There are some bands you go see because you love a handful of songs. And then there are bands whose music has somehow woven itself through entire chapters of your life.
The Chicks fall firmly into the second category.
Taking the stage at the Illinois State Fair, Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer proved that after decades of hits, controversy, reinvention, and refusing to play by anyone else’s rules, they’re still one of the most unmistakable acts in music.
Their catalog is the kind that has grown up alongside its fans. These are songs we’ve screamed in our cars, cried to, fallen in love to, and probably used to survive at least one questionable life decision. Hearing thousands of people sing those words together decades later made it clear just how deeply this music has become attached to people’s lives.
But this show was so much more than nostalgia.
Natalie’s voice is every bit as powerful as she is. There was no leaning on the crowd to carry the big moments or hiding behind decades of studio production. If anything, The Chicks sounded better live than they do on their albums. These women are polished in a way that only comes from decades of knowing exactly who they are and what they want to say.
Martie and Emily remain absolute forces, moving effortlessly between instruments while those unmistakable harmonies somehow sounded even richer in person. Adding another layer to the night was Natalie’s son, Slade Pasdar, playing guitar alongside the band—a pretty incredible full-circle detail in a career that has already spanned generations.
And then there was the setlist.
Except calling it a “setlist” almost feels inadequate.
It was a statement: WE HEAR YOU.
The songs chosen, the way they were presented, and the moments surrounding them carried a message. The Chicks have never been known for keeping their mouths shut when something matters to them, and more than two decades after discovering what can happen when women in country music dare to speak their minds, they certainly aren’t starting now. The songs may span decades, but the conviction behind them hasn’t aged a day.
There was another unexpected star of the night: the Illinois State Fair itself.
I’ve been to a lot of concerts in a lot of venues, and the sound at the Grandstand was absolutely stellar—genuinely better than many dedicated concert venues I’ve heard recently. Everything was crisp, balanced, and powerful without becoming muddy or overwhelming.
Getting in was smooth. Getting out was even smoother. Anyone who regularly attends large concerts knows leaving can become its own miserable encore of brake lights and parking lots. Instead, the Illinois State Fair operated like a well-oiled machine. We were back in our car and on the road so quickly and easily that I was genuinely blown away.
Before The Chicks took the stage, Austin, Texas artist Calder Allen opened the evening—and that’s a name worth remembering.
Allen and his band delivered a seriously solid performance from a group of musicians whose music simply hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves yet. There was nothing about their performance that felt like filler while everyone waited for the headliner. They earned that stage.
Calder Allen is 100% a name I expect a lot more people to know, and I’m excited to watch where his career goes from here. Sometimes you catch an opener and immediately get the feeling you’re watching the beginning of something.
This felt like one of those times.
Then came The Chicks.
Natalie remains powerful, funny, and unapologetic. Martie and Emily’s musicianship remains extraordinary. Together, those three voices still create something nobody else has ever quite replicated.
And there’s something particularly satisfying about watching three women who were once very publicly told their careers were essentially over stand on a massive stage more than two decades later while thousands of people sing every damn word back to them.
Turns out they weren’t going anywhere.
“Goodbye Earl” remains one of the greatest crowd sing-alongs ever created. There is something objectively hilarious about thousands of people cheerfully singing about Earl meeting his demise like it’s the happiest song ever written.
“Travelin’ Soldier” can still quiet a crowd almost instantly, while “Not Ready to Make Nice” carries an incredible amount of weight all these years later. What began as a response to one of the most turbulent periods of their career has grown into something much bigger—a declaration about refusing to apologize simply because someone else would be more comfortable if you did.
Nostalgia alone doesn’t sustain a career like this. The musicianship has to be there. The voices have to hold up. The songs have to mean something long after the moment that created them has passed.
The Chicks still have all three.
They’ve been loved, hated, boycotted, defended, renamed, and rediscovered—and came out the other side more polished, more confident, and still unmistakably themselves.
At the Illinois State Fair, they didn’t need to prove anything.
They simply walked onstage, sounded better than ever, and reminded everyone exactly why we’re still listening.
The Chicks weren’t just revisiting their history. They may march to the beat of their own drum, but they sure as hell ain’t no army of one.
Melissa O’Rourke aka WickedWitchofSTL is a jack of all trades. By day she’s an established tattooist and piercer, by night a mother to her amazing son (who is a hell of a guitarist). Melissa has a musical background and can often be found at a local karaoke joint, or a concert when she’s not driving across the country for an adventure. This social butterfly always welcomes conversation so come say hi! See y’all at the next gig!
