Dixie Chicks mostly muffle political ire in Glendale show

Now that might seem odd, if you haven't paid any attention to the controversial country-music trio in the past three years.

But for the 8,000 die-hard fans at the former Glendale Arena, playing the iconic presidential theme was a little inside joke.

It was the only overt rub of President Bush, the Republicans and all those folks who jumped on the anti-Dixie Chicks bandwagon after "the incident" in 2003. Sure, lead singer Natalie Maines had a wink-wink to her tone, a hint of an "I told you so" on the tip of her tongue and that gotcha grin of someone who was just itching to rub it in.

She didn't.

She and Chicks mates Martie Maguire (fiddle, mandolin) and Emily Robison (banjo, dobro, guitar) came to sing. And on a fairly unimpressive stage setup — no glamorous effects, giant curtains, runways and ramps like their last Arizona concert in 2003 — they sang for nearly two hours.

For much of that time the audience was on its feet as the trio sang with the same passion, energy and determination they had in their first Arizona concert, back in 1999 with George Strait.

Some of us have watched them since then and marveled at their devotion to country's traditions, which they blend nicely with contemporary messages.

On Sunday, that country twang was muted somewhat in the California country-rock vibe that dominates their newest record, "Taking the Long Way." Maguire played her fiddle with the swagger of a rock violinist on "Lubbock or Leave It." Her little sister Robison wailed away on her banjo like she was playing lead guitar on the biting "Truth No. 2."

But just when you resigned yourself that the girls had made good on their promise to leave country music for the more politically tolerant pop music, the Chicks shot back with a song that reminded you of pre-"the incident."

The audience sang along so loudly to the Chicks' signature hit "Goodbye Earl" that their voices echoed throughout the half-filled arena. It sounded like a chorus in surround sound.

The rollicking, sexually charged "Sin Wagon" has lost some of its punch since the Chicks' introduced it in 1999, but it was a hoot watching Maines sing it. She brought a similar don't-give-a-darn attitude to the rockers "Longtime Gone" and "Some Days You Gotta Dance."

Then she dedicated the boot-kicking "White Trash Wedding" to soon-to-be-Britney-Spears'-ex Kevin Federline, which made the audience howl. The song is about a groom who can't afford a wedding ring and a bride who can't really wear white, and that just seemed to fit what we know of the struggling rapper.

The trio's delicious harmonies were crystalline on an acoustic cover of Stevie Nicks' "Landslide," and there was a certain renewed passion about the ballad "Top of the World."

Then Maines closed her eyes and rocked the arena with the graceful "Lullaby." At her request, hundreds in the audience waved cell phones, and their blue and white lights twinkled like stars in the dark arena.

The biggest cheers came midway through the Chicks' angry declaration "Not Ready to Make Nice" when Maines blurted out, "It's a sad sad story when a mother will teach her / Daughter that she ought to hate a perfect stranger / And how in the world can the words that I said / Send somebody so over the edge / That they'd write me a letter / Sayin' that I better shut up and sing / Or my life will be over."

She let the sting of the words sink in as Maguire joined a second violinist and a cellist to play the lush string finale.

As those final notes hung in the air, you realized that in their silence, the Dixie Chicks spoke volumes.

● The Dixie Chicks in concert at Jobing.com Arena (formerly Glendale Arena) Sunday.