his girlfriend and her sister.

At first, fans were not sure why the show was called off.

"We heard all kinds of rumors," Mahovlic said. "A uniformed Cleveland police officer said there had been a bomb threat. Another policeman said one of the Dixie Chicks didn't show up."

The Dixie Chicks found themselves embroiled in controversy after a March 10 concert in London, when Maines said the group was "ashamed" President Bush was from the band's home state of Texas. The group's album sales plunged and some radio stations dropped the Dixie Chicks from their playlists.

"This is just another strike against them," Mahovlic said.