The Chicks — formerly known as The Dixie Chicks — sang “The Star-Spangled Banner."
The Chicks were once one of the biggest names in country music
as the band’s breakthrough albums — 1998’s Wide Open Spaces and 1999’s Fly
each achieved the Recording Industry Association of America’s coveted diamond status,
signifying sales of more than 10 million copies each.
Then, in 2003, during the run-up to the U.S. war with Iraq,
singer Natalie Maines told a crowd in London that the band opposed both the war and then-President George W. Bush.
We do not want this war, this violence,” Maines said at a Chicks concert, adding, “
and we’re ashamed that the president of the United States is from Texas.”
The moment sparked backlash against The Chicks in the U.S.,
spearheaded by many of the country radio stations whose playlists the group had once dominated.