The Chicks Opened Their 20th Anniversary Tour With the Album That Changed Everything

Twenty years later, The Chicks are still taking the long way around.

The trio officially launched their “Taking the Long Way” 20th Anniversary Tour on September 30 at Detroit’s historic Fox Theatre — and they began the night by performing the entire 2006 album from start to finish. The sold-out opening show then continued with a second set filled with fan favorites.

 

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The Detroit performance carried some extra significance. The original Taking the Long Way era followed one of the most controversial periods in the group’s career, after lead singer Natalie Maines made comments about then-President George W. Bush during a 2003 concert in London. The remarks sparked intense backlash, including protests, destroyed CDs and a dramatic reduction in country-radio airplay for the group.

Three years later, Taking the Long Way arrived as the group’s musical response to that turbulent period.

And the opening night made it clear that the album still holds a special place in their story.

They Played All 14 Songs

The first act of the Detroit show followed the album’s track order, beginning with “The Long Way Around” and continuing through songs including “Easy Silence,” “Not Ready to Make Nice,” “Lubbock or Leave It,” “Silent House,” and “I Hope.”

Then came the hits.

The second act included fan favorites such as “Goodbye Earl,” “Wide Open Spaces,” “Cowboy Take Me Away,” “Landslide,” “Gaslighter,” “Travelin’ Soldier,” and “Sin Wagon.”

For fans who remember the original album release, hearing those songs together again was also a reminder of just how unusual the Taking the Long Way era was.

The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and eventually earned the group five Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

 

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“Not Ready to Make Nice” Still Carries the History

Few songs from the album are as closely connected to that period as “Not Ready to Make Nice.”

The song addressed the backlash directly, becoming one of the defining tracks of the album and later winning major Grammy recognition.

Now, two decades after its release, The Chicks are performing the entire record again — not as a footnote to their history, but as the centerpiece of a major anniversary tour.

And there is something striking about the setting: a sold-out theater filled with people who came to hear an album that once became the center of a national cultural and music-industry controversy.

The tour continues across the United States, with upcoming stops including Chicago, New York, Nashville, San Antonio, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Twenty years later, the songs are still being played, the story is still being remembered, and “Taking the Long Way” is once again taking center stage