Country Music Hall of Fame duo Brooks & Dunn treated Nashville fans to a rare free show on Oct. 20, turning Loser’s Bar & Grill into a pop-up party and concert. The unexpected show was announced a day earlier and helped celebrate 35 years of their career since launching the "Brand New Man" album.
Released in August 1991, the seminal project produced four consecutive No. 1 singles and introduced the world to Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, helping define '90s country and everything thereafter. The genre would never be the same. Brooks thanked the crowd for he and Dunn's long, legendary (and sometimes-testy) career.
“We've been riding the bus for 35 years trying to figure out how to get off of it, but y’all won’t let us and thank God for that!” he said.
The duo's concert at Loser's took over the venue's rear parking lot, creating enough space for a few hundred fans. Most gathered in front of the stage while others packed onto the roof of Loser's, or even onto the roof of John Daly's Nashville next door.
A line of fans had formed hours before Brooks & Dunn took the stage just after 7:30 p.m. Those who showed up early were rewarded with free Brooks & Dunn hats, souvenirs made just for the occasion. One of the early fans was Nashville resident Mitchell Gourley, who said he stood in line from 4 p.m. Others like Alabama native Bridger Partridge said he was busy working nearby and showed up too late to get the hat. He loved Brooks & Dunn so much he paid a fellow concertgoer $50 to get his.
"Worth every penny," he said.
Dunn arrived onstage in a denim jacket and his signature aviator sunglasses, while Brooks opted for a vest and Western-style button-down, plus his ever-present black cowboy hat. They didn't hesitate. They jumped straight into the reason for the show, performing their debut single and first No. 1 "Brand New Man" to start the night.
The duo have spent decades headlining arenas and even stadiums, yet seemed just as comfortable commanding a relatively small stage. Their laid-back style and set list filled with familiar hits helped create a party atmosphere in the crowd, with many in the back chatting as they enjoyed an only-in-Nashville Tuesday night. Those in the front hung on every note.
Iconic tracks like "Red Dirt Road" inspired nostalgic singalongs, and the crowd howled the memorable hook from "Play Something Country." A sea of phones went up as the opening lines to "Neon Moon" rang out, and Dunn reached down to gift a signed guitar to a stunned man in the front row, whom The Tennessean identified as Chris Waterman.
Brooks showed off his considerable harmonica skills on "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)," while the octave-jumping hook of "My Maria" had the crowd attempting to keep up with Dunn, who will doubtless be remembered as one of modern country's greatest vocalists.
During the encore, the joyful "Boot Scootin' Boogie" even inspired a true rarity for a Nashville crowd. It got people dancing. And as confetti cannons exploded at the end of "Only in America," Brooks & Dunn said their farewells. Theirs is a musical brotherhood that hasn't always extended much beyond the stage, but it has given them so much.
At one point Brooks took time to tell the story of the duo's founding, when record label executive Tim DuBois approached two headstrong singer-songwriters struggling to gain a foothold and suggested they team up.
"We don't want to," Brooks recalled saying with a chuckle.
They ultimately took DuBois' advice. Brooks said they wrote "Brand New Man" the very next day. And the day after that, they wrote "My Next Broken Heart," which would become their second single and No. 1. Nearly 35 years later, as the most-awarded artists in CMA Awards history, Brooks said he couldn't believe fans were "out here in a parking lot with us, lighting this place up."
"Cheers to you, I know a lot of you have been with us since day one, here’s to paying our rent for the last 30-some years," he said. "You’ve done a hell of a job, thank you!”
Brooks & Dunn Loser’s Bar set list
- "Brand New Man"*
- "My Next Broken Heart"*
- "She’s Not the Cheating Kind"
- "Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up for Nothing"
- "We’ll Burn That Bridge"
- "You're Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone"
- "Ain’t Nothing 'Bout You"
- "Lost and Found"*
- "Play Something Country"
- "Neon Moon"*
- "Rock My World Little Country Girl"
- "My Maria"
Encore
- "Boot Scootin' Boogie"*
- "Only In America"
*Tracks from "Brand New Man"
Chris Parton is a music reporter for The Tennessean. Follow him on Facebook and Instagram @partonikusmax.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Brooks & Dunn play free concert to mark 35 years of 'Brand New Man'
