The Chicks hold space for LGBTQ+, women, social justice movements at Iowa State Fair

The Chicks proved once again that they aren’t afraid of a little controversy, commenting on former President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin without any words at the Iowa State Fair Saturday night.

During their song “Tights on My Boat,” the screens surrounding the Grandstand stage showed an animation of an at-times turbulent sea. At one point, two naked bodies featuring the faces of Trump and Putin are shown sharing an inflatable unicorn raft drifting across waters.

Loud cheers erupted from some of the audience at the visuals.

Emily Strayer, Martie Maguire and Natalie Maines, or country act The Chicks, performed a nearly-two hour set for a crowd of 17,219 Saturday at the Grandstand, showcasing all the different facets of themselves that is best summed up by their descriptions across their social media accounts: Superstars, renegades, innovators, heroes, villains and moms.

For example, Maines stepped into her role as a mom when she introduced audiences to her son Slade Pasdar, who played the guitar at Saturday’s show.

“I was thinking the other day, ‘He’s almost as old as I was when we recorded this next song,’” she said, soon after launching into their popular cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide.”

Their superstar status was evident during the performances of some of their most popular songs, the crowd loudly delivering lyric after lyric for the song “Wide Open Spaces.”

As for longtime fans Donna Foelske and niece Annette Chihak, their description of The Chicks isn’t quite limited to just one word, though it's close.

“They’re strong ladies,” Chihak said.

Foelske brought her 1990s-era The Chicks hat to Saturday’s performance, which read “The Chicks kick a--.”

“They do,” Foelske said. “I totally respect and admire who they are.”

The pair, both from the Waterloo area, had first seen The Chicks live sometime in the 1990s in Wisconsin.

When Foelske heard The Chicks were going to perform at the State Fair, she rang up her niece with one question.

“You want to go again?”

The Chicks joke about the heat, have crowd sing ‘Happy Wedding to You’

“It’s so chilly,” Maines teased, feigning a shiver as many concertgoers fanned themselves throughout the evening in a paltry attempt to cool off after an especially heated day in Des Moines.

“Regardless of the heat, we are so glad you are here,” she said.

Formerly known as the Dixie Chicks, The Chicks dropped the word “Dixie” in 2020 with a message on their website that read, “We want to meet this moment,” signed by the three musicians. The word “Dixie” is commonly associated with Civil War era Confederate states.

The Chicks performed “March March" Saturday, which was released in 2020. The music video, shown at the show, contained footage from protests calling for action for climate change and LGBTQ+ rights and an end to police brutality while including the names of George Floyd, Tamir Rice, Elijah McClain and dozens more.

The Grammy Award-winning act performed “Gaslighter,” a song is about Maines’ ex-husband Adrian Pasdar, early in their set. The 2020 album of the same name was The Chick’s first album in over a decade.

Another song off “Gaslighter” The Chicks performed was “For Her,” which passes on wisdom to a younger generation of women such as “be a little bit kinder” and “a whole lot louder.” Paired with the song was footage of women of all generations. On stage, Maguire and Strayer flanked Maine’s sides by the end of the song to display exactly the kind of message “For Her” is all about.

Maines didn’t hesitate to ask a favor from Iowa later in the set for “Gaslighter” album producer Jack Antonoff, who’d just married.

Presuming Maines did send the video over she’d taken on her phone of the moment, Antonoff would have received a wedding gift of tens of thousands of fans singing “happy wedding to you” in the tune of “Happy Birthday.”

The Chicks aptly jumped into their song “White Trash Wedding” after.

The Chicks cover a Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus song

Other songs performed Saturday night included some of their most enduring hits such as “Travelin’ Soldier,” and “Cowboy Take Me Away.”

Images of political leaders or the performance of “March March” weren’t the only moments The Chicks had something to say about American society, though.

The Chicks covered Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s “Rainbowland,” a song that encourages unity and acceptance over fear and hate. “Rainbowland” made headlines earlier this year when it was banned from a Wisconsin first grade spring concert due to concerns it would be controversial.

But its lyrics were clear for all to read thanks to the screens surrounding the stage.

“Whenever I go see a concert, the last thing I want to hear the artist say is, ‘Hey, we worked on a new song for this tour,’” Maines said. “But I’m saying it. We worked on a new song for this tour. But it’s a good song. It’s a Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus song. It celebrates Pride month 365 days a year.”

Country star Jason Aldean closes out the Iowa State Fair with a performance at 8 p.m. at the Grandstand Aug. 20.

Reporting from USA TODAY contributed to this article.

Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at PBarraza@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: The Chicks bring beloved hits to the Grandstand at 2023 Iowa State Fair