April 14, 2000 – "The Dixie Chicks Fly Tour" will visit 70 cities this summer and fall. The highly anticipated indoor arena tour, sponsored by MusicCountry.com, kicks off in Winnipeg on June 1 and after four additional Canadian dates moves into the U.S. beginning with Spokane, WA on June 9. For the next five months, the Sony Music recording artists will make their way through 38 states with a show, the chicks promise, will "entertain fans from the minute they arrive at the venue."

In addition to their own high-energy show, each concert will feature one special guest performer handpicked by the Dixie Chicks, ranging from fellow Texas renegade Willie Nelson, to the grit and rockin' power of Patty Griffin, to the pure bluegrass sounds of Ricky Skaggs. "We want to expose our fans to different kinds of music and we wanted our tour to represent us and what we like," says lead singer Natalie Maines. "The live element is so important to us and our support acts are all ones we would want to be entertained by each night."

Though they are keeping mum about the specifics, the Dixie Chicks have several things up their oh-so-fashionable sleeves. "From the moment you walk in the door, there will be things happening," promises Maines with a grin. They advise concert-goers to be in their seats 30 minutes before the show starts in order to win instant seat upgrades and enjoy other surprises. "Pee before you get there, because you won't want to leave your seats between acts," says Maines. Emily Robison adds, "We really wanted to make this tour something special. The whole night will be an event."

To help implement their vision for the show, the Dixie Chicks hired set designer Luc Lafortune, one of the designers of the visually stunning Cirque de Soleil. "The visuals really help set a mood for each song," says Martie Seidel. "We want it to be eye-catching, but not your standard rock-and-roll light show."

The Dixie Chicks and their management are taking numerous measures to deter ticket scalping and to insure fans the best access possible to the best seats for each concert. As part of that effort, there will be a four ticket per person limit on the first ten rows on the floor, and an eight ticket limit per person for all other seating in the arena. Ticket prices are all under $40 dollars (plus applicable service charges) and will be available through TicketMaster or local outlets.

The World Wildlife Fund has been chosen by the Dixie Chicks to be the charitable beneficiary of the tour. One dollar from the sale of each ticket will go to the organization that has led international efforts to protect endangered species and habitats for the last 40 years. "We all hope to be mothers some day, but it's sad to think that our children might be born into a world that no longer has wild animals running free," says Seidel. "If we can help World Wildlife Fund protect endangered species and the world's 'Wide Open Spaces,' then we may be able to leave our children a living planet."

As the title sponsor of the 70-date "Dixie Chicks Fly Tour," MusicCountry.com will be your best source for concert and ticket information. Visitors to MusicCountry.com's "The Dixie Chicks Fly Tour" website can sign up to receive an email notification 24 hours prior to the ticket sale announcement in the city of their choice. The website will also give users a unique, behind-the-scenes look at the traveling production, from exclusive, never-before-seen footage of the tour's promotional television commercials to an ongoing "tour diary," with fun updates from the road.

CMT: Country Music Television, the tour's media sponsor, will telecast special programming related to the tour and have one of CMT's 53-foot promotional vehicles and crew accompany the concert tour from coast to coast. CMT viewers will be able to enter a national sweepstakes for a chance to meet the Dixie Chicks at one of the concerts.

While they take their commitments and their music seriously, anyone who has ever been around the Dixie Chicks know they don't always take themselves too seriously, as evidenced in the tour's funny and unique advertising campaign. The tour commercials and print ads highlight the band's "rookie" status on "Their First Headline Tour." In various television spots, they're seen practicing banjo-smashing, trashing hotel rooms, pumping gas in their own limo, mistaking a bidet in a fancy hotel bathroom for a water fountain, running a "Chinese fire drill" in a limo at a stoplight, and strolling through a hotel lobby like supermodels. Radio commercials for the tour include behind-the-scenes commentary from limo drivers, caterers and the like.

In 1998-1999, the Dixie Chicks played over 250 dates on three major tours, crossing North America as well as the UK and Australia. As the hottest country group in America, with multi-platinum status, armfuls of Grammy, Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards, many wondered why the group chose to wait until now to headline.

"We wanted to continue to build our fan base by performing in front of three diverse audiences like the Tim McGraw, George Strait and Lilith Fair tours," says Maines. "We watched how those folks put on concerts -- and we stole their best ideas," laughs Seidel. "We learned that men can't do catering."

For nearly four decades, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has led international efforts to conserve the wealth of life on Earth. Known worldwide by its panda logo, WWF's mission is the conservation of nature. WWF is the largest privately supported international conservation organization in the world, with more than 1 million members in the U.S. alone. To date, WWF has supported more than 2,000 projects in 116 countries.

