Slim & Howdy Go Out With A Lot Of Class (and Merle Haggard too!)

Longtime media relations/artist development type/journalist for Rolling Stone, Spin, Creem, Musician, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, Frets, contributing editor at American Songwriter and numerous other publications, Holly Gleason has probably seen it all.

Or at least I thought she had until last night, when she got to see Brooks & Dunn in the midst of their last weekend:

"It made me proud to be part of the last 25 years of country music! They're coming to Nashville on Thursday night, it benefits the Country Music Hall of Fame, but more importantly, they're culminating a pretty staggering run of country as the century turned. Maybe it'll fire you up to rock them hard in the next few days."

Click to read her (via No Depression) review of the show.

"Ironic the iconic Merle Haggard would serve as the most awarded duo in country music history’s opening act – given Haggard’s own status as a legend. For Brooks & Dunn, knowing this was the final run of a very distinguished show, the pair opted for an artist who inspired them, engaged them and especially who they felt deserved the opportunity to be heard by their fans one last time."

Timing Is Everything (Or, Maybe Not)

It's taking Nashville promoters and country radio so long these days to go from launch to charting that even major artists on both sides of the 49th parallel are now releasing songs in the spring which probably have listeners scratching their heads, since the lyrics will finally make sense in terms of listeners' lives in about six months, after two seasons have changed.

Brooks & Dunn make it sound like they think its fall right now in their new one, "Indian Summer," while Canadian charter Aaron Pritchett's new one "Hell Bent For Buffalo" has ice on I-90.

If an artist happened to be planning to commemorate Father's Day in song, looks like they should have released that tune before Thanksgiving!

CMT asks: "Is It The Water?" As Ronnie Dunn and LeAnn Cancel Shows

First it was LeAnn Rimes. Now it’s Brooks & Dunn.

Is there something in the Nashville water?

Rimes had to pull out of a concert with Kenny Chesney because of tonsillitis. (Fortunately, Miranda Lambert made a more than adequate substitute.)

And, now Brooks & Dunn have canceled a show in York, Pa., and postponed shows near Pittsburgh and Chicago because of Ronnie Dunn’s severe respiratory condition.

“I’m sitting here sick, pretty bummed out, with no voice,” was the message from Ronnie Dunn.

-- CMT

My take: if they were sitting in Nashville drinking the H20 all summer rather than touring constantly and singing their hearts out for all of us, they'd probably have healthier throats.

A big thanks to both ailing stars for what they put their bodies through in order to entertain us.

Concert Review: AJ + Brooks & Dunn

The Hampton Roads Pilot was the first to review the new, enlarged tour:

"It was a night of firsts: the first concert for the 2007 season at the Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater and the first stop for the hot double feature of Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn. It was the rare country superstar concert where the fans, for the most part, remained seated. It's a safe bet that the rest of the amphitheater's country presentations this year will see the chairs used only as props. Even so, the fans Thursday night were enthusiastic. The idea of double-bill featuring the tall trio was a good one. Their concert was thoroughly enjoyable."

-- Frank Roberts