The Chicks to perform anthem on final night of Democratic National Convention in Chicago
13-time, Texas-based Grammy-winning country favorites The Chicks will perform the national anthem before Thursday evening's festivities at the Democratic National Convention at Chicago's United Center.
The moment allows the performers of songs like 1999's "Wide Open Spaces" and 2020's "Gaslighter" to join Wednesday evening's performer Maren Morris and Monday night's appearances by Mickey Guyton and Jason Isbell to form a line of notably politically outspoken artists in the country and Americana communities to appear at 2024's DNC.
The Democratic National Convention — who previously confirmed Morris' Wednesday evening performance — has not confirmed earlier reports from CNN and Rolling Stone regarding the appearance.
This will not be the first convention appearance for The Chicks, who also performed at 2020's virtual DNC.
The Chicks' history with Donald Trump
Regarding 2024 Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump, The Chicks' "Gaslighter" emerged as an anthem during the 2020 Presidential race between current 46th President Joe Biden and Trump.
The song was used in a now-deleted March 2020 Instagram video featuring strong allusions to liberal, anti-Trump political propaganda where Chicks‘ vocalist Natalie Maines called out Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. Alongside the then President’s press meetings, lyrics from “Gaslighter" were played that align him with being a “denier,” “liar” and “big timer” who’s “doin’ anything to get your a-- farther.”
The video ends with an image altered to feature Trump’s face, with the Chicks proclaiming “You liar” in the background.
The Chicks, in the early 2000s, versus conservative politics
Dig even further into The Chicks' legacy and the battle between patriotic, the administration of Republican President George Bush and perceived conservative Toby Keith — which resulted in The Chicks' popularity in country music's mainstream lessening over time — is notable.
In 2002, Keith released "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (the Angry American)," a song which was inspired by the death of his father in March of 2001 and the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Maines criticized the song's tone, which led to a feud between the two.
Included in this feud was a moment during a March 2003 performance by The Chicks at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire where Maines noted, regarding the invasion of Iraq that followed the 9/11 attacks, "We do not want this war, this violence, and we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas."
Keith responded by deriding Maines' songwriting skills and displaying a doctored photo of her with Saddam Hussein as a backdrop at his concerts. Maines later wore a T-shirt with the letters "FUTK" on the front at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May 2023. A spokesperson for the Chicks said the acronym stood for "Friends United in Truth and Kindness."
How to watch The Chicks perform at the DNC
The event will be livestreamed on USA TODAY's YouTube channel starting at 5:30 p.m. CDT. You can also watch it below:
The Democratic National Convention will also stream on these platforms:
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: DNC: How to watch The Chicks perform national anthem in Chicago
