Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, December 6, 1993 TAG: 9312060006
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
He wasn't kidding.
The audience of 7,911 at the Brooks & Dunn concert Saturday night at the Roanoke Civic Center came ready to cut loose - and didn't hold back anything in treating the country duo to one of the more rabid receptions of the year.
In return, Brooks & Dunn gave the wild crowd a good show.
From "Brand New Man" through "Hard Workin' Man," the pair kept the music upbeat and high-energy for most of their 90-minute set. They really let the music do the talking, too.
There were no ramps or elaborate staging. The lighting was relatively simple, and the sound never got too loud. About the only gimmick was dropping a few hundred balloons into the audience.
Both Brooks and Ronnie Dunn - who alternated lead vocals - handled their parts solidly. Brooks was particularly good on "Lost and Found," "Brighten My World Little Country Girl" and "Texas Women Don't Stay Lonely Long."
Dunn especially shined on "She Used To Be Mine," one of the pair's few slower numbers. If anything, Dunn was the slightly better singer of the two.
Not surprisingly, it was their hit, "Boot Scootin' Boogie," that was the big show stopper. Dunn sang it. Brooks danced on stage with a woman from the crowd, and the balloons were a big hit.
Joe Diffie was second on Saturday's bill and also noted the electricity in the arena. "I'm gonna get a great big bus and carry you wherever we go," he said.
In his third visit to the Roanoke Valley in recent years, Diffie continues to build one of the more solid catalogs of catchy songs in country music today and seems to be gaining confidence with each time around.
His new "Prop Me Up Beside The Jukebox" is quickly reaching the status of Garth Brooks' "Friends in Low Places" as a modern honky-tonk anthem.
Other newer material, "Honky Tonk Attitude," "I Can Walk The Line If Ain't Too Straight" and "John Deere Green," in Diffie's 45-minute show also at least matched the strength of his earlier hits, "If The Devil Danced in Empty Pockets," "New Way to Light Up an Old Flame" and "Is It Cold in Here?"
Lee Roy Parnell opened the show with a strong and varied half-hour set.
He showed he could play Southern rock, deliver a solid ballad and play a mean slide guitar.
by CNB