The Chicks' Taking the Long Way turns 20 with demos, two rarities and a US theatre tour

Taking the Long Way, the album The Chicks made after the biggest backlash of their career, is 20 years old, and the trio have marked it with an expanded edition that came out on 2 October 2026.

The new 3LP set adds five bonus tracks to the original record: demo versions of "Not Ready to Make Nice", "So Hard" and "Flowers", plus two rarities, "Thin Line" and "Live Wire". According to the label's announcement, "Thin Line" and "Live Wire" are streaming for the first time, and the "Flowers" demo is previously unreleased. The vinyl comes with an etched side and refreshed cover art and packaging, and the expanded edition is also on streaming services.

Why this record matters

For readers meeting the band for the first time: The Chicks (Natalie Maines, Emily Strayer and Martie Maguire) were one of the biggest country acts in the world when Maines criticised the then US president on stage in London in March 2003. Radio stations dropped them and their fans turned on them. Taking the Long Way, released on 23 May 2006 on Columbia Records, was their answer.

It was also a real risk. The album was produced by Rick Rubin, leaned into rock and singer-songwriter territory, and answered the fallout directly on "Not Ready to Make Nice". It went on to win five Grammys, including Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Hearing the demo of that song next to the finished version is the obvious draw here. We have not yet heard the full expanded edition, so we are not going to describe how the demos sound. What we can say is that it is rare for the early sketches of a song this loaded to be released at all.

The tour

The band are playing the album on a run of US theatre dates that began on 30 September at the Fox Theatre in Detroit. The remaining dates, per the band's own tour page:

• 6 October: The Anthem, Washington, DC
• 7 October: The Met, Philadelphia
• 9 October: MGM Music Hall at Fenway, Boston
• 10, 12 and 13 October: Beacon Theatre, New York
• 15 October: The Truth, Nashville
• 17 and 18 October: Majestic Theatre, San Antonio
• 20 October: Bass Concert Hall, Austin
• 25 and 26 October: Benaroya Hall, Seattle
• 29 and 30 October: The Masonic, San Francisco
• 1 to 3 November: Dolby Theatre, Hollywood

Tickets and any remaining availability are on the band's tour page.

If you have only ever known one song from this era, start with the album. The Spotify and Apple Music pages for the new edition carry the bonus tracks at the end.