When Brooks & Dunn saddled up for what they billed as their “Last Rodeo” farewell tour in 2010, they really meant it as a final goodbye.
But now the iconic duo is back together for their third straight summer outing — and if their newfound gusto is any indication, it seems like the time-tested pair will be kicking up dust for the foreseeable future.
To hear co-founding guitarist and vocalist Kix Brooks tell it, that longevity is due in large part to the fans who still turn out in droves to stadiums like Denver’s Ball Arena, where the venerated ’90s country hitmakers will take the stage May 31.
“It’s not just the folks that have been paying our rent for 30 years, but we’ve got a whole new bunch of fans that are bringing a lot of energy to the shows,” Brooks says. “That whole room is awake, and it’s putting fire into me and Ronnie Dunn. Now [when] we walk out there, it’s not like, ‘Here we go again.’ It’s like, ‘This is going to be fun.’ And as an entertainer, that’s what you want to feel when you’re walking out on stage.
“Even though we played these songs so many times, it just doesn’t feel tired,” he continues. “And there was a place where, even with new music out there, it was feeling tired to us. The redundance of just going out and doing it night after night was maybe wearing us down. But like Ronnie said the other night, this is about as much fun as we’ve ever had doing this.”
Brooks says the band’s touring configuration, rounded out by a cast of veteran players from across the industry, is a big reason why the Country Music Hall of Fame duo is feeling rejuvenated on stage. As a result, the 69-year-old says his skills are sharper than ever.
“I wish to hell I’d been singing this well there in the thick of our career,” he says. “I was really learning how to sing on stage even though I’d sung in a million bars. I was just screaming my way through it. That doesn’t get it when you actually do hit the big time. And now I’ve kind of learned to breathe, learned to sing over time, and I go on stage with some confidence that at least I can do my part and do it well.”
Reboot scoot ’n’ boogie
Brooks & Dunn initially got coaxed back into action when they were offered a 2015 residency slot with Reba McEntire in Las Vegas. It was a familiar pairing, following Brook & Dunn’s collaboration with McEntire on the 1998 hit ballad, “If You See Him/If You See Her.” Their subsequent tours together were major draws, which translated to the 105-show Vegas residency.
“That was a real fun few years together,” Brooks says. “I think we all got to the point that we felt like, ‘Well, we worked Vegas pretty hard.’ Ronnie and I … just kind of [thought] we ought to put another tour together. Let’s go do this.”
As Brooks & Dunn got back in the swing of performing, they were getting indications that their popularity had not waned in the dozen years since their most recent album, 2007’s Cowboy Town.
That much was confirmed with their 2019 anthology Reboot, a collection of a dozen hits from across their career, re-recorded with a host of current stars from the country scene. Luke Combs took on “Brand New Man,” the title track of Brooks & Dunn’s 1991 debut album and the duo’s first chart-topping single. Thomas Rhett put his spin on “My Maria” and pop-country queen Kacey Musgraves gave new life to the outfit’s iconic ballad “Neon Moon,” bringing these classic cuts to a new generation of listeners.
“We threw a record together just not even trying,” Brooks says of the chart-topping album that set the stage for a return to national touring. “It was like it just came together so effortlessly and with a lot of joy in the studio.”
‘What’s our legacy?’
During their initial run together, Brooks & Dunn helped transform the country concert experience, bringing to their shows the kind of elaborate stage sets and visual production that were already common in the rock world. So it’s no surprise that this summer’s Reboot 2024 tour will boast its share of eye candy.
“It’s hard not to turn around during the show and catch some of that,” Brooks says. “Hopefully fans will be impressed by some of the visuals, and it’s always good to get the right thing that kind of helps to rock the music along, too.”
Of course, fans come first and foremost to hear the music. This was the case even when Brooks & Dunn kept upping the visual ante during the 1990s and the 2000s, and will no doubt hold true for their upcoming return to the Front Range.
“Even back then, as much fun as we were having doing crazy stuff like that, we always questioned each other: ‘What’s our legacy going to be? Is all this nonsense going to ultimately take away from why we really came here and what we really care about?’ Which always was the music,” he says. “But fortunately, I guess we have survived, at least at this point.”
ON THE BILL: Brooks & Dunn: Reboot 2024 Tour.
7 p.m. Friday, May 31, Ball Arena, 1000 Chopper Circle, Denver. $130+