DATE	MARKET	VENUE	SUPPORT	ONSALE
1-Jun	Winnipeg MB	Winnipeg Arena	Patty Griffin	May 6
2-Jun	Saskatoon, SK	Saskatchewan Place	Patty Griffin	May 6
3-Jun	Edmonton, AB	SkyReach Centre	Patty Griffin	May 6
4-Jun	Calgary, AB	Canadian Air	Patty Griffin	May 6
8-Jun	Vancouver, BC	General Motors Place	Patty Griffin	April 29
9-Jun	Spokane, WA	Spokane Arena	Patty Griffin	April 22
10-Jun	Tacoma, WA	Tacomadome	Patty Griffin	April 29
11-Jun	Portland, OR	Rose Garden	Patty Griffin	April 29
15-Jun	Sacramento, CA	Arco Arena	Patty Griffin	April 29
16-Jun	San Jose, CA	San Jose Arena	Patty Griffin	April 30
17-Jun	Anaheim, CA	Arrowhead Pond	Patty Griffin	April 22
18-Jun	Phoenix, AZ	America West Arena	Patty Griffin	TBA
22-Jun	San Diego, CA	Cox Arena	Patty Griffin	April 22
23-Jun	Las Vegas, NV	Thomas & Mack Center	Patty Griffin	April 22
24-Jun	Salt Lake City UT	Delta Center	Patty Griffin	April 22
25-Jun	Nampa, ID	Idaho Center	Patty Griffin	April 22
29-Jun	Little Rock AR	Alltel Arena	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
30-Jun	Lafayette, LA	Cajundome	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
1-Jul	Biloxi, MS	MS Coast Coliseum	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
13-Jul	Chicago, IL	United Center	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
14-Jul	Milwaukee, WI	Bradley Center	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
15-Jul	Minneapolis, MN	Target Center	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
16-Jul	Fargo, ND	Fargodome	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
20-Jul	New York, NY	Radio City Music Hall	Patty Griffin	TBA
21-Jul	Albany, NY	Pepsi Arena	Patty Griffin	TBA
22-Jul	Worcester, MA	Centrum	Patty Griffin	TBA
23-Jul	Buffalo, NY	Marine Midland Arena	Patty Griffin	TBA
3-Aug	Denver CO	Pepsi Center	Patty Griffin	TBA
4-Aug	Kansas City, MO	Kemper Arena	Patty Griffin	TBA
5-Aug	Oklahoma City, OK	The Myriad	Patty Griffin	TBA
6-Aug	Lubbock, TX	United Spirit Arena	Patty Griffin	TBA
11-Aug	Dallas, TX	Reunion Arena	Patty Griffin	TBA
12-Aug	Austin, TX	Frank Irwin Center	Patty Griffin	TBA
13-Aug	Houston, TX	Compaq Center	Patty Griffin	TBA
17-Aug	Louisville, KY	Freedom Hall	TBA	TBA
18-Aug	Detroit, MI	Palace at Auburn Hills	TBA	TBA
19-Aug	Toronoto, ON	Air Canada Centre	TBA	TBA
20-Aug	Grand Rapids, MI	Van Andel Arena	TBA	TBA
24-Aug	Philadelphia, PA	First Union Center	TBA	TBA
25-Aug	Washington, DC	MCI Center	TBA	TBA
26-Aug	Winston Salem, NC	Lawrence Joel Coliseum	TBA	TBA
27-Aug	Atlanta, GA	Philips Arena	TBA	TBA
7-Sep	Hampton, VA	Hampton Coliseum	Patty Griffin	TBA
8-Sep	Charlotte, NC	Charlotte Coliseum	Patty Griffin	TBA
9-Sep	Greenville, SC	Bi-Lo Center	Patty Griffin	TBA
10-Sep	Birmingham, AL	Jefferson County	Patty Griffin	TBA
14-Sep	Richmond, VA	Richmond Civic Center	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
15-Sep	Raleigh, NC	Sports & Entert. Arena	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
16-Sep	Roanoke, VA	Roanoke Civic Center	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
17-Sep	Nashville, TN	Gaylord Enter. Center	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
28-Sep	Ft. Lauderdale, FL	National Car Rental	Patty Griffin	TBA
29-Sep	Tampa, FL	Ice Palace	Patty Griffin	TBA
30-Sep	Orlando, FL	Orlando Arena	Patty Griffin	TBA
1-Oct	Jacksonville, FL	Veterans Memorial	Patty Griffin	TBA
6-Oct	Moline, IL	Mark of the Quad	Patty Griffin	TBA
7-Oct	Ames, IA	Hilton Coliseum	Patty Griffin	TBA
8-Oct	Lincoln, NE	Bob Devaney Center	Patty Griffin	TBA
10-Oct	Wichita, KS	Kansas Coliseum	Patty Griffin	TBA
12-Oct	Columbus, OH	Value City Arena	Willie Nelson	TBA
13-Oct	State College, PA	Bryce Jordan Center	Willie Nelson	TBA
14-Oct	Cleveland, OH	Gund Arena	Willie Nelson	TBA
15-Oct	Pittsburgh	Mellon Arena	TBA	TBA
19-Oct	Cincinnati, OH	Firstar Center	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
20-Oct	Knoxville, TN	Thompson Boling Arena	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
21-Oct	Charleston, WV	Civic Coliseum	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
22-Oct	Indianapolis, IN	Conseco Field House	Ricky Skaggs	TBA
26-Oct	Evansville, IN	Roberts Stadium	TBA	TBA
27-Oct	St. Louis, MO	Kiel Center	Willie Nelson	TBA
28-Oct	Memphis, TN	The Pyramid	Willie Nelson	TBA
29-Oct	New Orleans, LA	New Orleans Arena	Willie Nelson	TBA