The Fly Tour

Fly Tour promotional poster.

(L-R) Emily Robison, Natalie Maines & Martie Maguire performing "Give it Up Or Let Me Go" on the Fly Tour.

The Fly Tour (2000), also called Fly Tour and On The Fly, was the debut concert tour by country music band The Chicks, formerly known as the Dixie Chicks. Comprised of Natalie Maines (lead vocals, guitar), Emily Strayer (backing vocals, guitar, banjo, dobro) and her sister Martie Erwin (backing vocals, fiddle, mandolin), the tour was launched in support of, and named after, the group's sophomore album, Fly (1999). The tour would also feature the hit songs from their previous album, Wide Open Spaces (1998), with other surprises included, such as bluegrass instrumentals and covers of other artists' songs. Following their mainstream debut in 1998, the Chicks had performed primarily at festivals and other mixed billings, such as Lilith Fair 1999, though they had given their own one-off concerts in North America and Europe. The ambitious Fly Tour would see the band performing sold-out arena shows in over 80 cities across mainland North America.

The Fly tour was sponsored by MusicCountry.com and Country Music Television (CMT), and one dollar of each ticket sold was donated to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). At its end, the Fly Tour had grossed over $47 million ($88.4m in 2025) with an average attendance of over 12,000 people per show. It was the biggest country music tour for the year 2000 by a single act—just behind the dual Tim McGraw/Faith Hill Soul2Soul 2000 Tour—and was the sixth highest-grossing tour, of any genre, for that year.

History

Emily Robison (L) & Natalie Maines (R) perform "Wide Open Spaces" at MCI Center, Washington, DC, 8/25/2000.

The Chicks performing "Wide Open Spaces" at MCI Center, Washington, DC, 8/25/2000.

Fly Tour promotional image.

Announced in April 2000, the Fly Tour was The Chicks' first major tour as headlining act, and was considered ambitious for a first-time tour given its long duration (80+ dates) and for the fact that the band was being booked at large indoor arenas. Up until 2000, The Chicks had promoted their music primarily through festivals and televised performances, such as the George Strait Country Music Festival and Lilith Fair 1999, and as a support act for Tim McGraw. seeking to expose themselves to a diverse audience and build a fanbase. Following the release of their 1998 debut album Wide Open Spaces, which topped the country charts in the US and Canada (and peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 200), the Chicks saw a notable rise in popularity. As a live act, the band quickly earned respect from fans and fellow artists, primarily for their virtuosic skills on a range of musical instruments, but equally for their relaxed stage presence and ability to playfully engage with the crowd. However, their Grammy Award-winning sophomore album, Fly (1999), was even more successful, becoming the first country music record to top the mainstream Billboard Hot 200, in addition to the country album chart. The album also topped the Canadian country albums chart and peaked at No. 2 on the British country albums chart, while peaking in the top 40 in Australia (No. 16), Finland, and the UK (No. 38).

Starting on June 1, 2000, in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the Fly Tour visited Saskatchewan, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, Canada, before entering the US leg of the tour in the Pacific Northwest; subsequent legs saw the band traveling across the West Coast, South, Northeast and Midwestern United States, as well as visiting Toronto, Canada. Originally slated to end in October 2000 in Florida, the tour's success prompted an autumn leg to be booked, with additional dates added in various cities across the Midwest and Southwestern US, plus Southern California and Texas. The Fly Tour concluded on December 3, 2000, in Fort Worth, Texas.

By the later stages of the tour, lead singer Natalie Maines was visibly pregnant with her first child, and was able to rest during the middle section of the show, which featured the trio performing numbers such as Sheryl Crow's "Strong Enough" while sitting on a couch and bales of hay.

