The Chicks Tour 2026: Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Dates & Tickets

What Is the Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour?

The Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour is a headline theater tour by The Chicks — Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer — dedicated to their landmark 2006 studio album Taking the Long Way. The tour brings the trio's powerhouse harmonies and virtuosic instrumentation into intimate theater settings across the United States, a deliberate departure from the arena and amphitheater circuits they have headlined in the past.

According to the official press release, "The Chicks will bring their powerhouse vocals and electrifying stage presence to intimate theatres across the U.S., honoring the enduring impact of the album that defined a generation." That framing signals exactly what this run is about: a focused, fan-first celebration rather than a blockbuster spectacle. Each night will feature the album performed in its entirety alongside career-spanning hits, giving audiences a rare chance to hear the record front to back in a live setting.

For fans who still search for the group under its legacy name, yes — this is the Dixie Chicks tour in 2026. The band changed its name in 2020, but the music, the lineup, and the sheer vocal firepower remain the same.

A Brief History of The Chicks

The Chicks formed in Dallas, Texas, and broke through to mainstream country stardom in the late 1990s with the release of Wide Open Spaces (1998) and Fly (1999). The trio — lead vocalist Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire, and Emily Strayer — blended traditional bluegrass virtuosity with pop-accessible songwriting, producing signature hits like "Wide Open Spaces," "Cowboy Take Me Away," and "Goodbye Earl."

They are 13-time Grammy Award winners and, as Live Nation put it when announcing the tour, "the biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time," with more than 30.5 million albums sold. That commercial dominance made the fallout from the 2003 political controversy — when Maines publicly criticized the Iraq War during a London concert — all the more seismic. Country radio stations largely pulled back from playing their music, and the controversy significantly affected the group's relationship with parts of the country music industry.

Their creative response was Taking the Long Way in 2006, an album that refused to apologize. In June 2020, amid a broader cultural reckoning, the band officially dropped "Dixie" from its name, becoming simply The Chicks. That same year they released Gaslighter, produced by Jack Antonoff — their first studio album in 14 years.

Why Taking the Long Way Still Resonates 20 Years Later

Taking the Long Way was not just an album — it was a statement of artistic defiance. Written and recorded in the aftermath of one of the most dramatic public controversies in modern music history, the record channeled anger, grief, and resilience into songs that felt deeply personal yet universally resonant.

The Recording Academy agreed. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, Taking the Long Way won all five categories in which they were nominated: Album of the Year, Record of the Year (for "Not Ready to Make Nice"), Song of the Year ("Not Ready to Make Nice"), Best Contemporary Country Album, and Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. That five-Grammy haul validated the album as more than a comeback — it was a cultural touchstone.

"Not Ready to Make Nice" remains the album's emotional centerpiece, a song whose lyrics feel as charged today as they did two decades ago. Surrounding it are tracks that explore themes of perseverance, self-determination, and moving forward — making the full-album performance format of this anniversary tour particularly meaningful for fans who lived through the controversy alongside the band.

The Chicks Tour 2026: All Confirmed Dates and Venues

The Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour spans September 30 through early November 2026, visiting cities across the United States. The routing covers a coast-to-coast arc that begins at the Fox Theatre in Detroit on September 30 and wraps with three nights at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood in early November. Multiple cities — including Chicago, New York, San Antonio, Seattle, San Francisco, and Hollywood — feature multi-night stands, reflecting both the demand for tickets and the band's commitment to giving fans in each market more than one opportunity to attend.

Every stop on the tour is a theater-scale venue. That is a conscious creative choice: the intimacy of a theater setting amplifies the emotional dynamics of an album as personal as Taking the Long Way. The theater setting should give fans a more intimate view of the trio's harmonies, musicianship, and stage interaction than a typical arena production.

The full schedule, including the original and added dates, is available in the interactive widget below. Rather than reproduce a static list that may fall out of date, we recommend checking the widget for real-time availability.

Expected Setlist for The Chicks Tour 2026

The centerpiece of the Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour is right there in the name: fans can expect to hear the Taking the Long Way album performed in full. Beyond the anniversary album, the setlist will draw from more than two decades of catalog material — the kind of career-spanning set that turns a concert into a communal experience for longtime fans and newer listeners alike.

