Maines's remark triggered a backlash in the United States. Many country fans saw her as traitorous for not supporting the president. The Dixie Chicks single "
Landslide", a
Fleetwood Mac cover, fell from number 10 to 43 on the
Billboard Hot 100 in one week and left the chart a week later.
WTDR-FM in
Talladega, Alabama, dropped the Dixie Chicks after more than 250 listeners called on a single day to criticize Maines's comments. In a poll by an
Atlanta radio station, 76 percent of listeners who participated responded they would return their Dixie Chicks CDs if they could. Protesters in
Bossier City, Louisiana, used a tractor to destroy Dixie Chicks CDs and other items. The Kansas City station
WDAF-AM placed trashcans outside its office for listeners to dispose of their CDs, and displayed hundreds of emails from listeners supporting the boycott. The statement failed to appease critics. Two days later, Maines issued an apology, saying: As a concerned American citizen, I apologize to President Bush because my remark was disrespectful. I feel that whoever holds that office should be treated with the utmost respect. We are currently in Europe and witnessing a huge anti-American sentiment as a result of the perceived rush to war. While war may remain a viable option, as a mother, I just want to see every possible alternative exhausted before children and American soldiers' lives are lost. I love my country. I am a proud American.That month, the former US vice president
Al Gore told a college audience: "[The Dixie Chicks] were made to feel un-American and risked economic retaliation because of what was said. Our democracy has taken a hit. Our best protection is free and open debate." The musician
Bruce Springsteen released a statement supporting the Dixie Chicks, describing them as "terrific American artists expressing American values by using their American right to free speech ... For them to be banished wholesale from radio stations, and even entire radio networks, for speaking out is un-American." The country musician
Merle Haggard, who released a song criticizing American media coverage of the Iraq War, wrote that the backlash was "like a verbal witch hunt and lynching". He said it was insulting to those who had died in wars "when almost the majority of America jumped down their throats for simply voicing an opinion". , Iraq, in 2007 On April 24, Bush responded to the controversy in an interview with the broadcaster
Tom Brokaw: On the same day, the Dixie Chicks launched a publicity campaign to respond to the criticism. In a prime-time interview with
Diane Sawyer on
ABC, Maines said she remained proud of her statement.
Media appearances (pictured in 2008) displayed a doctored photo of Maines and the Iraqi president
Saddam Hussein at his concerts. At their first show of the Dixie Chicks' American tour, on May 1 in
Greenville, South Carolina, Maines wore a T-shirt bearing the words "Dare to Be Free". An anti-Dixie Chicks concert was held in a neighbouring town. In Dallas, Maines had to be escorted by police to a concert and then the airport. She installed 24-hour security outside her home, and trash was dumped outside Strayer's home. All the band supported her, saying: "Natalie's comment came from frustration that we all sharedwe were apparently days away from war and still left with a lot of questions." A Dixie Chicks spokesperson said the letters stood for "Friends united in truth and kindness", but many took it to mean "Fuck you Toby Keith"; The performance drew further criticism from country music stations. In September, Maguire told the German magazine
Der Spiegel that the Dixie Chicks no longer felt part of the country music scene. She cited a lack of support from country stars and the experience at the Academy of Country Music Awards, and said: "Instead, we won three
Grammys against much stronger competition. So we now consider ourselves part of the big rock 'n' roll family." By 2004, the Dixie Chicks were still facing reduced ticket sales. That year, they joined acts including Springsteen and
Pearl Jam for the
Vote for Change tour, raising money for causes against Bush's reelection. == Legacy ==