Brooks & Dunn Review

Country legends Brooks & Dunn take RodeoHouston to the '90s with nostalgic set

Brooks & Dunn performed in front of this year's largest crowd to date.

Courtesy of Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

I’ve probably overstated it to an annoying degree this year, but country from the ‘90s and early ‘00s has been the prevailing vibe at NRG Stadium in 2025, from Zach Top’s stadium-sized mustache-country revival to Post Malone’s pyro-packed pop twangers.

On Saturday, March 22, Brooks & Dunn pulled into NRG Stadium armed with 15 of their greatest hits to remind 71,265 fans of the duo's stranglehold on the country charts during the Clinton era.

Starting with the one-two punch of 1991’s “Brand New Man” and 1993’s “Hard Workin’ Man” releases. Each chart-topper came with big choruses, crunchy guitars, hair metal drums, and politely raunchy wordplay perfect for honky tonk dance floors and arenas. They were so prolific that by 2009, when all was said and done, a career-spanning greatest hits compilation spanned two discs.

Kix Brooks, 69, and Ronnie Dunn, 71, debuted next door at the Astrodome during RodeoHouston’s 1992 stand, and they remained an annual mainstay through 2010. Their iconic back-to-back stage pose is imprinted indelibly on generations of fans over 19 shows. The pair disbanded for close to a half-decade (personally coaxed back to the stage by Reba McEntire) and made their return to NRG Stadium in 2019 and 2023. The duo’s merchandise in the concourse turns the clock back to the ‘90s, complete with purple lightning and cow skulls.

Brooks & Dunn’s latest releases have included two editions of the Reboot album series, which has paired the duo with some of the biggest country acts on the scene, including Morgan Wallen, Kacey Musgraves, Megan Moroney, and Jelly Roll to reimagine hits like “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” with new moods and attitudes. The best-selling country duo of all time hasn’t released an album of new material since 2007’s Cowboy Town, but they have teased the prospect of writing new songs in recent interviews.

Kicking off just after 5 pm, B&D launched into an extra punchy “Brand New Man,” delivering a wall of surgically catchy Nashville sound. Brooks hit the mic for “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” boosting it with some extra long notes, showing off a voice that’s now aged like a fine wine from the rodeo wine garden.

For most fans, Ronnie has always been the voice, while Kix has been the heart. The former handles the rascally tunes, and the latter laments his troubles at the end of the bar. Entering five decades into their partnership, their biggest hits now come with an additional helping of rumpled road-weariness. Brooks offered up a stripped-down “Lost And Found” after recounting the pair's early days over a cold can of beer, giving the fans a B&D history lesson.

“Hard Workin’ Man” got a hard rock makeover with four guitars upfront and some Motley Crue-biting drums. My theory has always been that the ‘90s country sound has more in common with ‘80s hair metal than we give it credit for, the mullet being the common denominator. “Play Something Country” from 2005’s “Hillbilly Deluxe” was released as a reaction to that era’s identity crisis, and 20 years later, its a quaint time capsule with the P. Diddy mention.

The crowd-pleasing “Neon Moon” provided the biggest singalong of the late afternoon, while “Rock My World - Little Country Girl” featured Brooks testing the limits of his lung capacity with an extended roadhouse harmonica solo.

With just one day left on the schedule, this year’s top drawing act has been Brooks & Dunn, with Parker McCollum, Journey, Zach Top, Grupo Frontera, Carin Leon, and Post Malone following close behind. We’ll see how Luke Bryan does at tomorrow’s final show.

Brooks & Dunn: 71,265
Parker McCollum: 71,205
Journey: 70,978
Zach Top: 70,865
Grupo Frontera: 70,775
Carin Leon: 70,603
Post Malone: 70,094

Setlist

Brand New Man
My Next Broken Heart
You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone
Ain’t Nothin’ ‘Bout You
Red Dirt Road
Lost And Found
Never Forgive My Heart
Hard Workin’ Man
Play Something Country
Cowgirls Don’t Cry
Neon Moon
Rock My World - Little Country Girl
My Maria
Boot Scootin’ Boogie
Only In America

rodeohouston concert review brooks & dunn

Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

Photo by Cameron Powell

Cody Johnson.

There's a moment at every Cody Johnson show where the Texas-born-and-bred country star asks the crowd, “How many of you tonight are watching me and this band live for the very first time?” he told The Associated Press. “And every night, I would say at least 80% of the crowd raises their hands.”

It's not the kind of reaction most veteran artists receive. “And I’m thinking, you know, 20 years is a long time to work for something. But when you see that … What’s the next 20 years look like?” he asks.

The rancher, rodeo competitor, and onetime prison guard started his two-decade career playing honky tonks and dive bars. That led to slow and steady growth for the country traditionalist, but in the last few years, something has shifted. He landed his fifth career No. 1 song with “The Fall.” He was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, the show's highest honor. That was a month after he headlined Stagecoach Music Festival. For an artist with legions of fans, it looked like he was accessing new heights.

“I feel like I’m closing a book and I’m opening another one and it’s all blank pages,” he says of this period. “Let's get to the next chapter." On June 26, that new era began with the release of his latest album, Banks of the Trinity.

Traveling to the Banks of the Trinity
It hasn't been an easy road. Last fall, Johnson had to cancel a bunch of tour dates after upper respiratory and sinus infections caused a burst eardrum that required surgery — an intimidating medical procedure for anyone, but especially nerve-wracking for a musician. “I was scared,” he said simply. But “in a roundabout way, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.”

It forced him to take three months off, which allowed him to be home during the birth of his son. It also rejuvenated his approach in the studio. Before the incident, he thought the album was complete. It was not. The additional time resulted in the inclusion of a few songs that now feel inextricable from the record: “Thank Somebody Country,” “Take Me Back (Leave Me There),” “Cricket on a Hook,” and the resilient “I Have” among them.

“What a blessing to have that kind of song fall in your lap when you’re kind of up against the ropes,” he says of the latter. “I mean, we thought we had the record done. It wasn’t done.”

A title track with real resonance
At the heart of Banks of the Trinity is its title track, which recalls Eagles' cover of “Seven Bridges Road” meets bluegrass and Southern gospel.

Lyrically, it's an ode to Johnson's childhood. “I grew up on the banks of the Trinity [River.] Fishing for catfish, not so much out of pleasure or sport but for necessity to put food in the freezer. Deer season for me was not a trophy thing,” he said.

And while that track inspires a feeling of nostalgia within the listener, he doesn't consider this album a throwback collection. He says it's about showcasing his evolving sonic diversity.

"The rest of the album for me is a musical journey from track one to track 16,” he said. “There’s a little bit of a flavor for everybody. It does kind of hit Motown. It does kind of hit bluegrass. It does hit progressive country. It does it old country. It does a little rock here and there.”

It's the result of a new kind of freedom, one that is at least partially due to his recent accomplishments, including taking home the top prize at the ACM Awards.

“I just did the thing that I’ve aspired to do in my career my entire life,” he says. “A really good place is a really good way to describe where I am.”

And now that the album is out, he's ready to take a breather.

“I will be shirtless with no shoes on a beach at an undisclosed location,” he jokes about the days after record release. “'Cause I have already done all the prep work. I've been working on this album for two years. I’ve done all of the interviews. I’ve shook all the hands. Me and my wife and kids are gonna disappear for 10 days and I’m gonna become, I guess, every Kenny Chesney song ever.”

texas country artist cody johnson interview music

Brooks & Dunn Review

Country legends Brooks & Dunn take RodeoHouston to the '90s with nostalgic set

Music feature

Texas country star Cody Johnson's new album goes to 'Banks of Trinity'

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