The Last Rodeo

Brooks & Dunn have been at the top of the country charts since the duo began their professional career together in 1991. Their first four songs hit number one and the duo has never looked back...until now.

Billed "The Last Rodeo," the current tour marks the last time that the award-winning, commercially successful twosome plan to perform together. Their "Last Rodeo" made its stop in the heartland last night at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO.

The beauty of Brooks & Dunn has always been their consistency at producing hits which run the gamut from ballads to up-tempo, with rock influences, to gospel. The broad array of styles has kept the band, and duo, fresh and allowed them to have broad appeal--their sound bridges the gap from country-pop to traditional country. Both men write, sing and play but it's most often Ronnie Dunn's majestic voice which is on display in the majority of their hits.

Unfortunately, last night's performance was marred by a sore throat which Dunn admitted was bothering him. He still managed to hit most of the right notes, particularly on "Believe," his vocal highlight of the evening. Unlike the past show when I saw them, Kix Brooks was more on display last night, showcasing his vocal chops, and ability to work a crowd, with songs like "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" and "The Last Rodeo."

Last night's show was country professionalism on display. The musicianship of the band was tight, the interplay with the crowd pushed all the right fan-artist relationship buttons, the arena audio got progressively better during the performance, and two master songwriters--and singers--left the stage having fulfilled yet another capacity crowd. I wasn't surprised--they've been doing it now for 20 years...it's nice to see guys like this going out on top.

SET LIST: Play Something Country; You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl; Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothing; Put a Girl In It; You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone; Ain't Nothing 'Bout You; Last Rodeo; Lost and Found; That's What She Gets For Loving Me; It's Getting Better All the Time; Cowgirls Don't Cry; My Next Broken Heart; Red Dirt Road; She Likes to Get Out of Town; Believe; Rock My World (Little Country Girl); Only In America; My Maria; Boot Scootin' Boogie.