The Chicks Announce ‘Taking the Long Way’ 20th Anniversary Reissue Featuring Demos, Bonus Tracks

The Chicks are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 2006 album Taking the Long Way. The trio’s seventh album, the last one to employ their original stage name, The Dixie Chicks, was originally released on May 23, 2006, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The special reissue, Taking the Long Way: 20th Anniversary Edition, is due out on Oct. 2 as a 3LP package featuring two previously unreleased tracks, “Thin Line” and “Live Wire,” as well as demo versions of “Not Ready to Make Nice” and “Flowers”; the unreleased tracks will also be available to stream for the first time. Click here to pre-order the anniversary edition.

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Taking the Long Way. These songs take us right back to one of the most defining times in our lives, and it’s incredible how much they still resonate today,” the group said in a statement. “We’re so excited to finally share some unreleased tracks and to perform the entire album on this tour. It feels like the perfect way to celebrate this journey with the fans who have been with us every step of the way.”

The Chicks — Natalie Maines, Martie Maguire and Emily Strayer — earned five Grammys for the original version of the album, including album of the year, as well as record and song of the year for their boot-digging-in anthem “Not Ready to Make Nice,” which ran up to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The trio will launch the 20th anniversary Taking the Long Way tour — on which they will perform the entire album live in concert for the first time along with fan-favorite hits — on Sept. 30 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, with newly added dates in Philadelphia (Oct. 7), Boston (Oct. 9) and a third show in Los Angeles (Nov. 3).

Check out the dates for The Chicks’ Taking the Long Way 20th anniversary tour below: