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The Salt Lake City Games had the highest-rated Olympic opening ceremony ever, with showcase performances by the Dixie Chicks and LeAnn Rimes. Some 72 million people watched the gala televised event here in the States, and an amazing 3 billion tuned in worldwide. The Dixie Chicks joined in a giant on-ice hoedown, after skaters dressed in prairie skirts and cowboy hats re-enacted the journey to the West by the Donner Party and Mormon pioneers. Chicks lead singer Natalie Maines's rallying cry - "Y'all ready?" - scored a rowdy response from the sold-out crowd of 55,000 who packed Rice-Eccles Olympic Stadium. Later, Rimes performed "Light The Fire Within," a song written especially for the event.
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