Top of the World Tour
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Top of the World Tour | ||
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Front of tour T-shirt | ||
Tour by Dixie Chicks | ||
Start date | March 10, 2003 | |
End date | October 12, 2003 | |
Legs | 3 | |
Shows | 70 | |
Dixie Chicks tour chronology | ||
Fly Tour (2000) |
Top of the World Tour (2003) |
Vote for Change (2004) |
The Top of the World Tour was the Dixie Chicks' 2003 worldwide concert tour. It was in support of their album Home, and named after the closing song on that album.
Contents |
[edit] History
The tour began in March with three concerts in Europe and Australia aimed at promotion; it was during the first of these that Natalie Maines made her infamous remarks in criticism of President George W. Bush. The first leg then took place in North America, running from the beginning of May to mid-August. (The Bush controversy, as well as another comment against a Toby Keith song, resulted in the state of North Carolina not wanting to let the Chicks in. Natalie Maines stated, " These fans paid their hard earned money to see us play, and we will give them the show they paid to see!" The concert went through.) The second leg took place in Western Europe in September, followed by a brief third leg in Australia that finished in early October. A couple of concerts back in the United States finished the tour.
This tour grossed $60.5 million dollars, making it the highest grossing country music tour of all time (since superseded by several artists). It was also the 8th highest-grossing tour of any genre in 2003.
The live album Top of the World Tour: Live and DVD Top of the World Tour: Live document the tour, with both being composites from multiple shows. Dressing room and on-stage scenes from the tour were included in the 2006 documentary Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing.
[edit] The show
The multi-tiered in-the-round stage was a feat of engineering complete with shifting hydraulic-lift levels, winding catwalks and walkways that extended over the heads of the audience. It weighed over 80,000 pounds and took up most of the arena floor. A crew of 120 traveled in thirteen busses and seventeen trucks. This tour also boasted the largest touring video show complete with 1.5 million LED lights that displayed graphics on video screens and on the floor of the stage. During the show, artificial flowers, grass, trees and even a windmill sprung up from underneath the stage. It took over 2000 amps of power and 240 pounds of CO2 gas to run the special effects for each show.
Pre-show recorded warm-up music was obviously oriented towards the band's political situation, including selections such as "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?", "Band on the Run", "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)", and "Born in the U.S.A.".
During the show the three Chicks were used headset microphones to remain untethered, and were frequently well apart from each other. Nevertheless stage patter was fairly frequent, with a notable case of Martie Maguire confessing that her rather unusual clothing assemblage made her look like "Crack whore Barbie".
A new addition to the group's repertoire was a long, churning rendition of Bob Dylan's travelphobic "Mississippi".
[edit] Backing band
There may have been minor changes to this lineup depending on the venue.
- Roscoe Beck - bass
- John Deaderick - keyboards
- John Gardner - drums
- David Grissom - acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- John Mock - pennywhistle, concertina, percussion, guitar and more.
- Brent Truitt - mandolin
- Robbie Turner - steel guitar
- Keith Sewell - acoustic guitar
[edit] Tour Schedule
[edit] Set List
In order played. There may have been minor changes to this order depending on the venue and the opening act.
[edit] US and Canadian Legs
- Goodbye Earl
- Some Days You Gotta Dance
- There's Your Trouble
- Long Time Gone
- Tortured, Tangled Hearts
- Travelin' Soldier
- Am I The Only One (Who's Ever Felt This Way)
- Hello Mr. Heartache
- Cold Day In July
- White Trash Wedding
- Lil' Jack Slade
- A Home
- Truth No. 2
- If I Fall You're Going Down With Me
- Mississippi
- Cowboy Take Me Away
- Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)
- Landslide
- Ready To Run
- Wide Open Spaces
Encore:
- Top Of The World
- Sin Wagon
[edit] European and Australian Legs
- Goodbye Earl
- Some Days You Gotta Dance
- There's Your Trouble
- Tortured, Tangled Hearts
- Travelin' Soldier
- Am I The Only One (Who's Ever Felt This Way)
- Hello Mr. Heartache
- White Trash Wedding
- Little Jack Slade
- More Love
- Truth No. 2
- If I Fall You're Going Down With Me
- Mississippi
- Cowboy Take Me Away
- Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)
- Landslide
- Ready To Run
- Wide Open Spaces
- Give It Up Or Let Me Go
Encore:
- Top Of The World
- Sin Wagon
[edit] Opening Acts
Each artist accompanied the Dixie Chicks on a different leg of the tour.
- Joan Osborne - First half of US leg - May 1, 2003 to June 16, 2003
- Michelle Branch - Second half of US leg - June 19, 2003 to August 4, 2003
- Jann Arden - Canadian leg - August 6, 2003 to August 13, 2003
- The Thorns - European and Australian leg - September 6, 2003 to October 5, 2003
[edit] References
Dixie Chicks |
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Natalie Maines | Emily Robison | Martie Maguire |
Laura Lynch | Robin Lynn Macy |
Discography |
Studio albums: Thank Heavens for Dale Evans | Little Ol' Cowgirl | Shouldn't a Told You That | Wide Open Spaces | Fly | Home | Taking the Long Way |
Live videos: An Evening with the Dixie Chicks | Top of the World Tour: Live |
Documentary: Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing |
Tours: Fly Tour | Top of the World Tour | Vote for Change | Accidents & Accusations Tour |