Chicks criticized for ‘lewd’ performance of the Star-Spangled Banner at DNC
Country music band “The Chicks” faced criticism for their “terrible” rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner during the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention.
Bandmates Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer took the stage at Chicago’s United Center on Thursday for an acapella version of the national anthem.
The musicians began their three-part performance in similar tones, then the three singers began performing in different tones, after which some audience members objected to their singing.
An x user commented, “Correction, the girls ripped off the national anthem, that was awful.”
“It was just awful – I mean an absolutely awful presentation,” said another.
“The greatest performance came from The Chicks, who disgracefully messed up the national anthem”
“It was a horrible rendition of the national anthem by ‘The Chicks.'”
“Was this the biggest surprise of the night? The Dixie Chicks are over? LOL,” another X user wrote, referring to the rumor that Beyoncé would be coming to Chicago for a surprise performance.
“You’d think he’d have learned to stay out of politics,” another social media comment said.
The band, which has sold millions of records since forming in Dallas, Texas, in 1989, faced heavy criticism for making comments critical of then-President George W. Bush and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
On 10 March 2003 Maines, performing in London, told the audience he was “ashamed” of Bush
“Let me tell you, we’re all good with you,” Maines said a few days before the Iraq invasion. “We don’t want this war, this violence, and we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”
The band was known as “The Dixie Chicks” from their inception until 2020, when they changed their name to the current form, stating that they wanted to distance themselves from “Dixie”, a term associated with the pre-Civil War South and slavery.
Though social media users were less than impressed with Thursday night’s performance, the 13-time Grammy Award-winning band received a standing ovation as the stadium crowd chanted “USA, USA.”
