'Dixie Chicks' Lack Ticket Sales, Despite #1 Album

The Dixie Chicks have a number one album on the Billboard Top 200, and has had their album, Taking the Long Way, at #1 for two weeks now. With that sort of resounding success, you would imagine their tour dates are sold out well in advance of their arrival. However, that is nowhere near the case.

Taking the Long Way debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, despite a lack of radio play. The Dixie Chicks lead singer, Natalie Maines, controversially announced that the Chicks were "ashamed" to share the same home state as President George W. Bush. Now, it seems that not everybody has forgiven her for that statement.

The Dixie Chicks' tour, Accidents and Accusations, has been suffering from low ticket sales. As Reuters reports, ticket sales for the Accidents and Accusations tour "are generally robust in Northeastern cities, [but] initial sales have fallen short of expectations in numerous markets, especially in the Midwest and South, forcing some dates to be scrubbed."

Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar Magazine was quoted by CNN as saying " Basically, they're having to rethink the entire tour at this point,. Clearly their problems seem to be strongest in the red states," referring to those states which voted for George W. Bush.

Ray Waddell, senior editor of Billboard Magazine was quoted by the Seattle Post-Intelligencier, saying " I don't think they've formally come out and canceled a single date, but I think that some sort of announcement will be coming next week." Waddell also said that " I think before it's said and done the entire tour will be, at the very least, reorganized."

It's not all bad news for the Dixie Chicks on their Accidents and Accusations tour. As Billboard.com reports, "A second date was added for the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, where the first show sold out in eight minutes. 'Canada loves the Chicks,' says ACC booking director Patti-Ann Tarlton."

On the Dixie Chicks' official website, there is a message from Natalie, Emily & Martie, stating that "Any reports being made about the cancellation of our upcoming Accidents And Accusations tour are completely false." The message goes on to say that " We will go where the fans are with great anticipation and no regrets."

The Dixie Chicks formed in 1989 in Dallas, Texas. The group achieved large-scale country and pop commercial success in the late 1990s, with hit songs such as Wide Open Spaces, Cowboy Take Me Away, and Long Time Gone. They became known for their lively group personae (including their fashion sense), instrumental virtuosity, and political views. Aside from their commercial success, the group's outspoken criticism of President George W. Bush in 2003 led to considerable controversy for the group and a loss of part of their core country audience. Their current lineup is made up of Emily Erwin, Martie Erwin, and Natalie Maines. In 2000, the Dixie Chicks won CMA Album of the Year for the album, Fly. In 2001, the Chicks went on to win the 2001 AMA for Favorite Band/Duo/Group, as well as the 2001 ACM Entertainer of the Year, Vocal Group of the Year, and Video of the Year (Goodbye Earl) awards. Continuing their success the following year, the Dixie Chicks won the 2002 CMA Vocal Group of the Year, 2002 AMA Favorite Country Band, Duo or Group, and Favorite Country Album (Home). 2003 saw the Dallas trio win Grammy Awards for Best Country Album (Home), Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Long Time Gone), Best Country Instrumental Performance (Lil' Jack Slade), and Best Recording Package (Home). After the statement about President George W. Bush, the Chicks went on to win their latest accolade in 2005, the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (Top Of The World).

[Additional Sources: Reuters, CNN, Seattle PI, Billboard, Dixiechicks.com]