Omaha, Nebraska (Brooks & Dunn Fans Website) - It's been a long time since 4-time Entertainers of the Year
Brooks & Dunn - once hailed by USA Today for heralding "the return of macho country" with their Neon Circus & Wild West Show tours - have opened for anyone, but? Sunday night at Omaha, Nebraska's Qwest Center,
Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks took the stage to open for the Rolling Stones.
"It felt a lot like one of our crowds - people were dancing and singing along," says Dunn of the vocal chords that can reduce a melody into direct emotional current. "It looked a lot like our crowds, except everyone was wearing t-shirts with these open mouths with tongues rolling out of them."
Brooks, the high-flying guitar slinging singer/songwriter who debuted the brand new female liberation anthem "Get Out of Town" at the show, laughs and concurs, "It makes you feel good when you know that they paid to see the Stones, but the crowd acts like they're happy to see you."
They were more than happy to see the second biggest selling duo of all time - behind Simon & Garfunkel, no less - the belly-to-belly crowd gave Brooks & Dunn an extended standing ovation for their high-energy, higher-impact 45 minute set that was long on tempo and longer on big guitars, bass, drums and pedal steel.
When the Stones came into the Rattlesnake Lounge between the acts, Keith Richards himself inquired, "Were there really seven guitars up there?" Always one to deflect and go for the quick laugh, Dunn responded, "Yes, but really only two of them mattered?"
Michael Cohl, the legendary Rolling Stones tour promoter, didn't see any of the self-deprecation that the power-singer was exhibiting. Having shared stages with Metallica, Los Lonely Boys, Joss Stone and the Black-Eyed Peas since kicking off at Boston's Fenway Park August 21, Cohl took B&D's manager aside to share, "You guys have gotten a bigger response than any other act on this tour."
For Brooks & Dunn, who've played the Olympics, several Presidential inaugurations and Farm Aid among other special events, as well as appearing on the Corn Flakes box, opening for the greatest rock & roll band in the world is a whole other kind of thrill. Or as Dunn asked upon leaving the stage, "How do you top this? How? do you? top this?"
Hard to say. But if any act in modern country music is capable of coming up with something, the smart money's on Brooks & Dunn, two full-grown men who aren't afraid to play loud and larger than life.
