After another extended break to set up the stage, most of which I spent waiting in line for the restroom, it was time for the main attraction! The lights went down to the opening bars of "Red Dirt Road" and when the screens lifted the spot lights shone on Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn.
They filled the first part of their set with lots of music and no talking. The drumsticks were out for both "Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothing" and "Rock My World Little Country Girl." If you are unfamiliar with a Brooks and Dunn concert there are a couple of songs where Kix sings while Ronnie beats on a cowbell with a drumstick and then tosses the drumstick out into the audience. Someone from back stage will toss Ronnie another one each time he gives his to the crowd. This is one of my favorite parts of the show. I'm a big fan of entertainers who acknowledge the audience in any little way they can and this little game that Ronnie plays is always fun and exciting.
Of course one of my reviews wouldn't be complete without me bragging on my favorite song of the night. Yet again "Neon Moon" won the honors. It has always been my favorite Brooks and Dunn song and I just love hearing Ronnie sing it live. The lights on stage dim down and a great big full moon appears on the screen at the back. Ronnie stands center stage with a cool looking blue guitar with a half moon on it that lights up. At the end of the song Ronnie asked the crowd to sing the chorus and we sang it with no loud instruments, just the thousands of fans filling up the arena singing as best we could. After we take our turn Ronnie shows off and does the last part a capella which brings goosebumps to my arms every time. It was amazing!
Kix had a little house keeping to do and he pulled a piece of paper out and read a couple names. He told them to come down to the stage because they had won something. Well, we realized it was all a set up when Kix got the guy a mic and he hit his knee and proposed. The crowd went wild and when it died down we heard her say yes and they kissed. What an amazing way to be proposed to! If my future Mr. Right is reading this... that's how I want to be asked! Kix asked for their camera and said he'd take a picture. He told the guy to get back on his knee for a "re-enactment" and Kix took a picture of them. It was a really sweet and special moment and heartwarming to watch. I am a bit of a romantic, but don't worry, I didn't cry!
The countdown to midnight was on as Kix checked his watch before singing "You're Gonna Miss Me." I had to take a brief break from snapping photos so I could call a friend and let Kix sing to her. After several more songs, the moment arrived and the countdown to 2007 appeared on the big screen. It was already at 7 so everyone counted down together and screamed Happy New Year as the room was filled with confetti, streamers, and hundreds of balloons fell from above! It was quite the sight as the red white and blue balloons of all different shapes and sizes fell down into the crowd only to be batted around for the rest of the night.
After the excitement settled down the guys went right back into the music and sang more of their hits to the happy crowd. There were two more episodes of confetti and streamers, the last of which was during the encore while the duo sang "Only in America." The floor was completely covered with brightly colored streamers and chunks of confetti.
During "Boot Scootin' Boogie," Kix brought a young girl up on stage and he danced with her for a while and then lifted her off her feet and the two of them spun around and around and around. I was quite impressed that neither one of them fell over afterwards. The girl was very cute and had the biggest smile on her face. This is another example of how Brooks and Dunn bring themselves closer to the audience and it's so wonderful to see.
So what was my overall impression of the evening? Well of course I thoroughly enjoyed the concert. From the perspective of a concert goer, Brooks and Dunn never disappoint, and I really enjoyed Trace and Jason as well. If it were just any other concert I would have left there completely excited without an ounce of disappointment. But it wasn't just any other concert, it was New Year's Eve, and I guess I was just expecting a little more, or something a little different. It's hard to explain how one can be disappointed without really being disappointed per se. I guess my expectations weren't met, even though I didn't actually have any specific expectations. I was at another concert on Brooks and Dunn's Long Haul Tour a few months back, and this night really wasn't all that different. Yes, the opening acts did get longer sets, and yes there was a lot more confetti, and yes it was very cool to ring in the New Year at a concert... but I was looking for more than I was given. Maybe I'm just being greedy, I don't know, but I was left with this little part of me that wasn't completely satisfied.
Anyway, enough about me. Brooks and Dunn are consummate performers and they give their all on that stage. If we focus on that, I have no complaints what so ever!
Set List:
- Red Dirt Road
- You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl
- Building Bridges
- Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothing
- Neon Moon
- Rock My World Little Country Girl
- You're Gonna Miss Me
- That's What It's All About
- Ain't Nothin Bout You
- It's Getting Better All the Time
- Brand New Man
- Hillbilly Deluxe
- Play Something Country
- That Girl Likes to Get Out of Town
- Boot Scootin' Boogie
- My Maria
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Encore:
- Believe
- Only in America