Because the tour has not yet begun as of this writing, specific setlists have not been confirmed. The expectations below are based on the tour's announced format, the album's tracklist, and the band's established live repertoire.

Taking the Long Way Performed in Full

The tour's promotional materials explicitly state that Taking the Long Way will be performed in its entirety. The album's 14 tracks chart an emotional arc that builds from the opening salvo of "The Long Way Around" through the raw vulnerability of "Easy Silence," the defiant anthem "Not Ready to Make Nice," and the reflective closer "I Hope."

"Not Ready to Make Nice" is likely to be one of the most anticipated moments of the album performance, particularly given the song's central place in the history of Taking the Long Way. The track won both Record of the Year and Song of the Year at the 2007 Grammy Awards. The album also includes quieter tracks such as "Lullaby" and "So Hard," giving the full performance a range of emotional and musical textures.

Hearing the album from beginning to end gives audiences a chance to experience Taking the Long Way as a complete body of work rather than as a collection of individual singles.

Career Hits and Gaslighter Tracks

No Chicks concert would be complete without the songs that made them the best-selling female band in American history. Expect encores and supplemental setlist blocks to pull heavily from the classic catalog:

• "Wide Open Spaces" (1998) — the breakthrough hit that introduced Maines's voice to country radio.

• "Cowboy Take Me Away" (1999) — a sweeping love song that remains one of the most-requested concert tracks.

• "Goodbye Earl" — the darkly comic murder ballad that became a cultural touchstone and a live singalong staple.

• "Travelin' Soldier" — a wartime narrative ballad whose emotional resonance deepens with every passing year.

Selections from 2020's Gaslighter may also appear in the career-spanning portion of the show. The album marked The Chicks' return to the studio after a nearly 14-year hiatus and was co-produced by Jack Antonoff. Together, the full-album segment and career-hits blocks promise a set that could stretch well past two hours.

How to Buy The Chicks Tour Tickets in 2026

With the tour's opening night less than a month away, the ticket-buying landscape has shifted from primary-market on-sales to the resale marketplace. Understanding that shift — and the fee structures that come with it — is the key to making a confident purchase.

Primary Market Status

General on-sale for the original 16 dates opened on June 4, 2026, with artist presale running the day before. The added dates (Philadelphia, Boston, a third New York night, and a third Hollywood night) were announced separately after the original on-sale. Primary-market availability varies by date and venue. Some performances are already listed as sold out or have limited inventory, while tickets may still be available for other dates. Fans should check the official ticketing page for the specific show they want before turning to resale.

Buying on the Resale Market

Resale marketplaces connect fans who hold tickets they can no longer use with buyers still looking. The process is straightforward: search for the date and venue you want, compare available seats, and purchase. What is not always straightforward is the final price.

Many resale platforms have historically practiced drip pricing — showing an attractively low ticket price in search results, then stacking service fees, facility fees, and processing charges at checkout. The FTC's Rule on Unfair or Deceptive Fees (16 CFR Part 464) took effect on May 12, 2025, requiring businesses covered by the rule to disclose the total price of live-event tickets upfront, including mandatory fees.

The FTC has continued to enforce the rule. In April 2026, the agency announced that StubHub would pay $10 million to provide refunds to eligible consumers after the FTC alleged the company failed to properly disclose mandatory ticket fees in certain transactions.

TicketX's Buyer Guarantee covers qualified orders when tickets are invalid, fail to arrive in time, an event is canceled without a replacement date, or a seller fails to complete the transfer, subject to the guarantee's terms and conditions. For full details on coverage and terms, visit TicketX's terms page.

The Chicks Ticket Prices: What to Expect on the Resale Market

Knowing the price landscape before you shop prevents sticker shock and helps you identify fair value. Here is what resale data shows as of early September 2026.

Price Range by Venue and Seat Location

Resale ticket prices for The Chicks' Taking the Long Way tour vary widely depending on the event, venue, and seating selection. Several factors drive that variation:

• Venue capacity. Smaller-capacity theaters create scarcity, generating far less inventory than large arenas and pushing resale prices upward.

