Dixie Chicks Step Up To Headliner Status

The Dixie Chicks have announced the details of a long-planned, 70-city North American arena tour that will keep the band on the road from June through October. According to their publicist, the Dixie Chicks have played over 250 dates on major tours, but the band hasn't previously been a tour headliner.

"We wanted to continue to build our fan base by performing in front of three diverse audiences like the Tim McGraw, George Strait and Lilith Fair tours," the band's Natalie Maines said in a statement.

Tickets for the tour's stops in Spokane, Wash., Anaheim, Calif., San Diego, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Nampa, Idaho are scheduled to go on sale April 22, with other on-sales to follow.

The music industry will be closely watching the Dixie Chicks' tour. Live country music's fortunes at the box office have been on the wane in recent years--according to Amusement Business, gross country-concert dollars were down 16% in 1999 from 1998--and the Dixie Chicks are the only new country act likely to attempt the jump to arena headliner status in 2000.

In hopes of increasing the tour's chances for success, a high-profile advertising campaign is planned. The light-hearted television commercials and print ads will play on the band's "rookie" status as tour headliners. For instance, in one television spot, the band is seen practicing banjo-smashing, trashing hotel rooms and mistaking a bidet in a fancy hotel bathroom for a water fountain.

The Dixie Chicks hired set designer Luc Lafortune (Cirque de Soleil) to work on the production, but the band is keeping mum about its specifics. The band does advise concert-goers to be in their seats 30 minutes before the show starts for "surprises," including the opportunity to win seat upgrades.

Opening acts will vary by city, but country-rocker Patty Griffin will appear on shows scheduled for June 1-25, July 20-Aug. 13, Sept. 7-10 and Sept. 28-Oct. 10. Bluegrass star Ricky Skaggs will appear June 29-July 16, September 14-17 and Oct. 22. Willie Nelson will appear Oct. 12-14 and Oct. 27-29. Other openers are to be announced.

"We want to expose our fans to different kinds of music and we wanted our tour to represent us and what we like," Maines said. "The live element is so important to us and our support acts are all ones we would want to be entertained by each night."

One dollar from the sale of each ticket will be donated to the World Wildlife Fund, an organization that works to protect endangered species and habitats.

The band has also lined up at least two sponsorship deals. Title sponsor MusicCountry.com will feature behind-the-scenes looks at the traveling production and other features on its website. Media sponsor Country Music Television will run a national sweepstakes for a chance to meet the Dixie Chicks at a concert and will send a 53-foot promotional vehicle to each tour stop.