The Chicks Turn Nationwide Summer Tour Into A Family Affair

After nearly a five-year touring hiatus, The Chicks are back in action and are gearing up for their 31-date summertime trek. Lead singer Natalie Maines and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer recently revealed how their 2022 tour will be different and why they are making a comeback with a socially conscious mindset.

During an exclusive interview with People, the country trio confirmed that their nationwide journey has already become a family affair. Maines’ 21-year-old son Slade will tackle the drums and Maguire’s daughter Eva will join as a string player.

Maines’ told the publication that her son is taking the opportunity seriously and has been tirelessly practicing for the big break.

“He’s very practiced, very well-rehearsed, better than any of the rest of us when we showed up,” the singer-songwriter shared. “He’s got his first real job. Thank God,” she added with a laugh.

As the aspiring musician gears up to hit the road, Maguire pointed out that her niece will be joining the team as an intern to learn the ins and outs of the industry.

“We’ve got a niece that’s going to be interning,” she explained. “She’s a music major at UCLA,” she added while clarifying that the young adults will only be making an appearance on specific dates.

The female trio continued to mention why they decided to extend the invitation to their family, and how the upcoming performances would offer Maines a feeling of nostalgia. She pointed out that the “sentimental” sensation comes along with sharing a stage with a loved one. Since The Chicks debuted in 1997 – the vocalist performed with her critically acclaimed father Lloyd, who played the pedal steel.

“I used to get that feeling when I would look back and see my dad playing with us, especially when we were on stage with James Taylor,” she said. “I could barely get through a song without crying, it was so sentimental.”

To go along with the mother-son moment, the trio dished on their set list and what ticket-holders could expect. Since the platinum-selling band could not tour in 2020, they plan on sharing material from their relatively-new collection, “Gaslighter.”

The 12-song collection serves as the first tracklist since their 2006’s Grammy-award-winning project, “Taking the Long Way.”

“We’ll rotate different songs [from Gaslighter], but if you come to more than one show, you’ll maybe get to see that whole album performed,” Maines declared to the outlet. “That’s for the fans, but it’s also for us because we work so long and hard on the record, a lot of the payoff is getting to play them live.”

The beloved group hopes to get the audience involved with an interactive dice game. The six-sided die will include names of old-school classics and some surprises.

“We’re going to play a fun game where we have six songs that coordinate with dice, and we’ll roll the dice on stage and play whatever song,” Maines uttered. “One song that was our first No. 1 that we haven’t played in over 20 years because I don’t care for it is ’There’s Your Trouble,’ and [it’s] in the six songs, so we will be playing ’There’s Your Trouble’ for the first time in over 20 years,” she added

The thought-out tour will be the first time they are hitting the road as “The Chicks.” The group dropped “Dixie” from their name in 2020. The group has become outspoken figures within the genre since they publicly criticized President George W. Bush.

Since then, the world-renowned band has utilized its large platform to push for positive social change. For instance, they joined forces with Planned Parenthood and Proclaim Justice on their DCX MMXVI World tour. Now, the “Wide Open Spaces” singers are collaborating with REVERB to raise awareness for environmental problems and encourage sustainability.

“It’s a natural extension of who we are and what we care about,” Strayer told People. “and so it seems to make sense at our show with our fans that they would want to see that aspect of us.”