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Spotlight On Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn Brought Their Cowboy Town Tour to Phoenix, Arizona
Photos by Glenda S. Paradee
 Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn performed in Phoenix, AZ on Saturday, August 2, 2008 at Cricket Wireless Pavilion.
Special guests Rodney Atkins opened the show and ZZ Top closed the show with many hits from throughout their
career.
Opening with the title track from their latest CD, Cowboy Town, Brooks & Dunn had the audience on its feet. Large video screens with crystal-clear images of the desert and blowing sagebrush provided a dramatic backdrop.
A few tunes later, the pair kept the country-rock vibe going with Rock My World (Little Country Girl). Brooks took the lead vocals and a hot fiddle solo drove the song.
With a banjo adding country flavor, Brooks & Dunn's uptempo set continued with the Southern rock-flavored Hillbilly Deluxe, full of images of NACSAR, Tastee Freez and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
Dunn showed off his soaring vocals in the slower Neon Moon, which ended with he and his partner out on the runway stretching into the crowd, singing a cappella.
The pair brought their three female backup vocalists onto the runway for the country-rock of She Likes To Get Out Of Town. Like the six-piece backup band, the three vocalists were top-flight.
One of the set's most touching moments came during the slow ballad, Believe, in which Dunn sang about lessons of life learned from an old man.
The pair got patriotic in a version of their huge hit, Only In America, bringing two members of the Navy and two Marines onstage. The crowd responded with shouts of "U.S.A.! U.S.A. !"
Brooks and Dunn both are in their 50s, but their onstage energy remained strong throughout their set.
Texas' ZZ Top took the stage to close things out, and most of the audience remained to hear the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame power trio.
>From the fuzzy opening chords of Got Me Under Pressure, it was clear that guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard would be in fine form.
Gibbons and Hill traded vocals, their trademark beards blowing in the summer breeze. They swayed together to the music, another trademark dating back to their 1980s MTV heyday.
One of those classic MTV videos formed the backdrop for Gimme All Your Lovin', which featured one of many hot leads played by Gibbons. The guitarist was simply scorching during Waitin' on the Bus, which led into a crowd favorite, Jesus Just Left Chicago. His slide guitar work on Just Got Paid was exquisite.
Gibbons' voice, though always gravelly, sounded better than it did when the group visited the Dodge Theatre in 2007. "Man, it's kind of hot tonight," Gibbons deadpanned at one point, drawing laughter.
Gibbons was generous in showcasing the bass work of Hill, pointing to his partner as he laid down heavy riffs during such tunes as I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide and Cheap Sunglasses, which spotlighted Hill on vocals.
Gibbons and Hill brought out their famous "fuzzy guitars" for Legs, with another anicient MTV video playing.
The trio brought out Brooks & Dunn for their final two encore numbers, Tube Snake Boogie and a fun take on Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock. Brooks impressed with some extended harmonica solos.
"Same three guys, same three chords. We've been doing this all with y'all for 40 years," Gibbons said during the show, drawing hoots of approval.
It was a great night with Brooks & Dunn, Rodney Atkins and ZZ Top.
More on Kix & Ronnie
Kix's Bio
Kix Brooks began performing and writing songs at age 12 in his hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana. He performed in clubs and other venues throughout high school and college. Eventually he landed in Nashville, where he joined Tree Publishing Company and had songs cut by artists such as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, John Conlee, and Highway 101. In 1990 Brooks teamed with Ronnie Dunn to form Brooks & Dunn, who are the highest selling duo in the history of country music. They have sold more than 30 million records, have had 23 #1 hits, and have won over 80 major industry awards. Brooks & Dunn currently hold the record for number of awards won at both the ACM and the CMA Awards and continue to be a driving force in the music industry. Brooks is also the host of "American Country Countdown" which is an internationally syndicated radio program that counts down the top 40 country songs of the previous week.
Brooks served as President, in 2004, and Chairman, in 2005, of the Country Music Association (CMA). He remains an active board member of the CMA and serves as part of the Blue Ribbon Committee. The Blue Ribbon Committee is a select group of professionals including the mayor, chosen to bring the city of Nashville and the Music Industry closer together. Brooks is also on the boards of Vanderbilt Children's Hospital and the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is the local spokesperson for Monroe Harding Children's Home and has recently been appointed as a director for 1st American Bank. Brooks has been married to his wife Barbara for 26 years and they have two children Molly, 21, and Eric,18.
Ronnie's Bio
Ronnie Dunn was born in Coleman, Texas to a hard living, truck driving, country music singing father and a conservative church going mother. Dunn navigated a winding road that led him from West Texas to New Mexico, Arkansas and Oklahoma and through thirteen schools in twelve years.
"Music was about the only constant in life", says Dunn.
In 1990, Dunn moved from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Nashville and was
introduced by Arista Records label head, Tim Dubois, to Kix Brooks.
They formed a partnership that has catapulted them into the hearts and
souls of country music fans everywhere.
Since their initial pairing in 1990, Brooks & Dunn have been at the top of the country music singles charts 23 times with songs like Brand New Man, Boot Scootin Boogie, You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone, My Maria, Only In America, and Red Dirt Road. They are the industry's most award winning duo and have been named "Entertainers of the Year" four times. They have gathered 20 Country Music Association Awards and 26 Academy of Country Music Awards; more than any other artist in CMA and ACM history, recently surpassing the legendary Merle Haggard in 2005. With their exceedingly popular tours and more than 30 million records sold Brooks & Dunn continue to dominate the music industry.
Ronnie has twice been named the BMI Country Songwriter of the year. He was the Billboard Magazine country songwriter of the year in 1996. He was inducted into the Arkansas Music Hall of Fame in 2005. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He has received 23 BMI Million Airplay Awards for songs written that have attained one million, or more radio airplay status. Dunn was voted the Gospel Songwriter of the Year by the Gospel Music Association, in 2006 for his writing of the song, Believe.
He has been married to his wife, Janine for 17 years and has three children.
B&D GET THEIR STAR ON WALK OF FAME!
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn got their well-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this morning in a ceremony attended by Dr. Phil! Kix told television reporters the star was "a dream come true ... to think this is happening to us is very surreal." The star, the 2,367th one awarded, is at 7021 Hollywood Blvd, near Highland, in Los Angeles.
TV talk show host "Dr. Phil" McGraw, a long-time fan of the duo, said "there has never been a more deserving pair" to earn a star. McGraw noted that Kix and Ronnie are the same guys whether the camera is on or off, and called them "as real as it gets. They are as real as their music."
His wife, Robin, was also in attendance. She recalled when the duo made a surprise Valentine's Day visit to the set of "Dr. Phil" in 2004 to serenade her with "That's What She Gets For Loving Me."
Brooks & Dunn Fan Club: www.brooks-dunn.com
Thanks For The Music Brooks & Dunn
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