Brooks and Dunn w/David Lee Murphy, Angie K at Morton Amphitheater, Riverside MO (2026-10-02)

Intro music from tape: Start Me Up (The Rolling Stones song)

Brand New Man
My Next Broken Heart
She’s Not the Cheatin’ 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
Red Dirt Road
Lost and Found
Hard Workin’ Man
Play Something Country
Cowgirls Don’t Cry
Neon Moon
Rock My World (Little Country Girl)
My Maria (B.W. Stevenson cover)

Encore:
Boot Scootin’ Boogie
Only in America

intro music from tape: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (Ennio Morricone song)

The More I Drink (Blake Shelton cover)
Big Green Tractor (Jason Aldean cover)
Why We Drink (Justin Moore cover)
Good One Comin’ On (Blackberry Smoke cover)
Hurricane (Parker McCollum cover)
Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not (Thompson Square cover)
Everything’s Gonna Be Alright (Kenny Chesney cover)
Pirate Flag (Kenny Chesney cover)
The Only Way I Know (Jason Aldean cover)
Party Crowd
Dust on the Bottle

Brand New Men..or Grand Older Men?

The truth was a bit of both, as the most successful duo in Country history, Brooks & Dunn made a KC-area stop in nearby Riverside MO at the still-shiny new Morton Amphitheater, as part of their 2026 Neon Moon Tour.

Since combining their talents at the suggestion of a record executive in 1988, the pair have released 50 singles, with 20 of those hitting #1 on the Hot Country Charts, and another 19 going Top 10, which is beyond impressive. The duo was set to retire after a ‘final’ concert in 2010, but couldn’t help in un-retiring five years later for a Vegas residency with friend Reba, and have been back at it, ever since.

After more than three decades, they still show that trademark and unique mix of honky-tonk swagger, Southern rock energy, heartfelt storytelling, and those infectious melodies and choruses that had the crowd singing along with almost every song.

The celebratory tone was set from the opening number, “Brand New Man,” re-energized for a new generation but as loud and lively as ever, to forge the crowd into a single Country community for the next ninety minutes. Hits “My Next Broken Heart” and “She’s Not the Cheatin’ Kind” followed, nostalgic but still sounding fresh and modernized with the help of enhanced graphics on a huge screen backdrop.

Both members may look slightly grayer, but are no less happy to be on stage, with Kix Brooks still able to chug a can of beer on demand, and Ronnie Dunn refusing to let a flu bug and sore throat, hold him back.

When the volume lessened and the emotions of a lyrical theme took more presidence, such as on “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” or “Red Dirt Road”, the duo still proved they could make tears well up or evoke a wry smile, evoking more simpler times. But just as easily, when the momentum swelled and guitars roared on anthems like “Hard Workin’ Man” (complete with the B&D steer logo galvanizing into steel, with virtual sparks flying), they and the band showed they could still turn it up, like it was decades ago.

“Neon Moon” took us out on a Southwest campfire with the virtual graphics then were transported into a small honky tonk club that looked similar to Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa, with the steer logo on virtual fire for other songs. Before the tender “Cowgirls Don’t Cry”, Dunn related an amusing story of buying his youngest daughter a horse…then another…then another, and then need to write the song, to help pay for everything associated.

Despite said flu and throat problems, Dunn had decided and told the crowd he was singing like he wanted and was bound to hit that high note regardless; which he did, as well as managed the near-yodel falsetto on “My Maria”, to the amazement of all.

The encore began with the pair’s biggest hit, “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” which caused a line dance tap, dip and twirl to break out, all in-sync from everyone’s seat . The evening’s closer “Only in America” traditionally brought out several armed forces veterans and first responders, including two local sergeants from the Riverside MO Police Dept. which everyone was compelled to stand up and cheer loudly for.

Country then is still Country now as Brooks & Dunn proved that great songs and enduring hits are timeless and helped define the modern version of the genre that is so successful today.

As Grand Older Men, they deserve to take a bow and have earned every accolade given, but can also still perform as Brand New Men, introducing their sound to a next generation that will likely hold them in as high esteem, as those that experienced them first-hand over thirty years ago.​

While it may be routine in Nashville, we don’t get that many opportunities to hear a seasoned songwriter play the hits they wrote for others, which helped make those acts more famous. David Lee Murphy is one of those unique talents that can boast chart successes of his own, as well as co-written numerous hits for many other of Country’s household names.

Murphy quickly got the crowd on his side, shouting out both KS and MO fans and saying he was convinced the area was a great place to live, mentioned he had family from Columbia, MO in attendance, as well as shouted-out the Chiefs, which is an automatic applause-getter.

He began with a Blake Shelton cover that seemed familiar to most, then more so with Jason Aldean’s “Big Green Tractor” which he said he casually wrote while drinking on his farm, located south of Nashville. Not just known for songs 25-30 years ago, 2023’s “Hurricane” was a hit for Parker McCollum, and one of his personal favorites to perform was the lesser-known, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not”, a 2011 song done by Thompson Square, the title phrase he borrowed from a line overheard while watching TV, which he then captured into his phone as a voice note.

He’s been good friends with Kenny Chesney for years, co-writing Kenny’s 2013 hit, “Pirate Flag” and then the pair, alongside their producer Buddy Cannon all collaborated on Murphy’s most recent full-length, 2018’s No Zip Code, which yielded a #1 duet with “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright.”

“Anywhere With You” was a 2011 single by Jake Owen with the song stopping so the ‘KC chorus’ could finish the verse, and after 2012’s “The Only Way I Know” radio smash as done by Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan and Eric Church, the set ended with Murphy’s own 1995 mega-singles, “Party Crowd” (the most played Country song of that year) and “Dust on the Bottle,” which everyone knew the words to.​