The Morning After

Last night, Brooks & Dunn made the 17th stop on the T-shirt. The Last Rodeo Tour passed through Las Cruces and played to a sold out house.

With plenty of hits from which to choose, Kix and Ronnie sang nothing but smash after career-retrospective smash, and seemed to have satisfied everyones most-favorite favorites. Obviously, they couldn't sing every song they've ever recorded, or we would still be in the Pan Am this morning; although at one point, Kix had threatened to sing all night. After all, they were only going home for a few days until the next show on Thursday night in Wichita.

Upstart Tyler Dickerson opened the show with a short set for those who had found had found their seats early. He's an energetic kid and just a doll to talk to. Tyler was nice enough to call The Country Station last Friday. Hearing a sampling of his music is just enough to whet one's appetite for the future. And young ladies, if you thought Tyler was hot, you should see him with the hat!

The curtains dropped for Jason Aldean right on time. The Last Rodeo Tour team runs a very tight show. Thunderous applause welcomed the man who rides around on a "Big Green Tractor." Jason played for about an hour and ran through most of his catalogue of hits. At times, it was hard to tell which song was the crowd's favorite. Let's just say that Jason's visit to Las Cruces was long overdue, and he will be welcomed back anytime he wants to come by.

The men of the hour were met with welcome anticipation. Just putting their name and faces on a video screen beforehand beget screams that could be heard in Mesilla. When Brooks & Dunn walked on stage, the southwest corner of the Pan American center looked like a paparazzi line. Save for a handful of references to Las Cruces, and one point of storytime in the middle, Kix and Ronnie kept it about the music. As mentioned in the song, "The Last Rodeo," give 'em what they came for. Music. Hits. And the unmistakable Ronnie Dunn sound. After all, that's the best part of live shows, when the singer sounds like he (or she) does on the record. There is no hiding that signature voice. Highlights of the show included the military marching out during "Only in America," Reba's face on the video screens during "Cowgirls Don't Cry," and Ronnie Dunn's tattoo story.

At one point in the show, Kix asked how many folks had been at their last Las Cruces show in 1994. He was met with a warm response, which is great to hear how their popularity in town has lasted over the years. But it is also indicative of how many new fans they have gained over the years; and how many young fans were in the audience. Some so young, that they didn't seem as familiar with the catalogue hits as they did the more recent music. Nonetheless, whether it's your 50th show or your first show, The Last Rodeo Tour is a great chance to say you saw the legendary artistry that is Brooks & Dunn.

By all accounts, from screams to items disappearing at the merch stand, there were no unhappy customers on a Sunday night at the Pan Am. But if you had to pick out just one minor disappointment, tell everyone that you were so busy paying attention to where Kix was aiming his T-shirt launcher that you didn't notice that Las Cruces wasn't listed among all the tour cities mentioned on the video screens playing behind the stage. But we're on the T-shirt, so that counts. Ride safely into the sunset, Slim and Howdy.

Shakeup On Music Row

The record industry is living in a time of transition as it struggles to find a relevant business model for music distribution in the 21st century. Like with most companies, personnel changes and reorganization strategies are nearly a daily occurrence on Music Row, and we generally leave the scorekeeping to other blogs.

But wham! Bam! Thank You , M’am! When Joe Galante quits and Lyric Street closes all in the same day, we can’t help but notice. Joe Galante is chairman and chief brain trust of Sony Music Nashville labels RCA, BNA, Columbia, and Arista Nashville, whose rosters include Carrie Underwood, Kenny Chesney, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Martina McBride, Kellie Pickler, Miranda Lambert and Sara Evans, among others. A replacement is pending.

Even more shocking is the news that Disney speared a nail into the tire of Lyric Street Records and will let it deflate. According to yesterday’s press release, banner act Rascal Flatts will transfer to another record label within the Disney Music Group in order to maintain a strong position for the anticipated fall album release. The fate of the rest of the artists on the label, including Bucky Covington, Love and Theft, Sarah Buxton, and Tyler Dickerson is unannounced. Although sources have said that teenage-act Tyler Dickerson will more than likely move to another label within the Disney family of younglings. Sources have also confirmed that a core promotions team will continue market and promote the label's current singles, leaving those artists to be phased out after their natural demise on the charts. That sounds entirely too pretty for the record industry. What typically happens in these cases, despite the label’s cheery intentions, when an artist is dropped by a label, radio nearly immediately drops the song. It’s an internal game in the industry, but it happens. The artists on Lyric Street are just the latest victims to the age-old game of musical record labels.

News From Around The Country
Miranda Lambert pulled a Tim McGraw move and stopped a fight which occurred in her audience during a concert in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Miranda was in the middle of a song, when she told her band mates to stop the music. “Hey girls. Girls! Hey! Are you all here to listen to music or get in each others' faces? Don't make me come down there now!" Miranda said. She watched as one of the women decided to leave. "She's still mad. Well, we came here to have fun," Miranda told the crowd. ….. Montgomery Gentry have been named recipients of the 2010 ACM Home Depot Humanitarian Award. A playground will be built in the duo’s honor, and fans have until April 30th to log on and vote for the city most deserving of having the playground built. So far, Lexington, Kentucky is the runaway winner. ….. And finally, hope you still have room on your DVR. A documentary on Toby Keith will air on the Biography channel tonight. The hour long episode explores Toby’s work in the oil-industry, playing semi-pro football, and how his career soared to the top of the country charts.

B&D Scootin' Boots' To Las Cruces

By now you’ve heard the great news that Brooks & Dunn are brining The Last Rodeo Tour to Las Cruces. (Be sure to Become A Fan on Facebook so you get these kinds of updates) The show is Sunday, May 23rd at the Pan Am Center. Tickets will go on sale on April 10th at the Pan Am Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. The special guests are Jason Aldean and Tyler Dickerson (“Tell Your Sister I’m Single”). Stay tuned for further information. While we’re waiting for our live show, we can watch Brooks & Dunn on TV. Be sure to participate in the voting to determine Kix & Ronnie’s final ACM Awards show performance as a duo. Click Here to choose between “My Maria,” “Brand New Man,” “Red Dirt Road,” “Neon Man,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me,” and “Boot Scootin Boogie.” The ACM Award show will air April 18th.

News From Around The Country
Taylor Swift is nominated for two Kid’s Choice Awards this weekend in the Favorite Female Singer and Favorite Song categories. The Nickelodeon sponsored awards show features children's favorites in the categories of TV, Music, Movies, Sports, Video Games and Books; it airs Saturday night. ….. Rascal Flatts will spend their spring break with Ellen Degeneres as they head to Orlando Studios in Orlando, Florida this weekend to pre-tape a performance of “Unstoppable” to air on her show April 2nd. …… Kellie Pickler has decided to make some changes to her website and fan club. The new website will launch in late April and will give fans greater access to music, photos, videos, and message boards. ….. This past weekend at the Celebrity Fight Night auction in Arizona, three Reba McEntire fans bid nearly one million dollars to have lunch with her, with all the proceeds go towards raising money for Parkinson’s disease research.

And finally, Brad Paisley admits the new short film he directed, When Mom’s Away, originated as a prank on his wife. After Kimberly left the house to go away on business, Brad and his band bought a life-size baby doll, to replicate his two-year old son, and recorded it doing horrible things. In the film, Brad wanted to see how far down the hill the stroller would go, and also has the doll shooting a revolver at a target. When Kim returned home, Brad left the video on that table with a note “‘Press Play.” Brad said, “It was horrifying, but hilarious." When Mom's Away, is scheduled to be screened at the Nashville Film Festival on April 22nd.