Meanwhile, during one break in the show, the screen simply cycled through names of cities and numbers. A few city names in, it became clear that it was a list of mass shootings and the number of people dead in each: Columbine, 13; Las Vegas, 60; Sandy Hook, 26. It would not surprise me if they intend to update the video with the Uvalde shooting.
But perhaps the most potent moment of the show was the performance of “March March.” The song’s video, initially released during the wave of protests that followed the murder of George Floyd in 2020, cycles through the names of Black people killed by police. For the stage show, Maines took a drum solo while the names flashed behind her. The screen cycled through signs that read, “Dump your racist boyfriend” and “Hands off Roe.” As Maines concluded her solo, the screen held on a woman holding a protest sign that read, “My body, my choice.” The crowd roared in appreciation. Then a pair of protest signs appeared, one that read, “Keep your laws off our bodies,” and another that read, “End the filibuster, expand the court, codify Roe v Wade.”
I am grateful to have Maines’ voice, with its precise and dignified rage. I am grateful, too, that she can take moments to rest her voice because she no longer has to be the only one saying what needs to be said. Her disciples are many, whether it’s Rodrigo and Bridgers or Swift and Morris.
After she said “fuck the Supreme Court,” Maines launched into “Long Way Home.” On this night, it’s the song that strained her voice most, pushing her to the very edges of her still-recovering vocals. But she reached for the notes with her trademark ferocity, knowing that if she doesn’t make it all the way there this time, the crowd is ready to carry out the mission and finish the job. ●