• Multi-night markets. Cities with two or three shows (New York, Hollywood, San Antonio, Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco) tend to offer slightly more options and, in some cases, modestly lower prices on the less in-demand night of the run.

• Seat location. Orchestra-center seats near the stage command premium prices, often several multiples of upper-balcony or rear-orchestra listings. For a theater show built on acoustic intimacy, mid-orchestra seats often represent the sweet spot between sightlines and value.

• Date proximity. Prices typically fluctuate as the event date approaches. Some listings drop in the final days before a show as sellers look to move remaining inventory; others spike as urgency increases.

The lowest prices tend to reflect upper-level seats at select dates, while the highest reflect front-row or VIP-adjacent placements at the highest-demand shows.

How Hidden Fees Change the Real Price

Drip pricing was a persistent issue in the U.S. ticket industry for years: a listing would advertise one price, but by checkout, service charges, delivery fees, and processing surcharges could add significantly to the total. Since the FTC's Junk Fees Rule took effect in May 2025, ticket sellers have been required to display total prices upfront. TicketX lists tickets with no hidden fees.

Venue Highlights — What to Know Before You Go

The theater-venue format is one of the most exciting aspects of this tour. Every stop offers something distinct — from historic architecture to world-class acoustics. Here are four standout venues on the itinerary, along with practical tips for getting the most out of your night.

For general guidance on navigating parking, traffic, and venue logistics, check out our guide on how to keep calm and avoid traffic on event night.

Fox Theatre, Detroit

The Fox Theatre on Woodward Avenue in downtown Detroit is one of the grandest surviving movie palaces from the 1920s. Designed by architect C. Howard Crane and opened in 1928, the venue's ornate interior features a sweeping auditorium framed by cusped, Islamic-inspired arches and colossal Corinthian columns that extend into the balcony.

As the opening night of the Taking the Long Way tour, the September 30 show carries special significance — it will be the first time fans hear the full album performed live in this anniversary format. The Fox's rich acoustic character, shaped by nearly a century of live performance, provides a fitting backdrop for an album that blends country, rock, and folk textures.

Beacon Theatre, New York

The Beacon Theatre on Manhattan's Upper West Side is one of New York's most celebrated live-music venues. Opened in 1929 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Beacon offers an intimate, ornately decorated setting that has hosted everyone from the Allman Brothers Band's legendary residencies to major comedy specials and award shows.

Three nights at the Beacon is a statement of confidence and demand. The relatively compact seating means sightlines are strong from nearly every section, and the hall's acoustics have been praised by artists and audio engineers for decades. For an act built on vocal harmonics and acoustic instrumentation, the Beacon is close to an ideal room.

Benaroya Hall, Seattle

Benaroya Hall, home to the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, is a purpose-built concert hall that opened in 1998 in downtown Seattle. Its main auditorium — the S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium — was acoustically designed by Cyril M. Harris, one of the foremost concert-hall acousticians in the world, and is renowned for its warm, natural sound that flatters both orchestral and amplified performances.

For a tour celebrating an album whose arrangements range from full-band rock to near-chamber-music delicacy, Benaroya's acoustics are a gift. The hall's refined setting also means two nights in Seattle will feel markedly different from a typical concert experience — closer to an event than a show.

Dolby Theatre, Hollywood

The Dolby Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard — best known as the permanent home of the Academy Awards — closes out the Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour with three nights in early November. The Dolby Theatre is designed around high-end audio and theatrical production, making it a fitting final venue for a tour centered on vocal harmonies and detailed arrangements.

That sound infrastructure makes the Dolby an extraordinary setting for a concert built around emotional dynamics and vocal precision. As the final three scheduled performances, the Dolby Theatre shows will bring the tour to a close after more than a month on the road.

How to Avoid Ticket Scams and Hidden Fees for The Chicks Tour

High-demand tours in limited-capacity venues attract not only eager fans but also scammers looking to exploit urgency. Protecting yourself requires awareness of common fraud tactics and a clear understanding of what legitimate buyer protections look like.

For more strategies on finding reliable tickets at fair prices, see our guide on how to get cheap concert tickets today.

Red Flags to Watch For

Scam ticket sellers follow predictable patterns. Keep an eye out for these warning signs:

• Social-media sellers with no buyer protection. Listings on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, Instagram DMs, or X (Twitter) often come with no recourse if the ticket is fake or never delivered. There is no platform-backed guarantee, no dispute resolution, and no refund path.

