Live Review: Dixie Chicks

Having not toured Australia for the past decade, Dixie Chicks are back and selling out venues despite having no new material since 2006's Taking The Long Way; the defiant Grammy-winning album created in response to a boycotting of the band because of a comment made by lead singer Natalie Maines regarding the then President Bush.

Fast-forward ten years and Maines, Emily Robison and Martie Maguire are still throwing political cheek into the mix with their mish-mash of country, pop and bluegrass, however in a slightly more subtle way. A photo of Trump with scrawled devil horns, one of many images shown during the bold Goodbye Earl, was about as far as the political digs went that night. Instead the trio focused on a range of originals and covers that called for defiance, for understanding and for a better way.

Throughout the night were fan favourites of all genres, from the emotional testimonial Easy Silence to the brisk, hillbilly ho-down Sin Wagon, to pure country moments like Travelin' Soldier. Their renowned version of Stevie Nicks' Landslide was a crowd singalong, as was Wide Open Spaces. Tracks like Cowboy Take Me Away and Top Of The World were received warmly but were filler next to some of their more memorable tracks.

A tribute to Prince, which soaked the room in purple lights, had Maines singing a beautiful rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U and was a highlight of the night. Their genre-crossing, bluegrass rendition of Beyonce's Daddy Lessons was a close second.

While Maines had no trouble taking main stage, Robison and Maguire seemed a little disconnected, despite throwing in harmonies among their banjo and violin playing. A little more interaction was seen in the second half of the concert, which focused more on the band's acoustic numbers, but they couldn't quite shake that polished, almost automated feeling to the show, which happens at the end of a long world tour.

Starting their encore with their 2006 protest anthem Not Ready To Make Nice, Dixie Chicks then changed course and, as Maines put it, "tried to change the energy of the universe". They covered Ben Harper's Better Way, a fitting song in the current political climate, however maybe not the right one to close the show, their cover coming off a little lukewarm compared to the liveliness of some of the trio's originals.