Three of country music’s greatest artists are coming together for one elaborate show at the Florida Strawberry Festival.
The Chicks with Hits tour features Terri Clark, Pam Tillis and Suzy Bogguss and will be performed at the festival on March 3 at 3:30 p.m. on the Wish Farms Soundstage. The three women have vastly different styles, but their music all shares one common thread: it comes from the heart.
“We have a blast together,” Clark said. “We really like each other as human beings, we have true and genuine chemistry on stage. Our sense of humor is all very different, but it all gels so well. We sing and play each other’s songs, there’s no band up there, just the three of us… It’s just a lot of banter and the tour is full of songs the audience will know and love.”
All three women were a part of the movement that revolutionized country music in the 80s and 90s. Women were flooding through the charts, cranking out hit after hit as they proved country music was only stronger with their influence.
It’s something that now is seldom seen and sitting through the Chicks with Hits show is a bittersweet nod at the days gone by.
The entire set is filled with familiar melodies, songs entire generations fell in love with years ago. People are always on their feet, singing and laughing along with the witty and spontaneous dialogue.
Clark describes the show as a casual experience. She compares it to sitting in a giant living room. They’ll discuss everything from what their day was like to where they went on an adventure to lunch. It draws the audience in and makes them a part of the conversation.
All three of the artists stayed true to their roots. As they continue to release music the albums evolve, but the style never strays from the original country inspiration that brought their songs to life. The songs drift to include some rock and blues influences, but continue to pay homage to classic country.
“It’s a reminder every time we’re up there, a reminder of a great time in country music,” Clark said. “The 90s was very female friendly… there were women all over the chart and now it’s become very scant. In a way, I think people may need to reach back and see shows like what we are doing, to remember what country music was and what it can be.”
Each of the three artists will have several of their top hits featured. The other two will help play the melody and sing along with the catchy tunes. Some will be upbeat party songs while others will be more folksy. At the end of the show there will be montage of a lot of their other hits that didn’t fit into the show.
As much fun as bringing their own songs to the stage are, Clark said it has been a blast getting to sing harmony with Tillis and Bogguss. It’s something relitively new as they haven’t spent decades doing it and through the experience they’ve found a new love for their co-star’s music as well as a deeper appreciation of their own songs as they watch them reimagined through the unique setup of their tour.
“Come on out to the show, it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Clark said. “I guarantee a fun time and a lot of strawberry themed food.”