• Prices that seem too good to be true. If a front-row Beacon Theatre ticket is dramatically cheaper than comparable listings, treat the offer as a red flag and verify the seller, ticket details, and buyer protections before paying.

• Requests for payment via Venmo, Zelle, Cash App, or cryptocurrency. Paying an individual seller directly through a payment app can leave you without the platform-level protections, verification, and dispute process available through an established ticket marketplace. Legitimate resale platforms process payments through secure checkout systems with built-in dispute mechanisms.

• Screenshots of barcodes or QR codes. A screenshot can be duplicated and may not prove that a ticket is valid or still usable. Whenever possible, use the venue or ticketing platform's official transfer system rather than relying solely on a screenshot.

• Pressure to act immediately. Scammers create artificial urgency ("someone else is about to buy this") to prevent you from verifying legitimacy.

Why Buyer Guarantees Matter

The single most effective safeguard when buying resale tickets is purchasing through a platform that offers a meaningful buyer guarantee. A buyer guarantee means the platform — not just the individual seller — stands behind the transaction.

TicketX's Buyer Guarantee covers qualified orders when tickets are not delivered in time, are invalid or inaccurate, or when other covered issues arise. TicketX says it will work with buyers on a case-by-case basis to resolve verified issues, subject to the terms of the guarantee. For complete details, refer to TicketX's terms and conditions.

When comparing platforms, ask one simple question: What happens if something goes wrong? If the answer is unclear, vague, or nonexistent, shop elsewhere.

Frequently Asked Questions About The Chicks Tour 2026

Here are answers to the most common questions fans are asking about tickets, dates, and venues for the tour.

Are The Chicks tour tickets sold out?

Primary-market availability varies by date and venue, and some performances may have limited or no remaining inventory. Resale tickets may still be available even when a venue's primary inventory is sold out. However, resale tickets remain available across multiple platforms. TicketX lists verified tickets for The Chicks tour with no hidden fees.

Will The Chicks add more tour dates in 2026?

Four dates were added after the original on-sale — Philadelphia (The Met, October 7), Boston (MGM Music Hall at Fenway, October 9), a third New York night at the Beacon Theatre (October 10), and a third Hollywood night at the Dolby Theatre (November 3). As of September 7, 2026, no additional dates have been announced. Fans interested in potential future additions should monitor the band's official channels and ticketing platforms for updates.

What album will The Chicks perform on this tour?

The Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour is built around a full performance of the 2006 album Taking the Long Way, which won five Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. The setlist is expected to supplement the complete album with career hits like "Wide Open Spaces," "Cowboy Take Me Away," and "Goodbye Earl," as well as selections from the 2020 album Gaslighter.

Are there VIP or meet-and-greet packages?

As of September 2026, VIP or meet-and-greet packages for the Taking the Long Way 20th Anniversary Tour have not been publicly confirmed. Fans seeking premium experiences should check the band's official website and the venues' box-office pages for the most current information.

How much do resale Chicks tickets cost?

Resale prices for The Chicks tour vary widely depending on venue, seat location, and date demand. On TicketX, listings come with no hidden fees added at checkout.

The Bottom Line — Why The Chicks Tour Matters in 2026

Twenty years ago, The Chicks released an album that refused to back down. Taking the Long Way was forged in controversy, validated by five Grammy Awards, and embraced by fans who recognized raw honesty when they heard it. Two decades later, those songs have not lost a single edge.

What makes the 2026 anniversary tour exceptional is not just the setlist — it is the format. By choosing theater-sized venues over arenas, The Chicks are prioritizing proximity and emotional connection. Hearing "Not Ready to Make Nice" in a theater is a fundamentally different experience than hearing it in an arena. The intimacy amplifies everything: the vocal harmonics, the fiddle lines, the charged silence before a chorus lands.

If you are planning to attend, compare your options carefully. Drip pricing has historically been an issue on some resale platforms. On TicketX, there are no hidden fees, and every purchase is backed by the Buyer Guarantee. This is a tour built on authenticity; the way you buy your ticket should match.