The Chicks Announce 2023 Australian Tour

Arts & Entertainment Sound

City Hub Contributor
May 2, 2023

Image: The Chicks. Image: supplied

By EMMY WHITE

Iconic American country trio The Chicks have announced that they will return to Australia for the first time since 2017.

This will mark the legendary group’s fifth visit to our shores since their highly acclaimed Australian debut in 1999 and the first time they have performed in Australia since the release of their 2020 album Gaslighter.

Their 2023 tour will kick off on Thursday, 12th October with a performance at Adelaide Entertainment Centre, followed by shows in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. It will also feature three outdoor shows in Geelong, VIC, Hunter Valley, NSW and Mount Cotton, QLD as part of The Chicks’ A Day On The Green debut.

Formerly known as the The Dixie Chicks, the group was formed in Dallas, Texas in 1989 by Laura Lynch, Robin Lynn Macy and sisters Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer. Since 1995, it has consisted of Maguire, Strayer and lead vocalist Natalie Maines.

With thirteen Grammy awards, six Billboard Music Awards and four American Music Awards, their global success has seen them perform at some of the world’s most prestigious venues, including London’s O2 Arena and New York’s Madison Square Garden.

Elle King will support The Chicks on their Australian tour. Image: supplied

In 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, the group underwent a name change, dropping the word ‘Dixie’ due to its slavery-era connotations. “It’s been feeling a little bit uncomfortable, just knowing what that word in the States conjures up for people,” Maguire told Q host Tom Power.

Supporting them on all Australia and New Zealand tour dates is four-time Grammy nominee Elle King. King made her debut in 2015 with her album Love Stuff, and has gone on to achieve multiple platinum singles. In January she released her third album Come Get Your Wife.

Michael Chugg, executive chairman of Chugg Entertainment, expressed his excitement about the upcoming tour. “Ever since I heard a demo in the late 90’s and did their first tour in November 1999, The Chicks have been a huge part of my life. Watching them become live icons of music has been an amazing journey, and their upcoming tour will go up another level again.”