Reception & impact

LiveDaily deemed the Fly Tour a "runaway success", as it came at a time when the country music scene was in a box-office "slump". The Fly Tour represented an innovation in a business sense, as three different promoters were used, covering different geographical regions of the US and Canada, rather than the more common utilization of different local promoters for each city. The Chicks' management did this in order to get more consistent messaging across in marketing and promotion, which itself was aided by a $3 million+ national TV advertising campaign. Emily Robison also became a notable spokesperson for the makers of her innovative acoustic-electric banjos played during the tour, the Deering Banjo Company. In addition to TV commercials, The Chicks also participated in several fashion campaigns, posing in magazine shoots for companies such as Candies shoes. The comic ads portrayed The Chicks as touring "neophytes", learning how to "smash banjos and tear-up hotel rooms". The comedic and satirical energy continued even after the tour ended, in a concert special which aired on NBC on November 20, 2000, titled Dixie Chicks: On The Fly. Made-up of footage taken from the band's August concerts in Washington, DC, several comedic skits were included in the special, featuring comedian Andy Dick as The Chicks' hapless, absent-minded road manager; one scene surrounded him attempting to get The Chicks to forget their musical instruments and adopt a more "Britney Spears" approach, dancing in astronaut suits.

For the year 2000, the Fly tour was nominated for Pollstar's most prestigious award category, Major Tour of the Year; however, the award was ultimately given to the Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band Reunion Tour. It did however win Pollstar's Personal Manager of the Year award for the group's manager, Simon Renshaw, who had negotiated the unusual promotion arrangements.

Critical reactions to the Fly Tour were largely positive, with The New York Times calling their Radio City Music Hall performances "a slick, good-natured show that see[-]sawed between clinging love songs and declarations of female independence." Rolling Stone said that while the group "can pop and rock with conviction", at other times the show represented "stone-cold, hard-core honky[-]tonk at its best", and that the "youthful" audience's roars of approval for the sisters' instrumental virtuosity (which was compared to that of guitarist Eddie Van Halen) was "damn near revolutionary". However, the publication did criticize the "overly ambitious" stage set and lighting effects as "detracting" from the on-stage intimacy between the three group members and their backing band, as numerous points in the show saw the trio separated by dozens of feet, their instruments amplified wirelessly.

Meanwhile, The University News praised the show's visual spectacle, saying it "appealed to the eyes with its unique stage and interesting special effects." A reviewer for The Daily Universe called the Chicks "the most exciting country-and-western group I have ever seen," while KAOS2000 magazine said "this trio of hotties know[s] how to put on a show and definitely had control of the big arena stage." A Citysearch.com writer said that singer Maines' voice was "not the strongest" live, but rather benefited from the combined strength of the band as a trio.

In addition to the Fly album becoming the first country record to top the mainstream charts, the Fly tour had a noted cultural impact, with the Encyclopedia of the Great Plains stating that the tour "gained a life of its own, making the Dixie Chicks a pop-cultural phenomenon, with young and enthusiastic audiences flocking to see the group".

Concert production & synopsis

Production values were emphasized for the Fly Tour, with eight trucks required to move the stage set and band instruments, consisting of six musicians on drums, bass guitar, lead guitar, pedal steel guitar, piano/keyboards. Stage and show design involved members of the Cirque du Soleil team, including lighting designer Luc Lafortune.

Before the show began, the stage was hidden by a sheer curtain superimposed with the image of a zipper on a pair of denim jeans, in keeping with the "fly" theme. Additionally, various interactive pre-show entertainment kept the audience engaged, such as a large, electronic "fly" which buzzed over the audience. As the lights went off and the show began, the sound of flies buzzing could be heard as animated insects were shown on the curtain. Then, the fly of the jeans was "unzipped" as the curtains fell open, with the Irish-inspired "Ready to Run" beginning, building into a rousing performance. This was followed by their 1998 single "There’s Your Trouble", and two songs from the Fly album which lead singer Natalie Maines referred to as "totally Texan"—"Hello Mr. Heartache" and "Don’t Waste Your Heart". Next was the heartfelt ballad "Without You" followed by the rocking "If I Fall You’re Going Down With Me". The next two songs were singles from the group’s first album, "I Can Love You Better" and "You Were Mine". The first act of the show concluded with a rowdy, honky-tonk performance of the Bonnie Raitt song "Give it Up or Let Me Go", featuring multiple solos by each band member and the Chicks.

The second act of the concert began with a short comedic skit, sometimes featuring comedian Andy Dick, played on the video screens. Then the Chicks were revealed seated on a couch, flanked by hay bales. On dates when Patty Griffin was their opening act, the singer-songwriter would join the Chicks on stage to perform her song "Let Him Fly". This was followed by "Heartbreak Town" and a cover of Sheryl Crow's "Strong Enough", with the act ending in a bluegrass instrumental tune, "Brilliancy"/"Roanoke".

Setlist

ACT I

1. "Ready to Run"
2. "There's Your Trouble"
3. "Hello Mr. Heartache"
4. "Don't Waste Your Heart"
5. "Without You"
6. "If I Fall You're Going Down with Me"
7. "I Can Love You Better"
8. "You Were Mine"
9. "Give It Up or Let Me Go"

ACT II

1. "On the Fly" (video interlude/skit)
2. "Let Him Fly"
3. "Heartbreak Town"
4. "Strong Enough" (by Sheryl Crow)
5. "Brilliancy"/"Roanoke" (instrumental) (with elements of "Dixie Chicken")

ACT III

1. "Let 'Er Rip"
2. "Tonight the Heartache's on Me"
3. "Cold Day in July"
4. "Some Days You Gotta Dance"
5. "Cowboy Take Me Away"
6. "Sin Wagon"

Encore

1. "Goodbye Earl"
2. "Wide Open Spaces"

Note: this setlist may not reflect every date of the tour. On select nights, The Chicks added or interchanged several songs to the show, including "Am I The Only One (Who’s Ever Felt This Way)", "Loving Arms", "Merry Christmas From The Family", "Stand By Your Man" and "Truth No. 2", amongst others. On dates where Patty Griffin was a supporting artist, she joined The Chicks on stage for "Let Him Fly", a song she composed and wrote for her own album.

