Dixie Chicks star comes to terms with anti-Bush backlash

The members of country trio the Dixie Chicks faced their most terrifying show in Dallas, Texas in 2003 - after an extremist threatened to kill singer Natalie Maines onstage.

The group became victims of outraged country fans after Maines made anti-George Bush comments during a concert in London.

Fiddler Martie Seidel says: "There was a death threat - Natalie was to be shot dead at a certain show in Dallas."

Maines herself admits she was more sad than worried: "I was just sad for this person who wanted to kill me for the stupid thing that I said… We took huge precautions, but it wasn't out of fear, it was out of necessity."

Looking back, Seidel admits the death threat was just one of many hysterical reactions to a simple comment.

She adds: "Country radio stations were doing organised CD smashings. People would call into radio stations and say I will never listen to your station again unless you take them off the air."

The backlash drove Maines to tears when she appeared on TV to talk about her comments, but now she accepts it was all very silly.

She laughs: "Someone wrote: 'When Saddam Hussein hears what Natalie said he'll know he won.' What? Saddam Hussein is not gonna hear what I said?"