The Chicks singer Natalie Maines was the target of a death threat when the country trio played in Texas in 2003.

Tensions were high already, as the backlash from the singer’s comments about President Bush was still stronger than a heavy storm. Then the threat came in, just before their show at American Airlines Center in Dallas on July 6.

“(They) had a time, had a place, had a weapon. I mean, everything,” Emily Robison told 60 Minutes in 2006 (quote via People). The note said, “‘You will be shot dead at your show in Dallas.'”

Maines drew the ire of conservative fans when she disparaged then-President George W. Bush during the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, saying she was “embarrassed” that he was from Texas. The comment caused such intense backlash that it had a permanent negative impact on the career of the then-Dixie Chicks, who had been the most successful group in country music before finding themselves essentially banned from radio stations all over the country.

In addition to heightened security, the band went straight from police cars to the stage and back to police cars after the show, which thankfully went off without incident. Country listeners were upset with the group, and apparently, one person was ready to take things much too far.

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Billy Dukes is a Senior Editor and Executive Producer of Video Content at Taste of Country. He specializes in country music interviews, trend analysis and the Secret History of Country Music. Additionally, Billy covers Yellowstone, 1923 and related television shows through the Dutton Rules podcast. To date, he’s written more than 13,000 articles for Taste of Country and produced over 3,000 videos for the Taste of Country YouTube channel.