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue	Tickets Sold / Available	Gross
June 1, 2000	Winnipeg, MB	Canada	Winnipeg Arena
June 2, 2000	Saskatoon, SK		Saskatchewan Place
June 3, 2000	Edmonton, AB		Skyreach Centre
June 4, 2000	Calgary, AB		Pengrowth Saddledome
June 8, 2000	Vancouver, BC		General Motors Place
June 9, 2000	Spokane, WA	United States	Veterans Memorial Arena
June 10, 2000	Tacoma, WA		Tacoma Dome	20,018 / 20,018	$777,632
June 11, 2000	Portland, OR		Rose Garden Arena	15,636 / 15,636	$607,184
June 15, 2000	Sacramento, CA		ARCO Arena
June 16, 2000	San Jose, CA		San Jose Arena
June 17, 2000	Anaheim, CA		Arrowhead Pond
June 18, 2000	Phoenix, AZ		America West Arena
June 19, 2000	Anaheim, CA		Arrowhead Pond
June 22, 2000	San Diego, CA		Cox Arena @ Aztec Bowl
June 23, 2000	Las Vegas, NV		Thomas & Mack Center
June 24, 2000	Salt Lake City, UT		Delta Center
June 25, 2000	Nampa, ID		Idaho Center Arena
June 29, 2000	North Little Rock, AR		Alltel Arena
June 30, 2000	Lafayette, LA		Cajundome
July 1, 2000	Biloxi, MS		Mississippi Coast Coliseum
July 13, 2000	Chicago, IL		United Center
July 14, 2000	Milwaukee, WI		Bradley Center
July 15, 2000	Minneapolis, MN		Target Center
July 16, 2000	Fargo, ND		Fargodome
July 19, 2000	New York, NY		Radio City Music Hall
July 20, 2000
July 21, 2000	Albany, NY		Pepsi Arena
July 22, 2000	Worcester, MA		Centrum
July 23, 2000	Buffalo, NY		HSBC Arena
August 3, 2000	Denver, CO		Pepsi Center
August 4, 2000	Kansas City, MO		Kemper Arena	14,426 / 14,426	$557,078
August 5, 2000	Oklahoma City, OK		Myriad Convention Center Arena
August 6, 2000	Lubbock, TX		United Spirit Arena
August 10, 2000	Dallas, TX		Reunion Arena	27,456 / 27,456	$1,063,847
August 11, 2000
August 12, 2000	Austin, TX		Frank Erwin Center
August 13, 2000	Houston, TX		Compaq Center
August 17, 2000	Louisville, KY		Freedom Hall	15,974 / 15,974	$629,952
August 18, 2000	Auburn Hills, MI		The Palace of Auburn Hills
August 19, 2000
August 20, 2000	Toronto, ON	Canada	Air Canada Centre
August 24, 2000	Washington, DC	United States	MCI Center
August 25, 2000
August 26, 2000	Winston-Salem, NC		Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
August 27, 2000	Atlanta, GA		Philips Arena
September 7, 2000	Hampton, VA		Hampton Coliseum
September 8, 2000	Charlotte, NC		Charlotte Coliseum	15,271 / 15,271	$656,175
September 9, 2000	Nashville, TN		Gaylord Entertainment Center	15,285 / 15,285	$692,630
September 10, 2000	Birmingham, AL		BJCC Arena
September 14, 2000	Richmond, VA		Richmond Coliseum
September 15, 2000	Raleigh, NC		Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena
September 16, 2000	Roanoke, VA		Roanoke Civic Center
September 17, 2000	Nashville, TN		Gaylord Entertainment Center
September 28, 2000	Sunrise, FL		National Car Rental Center
September 29, 2000	Tampa, FL		Tampa Ice Palace	13,480 / 16,286	$646,540
September 30, 2000	Orlando, FL		TD Waterhouse Centre
October 1, 2000	Jacksonville, FL		Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Coliseum
October 6, 2000	Moline, IL		MARK of the Quad Cities
October 7, 2000	Ames, IA		Hilton Coliseum	11,521 / 11,521	$546,939
October 8, 2000	Lincoln, NE		Bob Devaney Sports Center
October 10, 2000	Valley Center, KS		Britt Brown Arena
October 12, 2000	Columbus, OH		Value City Arena
October 13, 2000	University Park, PA		Bryce Jordan Center
October 14, 2000	Philadelphia, PA		First Union Spectrum	13,645 / 13,645	$648,826
October 15, 2000	Pittsburgh, PA		Mellon Arena
October 19, 2000	Cincinnati, OH		Firstar Center
October 20, 2000	Knoxville, TN		Thompson–Boling Arena	14,647 / 14,647	$611,929
October 21, 2000	Charleston, WV		Charleston Civic Center
October 22, 2000	Indianapolis, IN		Conseco Fieldhouse	14,698 / 14,698	$666,817
October 26, 2000	Champaign, IL		Assembly Hall
October 27, 2000	St. Louis, MO		Savvis Center
October 28, 2000	Memphis, TN		Pyramid Arena
October 29, 2000	New Orleans, LA		New Orleans Arena
November 9, 2000	Lexington, KY		Rupp Arena
November 10, 2000	Cleveland, OH		Gund Arena	16,639 / 16,639	$794,331
November 12, 2000	Chicago, IL		United Center
November 13, 2000	Saint Paul, MN		Xcel Energy Center
November 16, 2000	Manhattan, KS		Bramlage Coliseum
November 17, 2000	Denver, CO		Pepsi Center
November 19, 2000	Phoenix, AZ		America West Arena
November 20, 2000	San Diego, CA		Cox Arena @ Aztec Bowl
November 21, 2000	Los Angeles, CA		Staples Center
November 26, 2000	Oakland, CA		Oakland Arena
November 27, 2000	Bakersfield, CA		Bakersfield Centennial Garden
November 30, 2000	San Antonio, TX		Alamodome	15,152 / 15,152	$673,706
December 1, 2000	Houston, TX		Compaq Center
December 2, 2000	College Station, TX		Reed Arena	9,872 / 9,872	$365,264
December 3, 2000	Fort Worth, TX		Tarrant County Convention Center Arena	12,268 / 12,268	$587,489