Concert review: Brooks and Dunn delight near-capacity Xcel Energy Center crowd

Ross Raihala, Pioneer Press
·2 min read
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Reunited country duo Brooks and Dunn headlined St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center for the first time in 13 years Saturday night. And, in a way, the evening felt like a throwback to the days of 2010.

For starters, tickets were reasonably priced compared to a lot of the competition. That, and the fact the duo played most of the songs from their 2010 show. It’s not like they don’t have more to choose from, as they scored more than 40 Top 10 hits in the ’90s and ’00s, including 20 No. 1s.

Then again, these guys have been doing this for decades and have clearly figured out what songs work best in a live setting. Ronnie Dunn (the one with the hair) and Kix Brooks (the one with the mustache) were struggling solo acts when a producer suggested they join forces in 1990. After nearly two decades, they decided to call it quits with a 2010 farewell tour. But after becoming struggling solo acts once again, the pair reunited in 2015 to play Vegas with Reba McEntire and have continued to tour and play festivals.

Nostalgia for ’90s country is currently booming — current superstar Luke Combs closed his U.S. Bank Stadium gig last month with a cover of Brooks and Dunn’s show opener “Brand New Man” — so it makes sense that the guys who helped popularize line dancing with their 1992 smash “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” are taking advantage of the renewed interest. (The only new music the duo has released since reuniting was “Reboot,” a collection of a dozen old hits re-recorded with the help of current stars, including the aforementioned Combs.)

As always, Brooks and Dunn — who are both pushing 70 — were backed by a top-notch band. But unlike 2010, when the guys seemed to be on autopilot, both were noticeably more energetic and engaged, with each other, their songs and the near-capacity crowd. And unlike many of his peers across the genres, Dunn can still sing and brought the appropriate heft to the likes of “Put a Girl in It,” “Hard Workin’ Man” and “Play Something Country.” Brooks, too, delivered on the gently wistful “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone.”

The jubilant crowd ate it all up, dancing in the aisles to the likes of “Ain’t Nothing ‘Bout You” and singing along to “Red Dirt Road.” One gets the feeling they won’t have to wait another 13 years to see them again.

After an opening set from newcomer Megan Moroney, “American Idol” champ Scotty McCreery took the stage for a well-received performance that focused on his hits. He performed his biggest one, “Five More Minutes,” alone with his guitar and encouraged the crowd to sing along. The audience also loved his cover of George Strait’s “Check Yes or No,” which McCreery sang in the 10th season finale of “Idol,” and his homage to Strait, “Damn Strait.”

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