Dixie Chicks unaffected

Billboard.com ^ | 4/21/03 | Ray Waddell

[Childseyes]

Chicks Tixs Going Quick Despite Bush Controversy

Despite some backlash at radio and retail for negative comments about President Bush, the Dixie Chicks are flying high in preparation for their upcoming arena tour, according to Rob Light, the act's agent. He says that of 59 shows, only six have seats left, and those are all 85%-90% sold out and expected to go clean.

"To be brutally honest, there has been no effect, other than the odd phone call to a building inquiring about a refund. There's a lot more noise than action," says Light, head of the music division at Creative Artists Agency. "Actually, the buildings are getting more [callers] asking, if there are refunds, can they buy the tickets." Light says there are no refunds.

The tour, sponsored by Lipton, kicks off May 1 at the Bi-Lo Center in Greenville, S.C., and concludes Aug. 4 at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville. Joan Osborne supports on the first leg; Michelle Branch on the second.

The Chicks' March 1 national on-sale moved 867,000 tickets worth $49 million at the box office during one weekend.

-- Ray Waddell, Nashville

[pnz1]

I am not necessarily boycotting them, I just don't care for them. I thought it was tacky when Natalie trashed Toby Keith's song. Regarding the comments on GWB-don't apologize, unapologize, then say you're proud of the original comment, etc. At least take a stand if you're going to make comments that way.

[TontoKowalski]

I am not necessarily boycotting them, I just don't care for them.

Bingo. I hate it had to come to this, but maybe this will finally drive the stake through the heart of these faux/nouveau Country Music singers.

If the DixieChicks were rock solid Republicans, it wouldn't matter a whit. The music is crap.

[Millionaire]

Their latest has been #1 two weeks in a row.

Boycotts seldom work, as much as I'd like this one to.

http://www.billboard.com/bb/charts/country.jsp

[Millionaire]

Did you read the article?

"...of 59 shows, only six have seats left, and those are all 85%-90% sold out and expected to go clean"

Like I said, I wish boycotts worked, this one in particular, but generally they don't.

[TommyDale]

You misread the Billboard chart. Their album is #1 THIS WEEK, bumping back up from #2 LAST WEEK. This bump can easily be attributed to Club promotions, trying to clear out the excessive inventory.

On the other hand, the local newspaper here (Raleigh, NC) posts charts based on local sales and airplay. The Dixie Chicks do not appear anywhere.

This boycott IS WORKING. If it wasn't, why would the Dixie Chicks be in full "PR spin" mode, doing interviews with ABC's Diane Sawyer, their manager giving a "they are not affected" story to Billboard, etc.? They are damaged, and I hope permanently.

[Millionaire]

My bad on the two weeks in a row. But that's still a release going from #2 to #1 this week. It *could* be the result of anything, but it's #1.

It could be true there is some effect in more conservative parts of the country, like in your local paper. (props to Raleigh!)

But they still have the number 1 release and their tour is well on the way to being sold out.

Not to misunderstand...I wish they wouldn't sell a ticket.

[putupon]

"...of 59 shows, only six have seats left, and those are all 85%-90% sold out and expected to go clean"

"I believe that the tickets were sold before the stupid comments were made."
per Eva's post #2

Keep hope alive! If only 10% of the ticket holders have had a change of heart about the Dumpy Chunks since the the pre-We Hate Bush announcement, 30% borderline, and the 10% start BOOing, a mob mentality could take over very easily.

It will happen, especially if the concert goers are primed by FReepers on the way in.

[cuz_it_aint_their_money]

If you do a search on EBay you get the following:

Martina McBride tickets - 0 auctions
Montgomery Gentry tickets - 0 auctions
Toby Keith tickets - 2 auctions
Brooks & Dunn tickets (just went on sale) - 187 auctions
Dixie Chicks tickets - 814 auctions

Conclusion, No DixChixTiks refunds = many trying to dump their tickets on EBay!

[TommyDale]

True, it's #1 according to Billboard, but that only reports sales. If Wal-Mart, Goody's and BestBuy are dumping CD's for $3.99, and the CD Club is "selling" them for 49 cents, it doesn't add up to big money, only numbers of "sales". The airplay by radio stations is down the toilet.

