The surprise collaboration between Beyonce and the Dixie Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards continues to rock the music world – but not everyone was impressed and some country fans have unleashed their anger on social media.
Since the show aired on Wednesday night, the CMA’s Facebook page and other social media accounts have been filled with comments about the performance of Beyonce’s country-flavoured song Daddy Lessons.
The performance got plenty of attention, and some rave reviews.
Me either!!! 💃 Loving this! @Beyonce @dixiechicks #CMAawards50 https://t.co/f4V1XyF7R4
— Reese Witherspoon (@RWitherspoon) November 3, 2016
But some were outraged that Beyonce and the Dixie Chicks, who have been estranged from the country music world since their insult of then-US president George Bush in 2003, were allowed to perform at all.
Some questioned the Dixie Chicks’ patriotism, while others claimed Beyonce is anti-police because she has addressed police brutality in her music videos.
There were also complaints that Beyonce is not a country artist, although the CMAs routinely feature non-country artists in collaborations.
Some Beyonce fans accused the CMAs of taking down references to the performance on social media; the CMA Twitter page had only a brief reference to it. However, its Instagram page promoted a free download of the collaboration and its Facebook account shared photos and video of it .
“CMA has not erased any mentions of Beyonce’s performance on the CMA Awards,” a spokesman said.
“Beyonce’s performance with Dixie Chicks was a highlight of the evening and we are continuing to share the amazing full-length performance clip via our official social channels.”
#WaybackWednesday to 2000 when the Chicks racked up 4 CMA Awards for Best Entertainer, Vocal Group, Album (Fly) & Music Video (Goodbye Earl) pic.twitter.com/ujuj7bfqXI
— Dixie Chicks (@dixiechicks) November 2, 2016
This isn’t the first time the Dixie Chicks have riled up country music fans. The Grammy-winning group, superstars of the genre, nearly had their career derailed after lead singer Natalie Maines said in 2003 that they were ashamed of then-president Bush for the invasion of Iraq.
Radio stations refused to play their music and they were denounced by conservatives and many fans. Maines has also been critical of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
But overall, the country artists who performed and were honoured at Wednesday’s awards were overwhelmingly supportive of the performance.
“She’s a classy, classy lady and I am proud that she could take the time to come and show up,” Chris Stapleton said of Beyonce backstage after the show.
