Iraq War criticism and aftermath On March 10, 2003, nine days before the invasion of Iraq, the Dixie Chicks performed at the
Shepherd's Bush Empire theater in London, England, UK. It was the first concert of their
Top of the World Tour in support of their sixth album,
Home. Introducing their song "
Travelin' Soldier", Maines told the audience the band did not support the upcoming
Allied invasion of Iraq and were "ashamed" that
President George W. Bush was from Texas. Many American country music listeners supported the war, and Maines's remark triggered a backlash in the United States. and the band members received death threats. Maines issued an apology, saying her remark had been disrespectful; in 2006 she rescinded the apology, saying she felt Bush deserved no respect." on December 4, 2006 At the first US concert after Maines's comment, she said from the stage, "They told me that you may not come, but I knew you'd come because we have the greatest fans in the whole wide world." Despite fan turnout at concerts, the Dixie Chicks began receiving death threats as circulation of the comment increased. Subsequently, security was heightened at all concert venues and metal detectors were installed where possible. A death threat directed at Maines was received prior to the Dixie Chicks' concert on July 6, 2003, in
Dallas, Texas. Maines described the threat as "scary because ... it wasn't just somebody wanting to write a hate letter. ... It was somebody who thought they had a plan." Security was heightened for the trip to and from the concert venue as well as at the arena. On May 21, 2006, while promoting the release of the album
Taking the Long Way, Maines recanted her 2003 apology to President Bush, saying, "I don't feel that way anymore. I don't feel he is owed any respect whatsoever. ... If people are going to ask me to apologize based on who I am ... I don't know what to do about that. I can't change who I am." Maines says she is not looking for more battles but that "The Incident," as it is referred to by the Dixie Chicks, reminded her of how she "felt in high school: to be angry, to be sure that you're right and that the things you do matter. You don't realize that you're not feeling those feelings until you do. And then you realize how much more interesting life is." In 2007, the Dixie Chicks won three Grammys for "
Not Ready to Make Nice" and two Grammys for
Taking the Long Way, receiving all five Grammys for which they were nominated. This was seen by some as vindication for the Dixie Chicks, who were shunned by country radio programmers after Maines's remarks about President Bush. As the Dixie Chicks accepted the album of the year award, Maines said, "I think people are using their freedom of speech with all these awards. We get the message."
Feud with Toby Keith Maines had a public feud with fellow country music superstar
Toby Keith over the 2002 chart-topping country hit "
Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue", as well as a comment Maines made about U.S. President George W. Bush during a March 2003 Dixie Chicks concert in London. Maines publicly criticized Keith's song "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue" by saying, "I hate it. It's ignorant, and it makes country music sound ignorant. It targets an entire culture—and not just the bad people who did bad things. You've got to have some tact. Anybody can write, 'We'll put a boot in your ass.'" Keith responded by belittling Maines's songwriting skills with, "I'll bury her. She has never written anything that has been a hit" and, "That's what I do—I write songs." After Maines commented at a March 2003 Dixie Chicks concert at the Shepherd's Bush Empire theatre in London that the Dixie Chicks didn't want the
Iraq War and were "ashamed" President Bush "was from Texas", Keith's 2003 "
Shock'n Y'all" tour began displaying a backdrop showing a doctored photo of Maines with Iraqi dictator
Saddam Hussein. Shortly thereafter, on May 21, 2003, Maines wore a T-shirt with the letters "F.U.T.K." written on the front while performing for the
Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast. Many in the country music industry saw it as a veiled insult directed at Keith. In the 2006 documentary
Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing, backstage footage prior to her appearance wearing the F.U.T.K. shirt recorded the conversation between Maines and Simon Renshaw and confirmed that the original intent of the shirt was in response to Keith's criticism of her: the letters stood for "Fuck You Toby Keith".
West Memphis Three lawsuit Maines and other members of The Dixie Chicks participated in a rally in Little Rock, Arkansas, in late 2007, in support of the
West Memphis Three, three imprisoned men convicted of the 1993 murder of three young boys in
West Memphis, Arkansas. On August 19, 2011, Maines joined with
Pearl Jam frontman
Eddie Vedder in Jonesboro, Arkansas, supporting the release of the West Memphis Three. == Discography ==