DIXIE CHICKS
They’re coming to Craven next summer.
The Dixie Chicks are the latest example of Troy Vollhoffer’s ability to deliver under pressure.
Vollhoffer, the executive producer of the Craven Country Jamboree, found himself scrambling last week when Lady Antebellum cancelled its scheduled appearance as the Saturday night headliner for the 2013 festival. Replacing a wildly popular act like Lady A, which has cancelled a number of summer shows due the pregnancy of band member Hillary Scott, called for a big name and that’s exactly what Vollhoffer got when The Dixie Chicks signed on the dotted line Monday.
“We’re pretty pumped about it,” Vollhoffer said in a telephone interview from his Nashville, Tenn., office. “It’s the original lineup with Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison with a greatest hits show. Look at all their hits — Not Ready To Make Nice, Wide Open Spaces, Landslide — and you know it’ll be a great show.”
This is the second time in as many years that Vollhoffer was called upon to replace a Jamboree headliner — Blake Shelton withdrew as the Friday night headliner of the 2012 festival and was replaced by Eric Church.
Vollhoffer admitted he feels the pressure when having to replace such highprofile acts.
“We’ve had a good run of years where we didn’t have any diversion in our lineups and this has just been circumstance,” Vollhoffer said. “In both cases, it wasn’t anything to do with us but it becomes our problem at the end of the day. You feel totally responsible to your fan base to supply something that’s going to be of the same calibre or better. With Eric Church and now with the Dixie Chicks, they bring something different to the table.”
The Dixie Chicks have sold 35 million records worldwide with Wide Open Spaces, Fly, Home and Taking The Long Way each reaching No. 1 on the Billboard country album charts. Wide Open Spaces, which was released in 1998, sold 12 million copies in the United States and propelled The Dixie Chicks to country music stardom.
With 13 Grammy Awards to their credit, including five for 2007’s Taking The Long Way, The Dixie Chicks became the top-selling allfemale band in the United States during the Nielsen SoundScan era, which began in 1991.
The trio has seven No. 1 singles (There’s Your Trouble, Wide Open Spaces, You Were Mine, Cowboy Take Me Away, Without You, Travelin’ Soldier and Landslide) and 14 top 10 singles in total.
The Dixie Chicks have been on hiatus since 2008. During that time, Maguire and Robison created The Court Yard Hounds, releasing a self-titled album in 2010.
The most recent appearances by The Dixie Chicks came in 2010 when they participated in the Eagles 2010 Summer Tour, which included stops in Winnipeg and Vancouver.
For Jamboree fans, it’s a rare opportunity to see The Dixie Chicks perform live.
“You have the opportunity to see Lady Antebellum in many different spots but you don’t have anywhere to see The Dixie Chicks because their work schedule is so limited,” Vollhoffer said. “They’re not really working. They’re coming out in the summer with just a few select gigs and that’s it.
“It might be a once-in-alifetime chance to see The Dixie Chicks.”
Tickets for the 2013 event, which is scheduled for July 11 to 14, are currently on sale for $159 (plus applicable fees and taxes) and can be purchased online (www.cravencountryjamboree.com), by telephone (1-866-388-0007 or 757-0007), at Village RV in Regina and all Cowtown locations in Saskatchewan. Also available is EZ Pay, a deferred payment plan which enables fans to purchase weekend passes and pay in monthly instalments.