The Chicks Revisit Iraq War Backlash and Reveal Apology

More than two decades after criticizing President George W. Bush ahead of the Iraq War, The Chicks are revisiting the controversy that nearly derailed their careers. This time, a Texas Senate candidate joined them onstage.

Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico joined Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer onstage during their sold-out Oct. 17 concert at San Antonio’s Majestic Theatre, part of the band’s 20th-anniversary tour celebrating their 2006 album Taking the Long Way.

According to the San Antonio Express-News, Talarico joined the group during “I Hope,” the final song of the concert’s first set.

“I’m proud the Chicks are from Texas,” Talarico told the audience, a deliberate reference to the remark that sparked one of country music’s biggest controversies.

He praised the band for speaking out despite the consequences, adding, “When you have a voice, you have a responsibility to use it.”

How the Iraq War Changed The Chicks’ Career

In March 2003, just days before the US invasion of Iraq, Maines told an audience in London that the group opposed the coming war and was ashamed that Bush was from Texas.

The comment sparked an enormous backlash back home, particularly among country music audiences who viewed her remarks as unpatriotic.

Country radio stations stopped playing the band’s music, former fans publicly destroyed their albums, and fellow entertainers threatened and condemned the musicians. The controversy also fueled a years-long feud between Maines and country star Toby Keith, whose patriotic hit “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” became an anthem for many Americans following 9/11.

The controversy became the subject of the 2006 documentary Shut Up and Sing, which chronicled the group’s experiences following Maines’ remarks.

Three years after the original incident, The Chicks released Taking the Long Way, an album that addressed the fallout directly.

Its best-known single, “Not Ready to Make Nice,” rejected demands that the band apologize. The song eventually won Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while the album received Album of the Year in 2007.

The Chicks Reveal an Unexpected Apology

During an Oct. 10 concert at New York’s Beacon Theatre, the trio shared another development from the controversy.

As People reported, Maguire revealed that a woman whose televised criticism of the group inspired part of “Not Ready to Make Nice” later contacted them.

The woman had appeared in footage encouraging her young child to insult the band, a moment included in Shut Up and Sing.

After watching the documentary, she reportedly sent the musicians a “very kind, apologetic letter,” according to Maguire.

The band also reflected on how a song written about their own experiences eventually connected with listeners facing entirely different struggles.

An Iraq War Controversy Returns to the Stage

Saturday’s San Antonio performance brought the controversy back into the political spotlight as Talarico campaigns against Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for the US Senate seat currently held by John Cornyn.

Maines also joked about how her opinion of Bush has changed with time.

“Today I’d give George Bush a big, wet kiss,” she told the audience, according to the Express-News.

The anniversary tour continues Oct. 20 in Austin before heading to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Twenty-three years after a remark about the Iraq War threatened their place in country music, The Chicks are performing the album that emerged from the controversy, with its history once again drawing political attention.