The final night of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) took place Thursday (Aug. 20), culminating with Joe Biden, the vice-president during the Barack Obama administration, being named the official challenger of current president Donald Trump.
Earlier in the evening, The Chicks sang the national anthem. Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire's high notes amid keynote speeches immediately followed appearances by former presidential candidate Andrew Yang and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
It's a glorious a capella rendition of Francis Scott Key's beloved poem-turned-song, highlighting the harmonies that made The Chicks into household names.
Several musical guests appeared during the four-night DNC. On Wednesday, Billie Eilish performed new song "my future" and Ben Gibbard sang Death Cab For Cutie's "Northern Lights" and the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights," with the latter dedicated to the United States Postal Service. Additional musical guests included John Legend and Jennifer Hudson.
It wasn't the first time a live television audience heard The Chicks sing "The Star-Spangled Banner." In 2003, the trio formerly known as the Dixie Chicks belted out the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVII. Other country acts to open the Super Bowl with a national anthem performance include Charley Pride (1974), Garth Brooks (1993) and Carrie Underwood (2010).
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The Chicks, who released their album Gaslighter in July, recently dropped the word "Dixie" from their name to avoid Civil War-era connotations. The Chicks were famously dropped from country music stations in 2003 after band member Natalie Maines criticized then-president George W. Bush, saying we're "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." The trio has long been outspoken about their beliefs and values. Most recently, the band voiced support for the Black Lives Matter movement with the video for their song "March, March."
