The Chicks Sing The National Anthem At The Democratic National Convention
on Aug 22, 2024
The 2024 Democratic National Convention is underway in Chicago, and the Grammy Award-winning all-girl trio, The Chicks, took the stage Thursday night to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
Thursday night (August 22) brings the conclusion to the 4-day Democratic National Convention held at the United Center in Chicago. Each night of the event has featured appearances from celebrities like John Legend, Jason Isbell, Stevie Wonder, and Mindy Kaling, to former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
Ahead of Thursday night’s festivities and the official nomination of this year’s Democratic Presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, The Chicks, formerly known as The Dixie Chicks, kicked off the event with the national anthem.
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Comprised of Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer, and Martie McGuire, The Chicks have long been vocal about their left-wing political stance, so their appearance at the DNC comes as no surprise. The trio were famously “canceled” by the country music industry in 2003 when lead singer Maines said that she was ashamed that then-President George W. Bush was from her home state during a concert in London.
“Just so you know, we’re on the good side with y’all,” Maines said just days before the invasion of Iraq. “We do not want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”
The backlash was immense as demand for their albums and concert tickets plummeted, essentially forcing them away from the genre. But, the group has no regrets.
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In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Maines said that the moment set them free.
“It got us out of this box of country music, which we never wanted to be in and never felt like that’s who we were,” Maines said. “We didn’t have to do any of that bulls— anymore. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, country music, please take us back.’”
The Chicks’ 2024 DNC appearance wasn’t their first. In 2020, the band performed during the virtual convention.
Although they no longer consider themselves part of the country music world, The Chicks still have a fan base connected to the genre. They were just one of the country-esque acts recruited to perform at this year’s Democratic convention.
On Monday, Mickey Guyton performed, followed by Maren Morris on Wednesday. Their appearance shows a clear political divide in the country music landscape as many representatives of the genre either performed or attended last month’s Republican National Convention.
Lee Greenwood, Jason Aldean, Kid Rock, Chris Janson, and Brian Kelley were among those in attendance at the RNC, where Donald Trump officially accepted the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