As for the ticket sales, there will be empty seats. The evidence shows that most tickets were already sold prior to the controversy, and they lead in auction listings on E-bay. Since they refuse to give refunds, it will be interesting to see how the audiences treat the Blixie Chicks.

The fact is, they have been severely damaged with the bad publicity. No amount of spin will correct that damage.

[Millionaire]

Tommy, your post gives me hope! Maybe it's having some effect. The ebay auction post above was also interesting.

[Cincinatus]

Good. So they have no problems then. Can they stop whining about it now?

[luvtheconstitution]

You're exactly right. My sister bought 8 of them about a week before their infamous comments. Believe me, if refunds were available they would have had her eight tickets back. Since we can't get ourr money back, I plan to bring a large "I love George W" sign to the concert.

[Eva]

I think that you better just all plan on wearing t-shirts with the message on them. The sign will probably get confiscated.

[soccermom]

Exactly! What a buncha BS. The tickets were sold out before the comments were made -- and they aren't offering refunds.

[wardaddy]

They were.

[jejones]

I hate to prattle on, but long before this embroglio ever happened I was turned off by an asinine statement made by Maines. In conjunction with the release of Landslide she was quoted saying that the Chicks had done more than put their unique stamp on the song, they had (in so many words)improved it. Now, I'm no big fan of Buckingham and Nicks, but geez, they are real, unique talents and the song is beautiful and Stevie's performance is first rate.

Agreed. Before I knew it was the Vichy Chicks who did the "Landslide" cover, I heard it in stores and such--and thought to myself "Who on earth is doing that utterly unnecessary mediocre cover of 'Landslide'?" It's up there with the version of "Sentimental Lady" from Bob Welch's French Kiss album on the list of recordings that shouldn't have been made.

[jejones]

As noted elsewhere in the thread, the tickets for the tour went on sale before Ms. Maines rammed her foot through her digestive system, and you can't get refunds. There are a bunch of DC tickets on sale on eBay, though I must admit that I haven't taken a look to see whether the number being auctioned off is particularly large compared with other performers on tour.

[RayChuang88]

Dixie Chicks May 1, 2003 Thursday Bi-Lo Center Greenville, South Carolina

This first show will be the barometer on the general public reaction in the USA for the first time to the Dixie Chicks. It could get EXTREMELY ugly fast because South Carolina is home to a major US Navy base at Charleston and nearby North Carolina has a large number of US military bases, and you know the audience of the first show may include a good number of members of military family members or civilian workers that support these military bases in North and South Carolina.

[irish_links]

"...Agreed. Before I knew it was the Vichy Chicks who did the "Landslide" cover, I heard it in stores and such--and thought to myself "Who on earth is doing that utterly unnecessary mediocre cover of 'Landslide'?" It's up there with the version of "Sentimental Lady" from Bob Welch's French Kiss album on the list of recordings that shouldn't have been made...."

Like many of her generation of performers, Maines is a marginal, derivative talent who is a legend in her own mind. Her 15 minutes of fame cannot end too soon.

Vocal chops and phrasing aside, any female rock performer as short and fat as Maines who would deign to compare herself to Nicks, who at 50 and after about 20 years of ridiculous drug use is prettier rolling out of bed in the morning than 10 Hollywood make-up wizards working half the day could render Maines, should be relegated to the nearest cut-out bin ASAP on general principles alone.

[irish_links]

"...I believe that Natalie Maines is too empty-headed to have conceived the public Bush slam; this smacks of a deliberate, calculated strategy hatched by someone who is probably looking for a job now (likely your so-called crossover engineer). Talk about your unintended consequneces. There is going to be a really interesting book that comes out of this...."

I agree that the Bush slur was no planned event. Maines just did it to get a rise out of the crowd, sort of like saying, "Hello London, you're the greatest fans in the world. Party!!!

But there is no question that the DCs, their management and their record company are trying in a calculated way to crossover from the country music plantation into the wider pop market to reach a new audience. Nothing new in this, dozens of other acts have tried and succeeded at the same game. Two recent examples were Faith Hill and "Shania" Twain: two derivative talents who make up for a lack of originality with strong voices and easy-on-the-eyes good looks. Does any of that sound familiar Natalie?

Maines's comment was just an extemporaneous extension of that strategy. Her downfall was good old Marshall McLuhan's Global Village. A whisper in London can become a scream in the American Heartlands very quickly in a world connected by the internet.