Who's On First?

That ‘s especially disappointing because
those moments were all too rare as the popular duo leaned heavily
toward rocking or bluesy numbers all night. With a few exceptions, like
the classic-sounding “Neon Moon,” B&D puts on a show that reflects
what they’ve been recording, which are songs that are hard-driving
dance tracks that wear a cowboy hat only by virtue of Dunn’s soaring
drawl. 

It certainly couldn’t be denied that
this was the weakest performance at the State Fair by Brooks and Dunn
since the last time they were an opening act. Despite a few new
wrinkles, like more singing and harmonica playing then usual by Kix Brooks,
they just didn’t seem to be into it. The almost complete lack of
meaningful conversation reflected an absence of personality that was
out of character. There were even some tasteless moves by one of their
new female backup singers, who danced to the front of the stage and
appeared to touch her crotch repeatedly while dancing. 

Most shocking of all, Kix and Ronnie
played only about an hour before initially leaving the stage following
one of the few true highlights, a rollicking version of “My Maria.”
Even with a two-song encore, including a shamelessly rocked-up version
of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” they only gave their loyal State Fair fans
70 minutes. The fans who left rather than wait for ZZ Top to take the
stage, which wound up being after 10 p.m., really didn’t get the
first-class show they’ve become accustomed to enjoying from Brooks and
Dunn. 

One thing this night didn’t need was a
third act, particularly as cocky as young rock singer James Otto, who
has recently dented the country charts with the single “I Just Got
Started Loving You.” The 35-year-old brother-in-law of Rascal Flatts’ Jay DeMarcus
was introduced by a band mate as “the biggest voice in country music.”
Really. Big he may be, but he’s got plenty of room for growth if he
fancies himself a country singer. 

It seemed apparent that he didn’t know
how to approach that role as soon as he started saying “y’all” every
other word. His five-piece band included a dobro player, but you
couldn’t hear it. And when the same guy sat down to play steel, he
obviously didn’t know what he was doing as he did almost all picking
and practically no sliding. 

The most response Otto got prior to
playing his big hit was when he covered rocker Bob Seger’s “Night
Moves.” But when you sing such a famous song, you will inevitably be
compared to the originator. In this case, that’s not good news for
Otto. When he told the audience to stand up for the last song, you
wonder why he doesn’t just give them reason to stand. Sometimes a
little-known rookie gets a big-show break and shows some genuine
promise. This wasn’t one of those times.

—Kevin Corbett