Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn seem to have one thing in common: They're very tall, checking in at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-4 respectively.
Part of the amazing chemistry of Brooks & Dunn, who showed why they are taking the country-music scene by storm during an appearance at the Delta Center Saturday, seems to be derived from their differences.Brooks dresses like a cowboy, at least from the Levis up to the black hat and the dark mustache. And his energy level is draining, as if he sucks power from an enthusiastic, on-their-feet audience. He prances, he races, he jumps. His arms wave like windmills. He tosses things - a hat, a sweat-drenched towel - into the frenetic crowd. At one point, he makes the return trip from his mad dash into the audience back onto the stage via a rope, a la Tarzan.
Dunn dresses like the Baptist minister he once studied to be, but adds rows of shiny silver snaps to the sides of his otherwise simple black outfit. And when it comes to moving around, he seems content to leave the aerobics to his partner. He's putting everything he's got into the delivery of rich vocals with a voice that's always powerful and emotive. No wasted motion there.
But it's a clear case of the whole equaling something far greater than the sum of its parts. What they have in common is unclear; what they equal is pure dynamite.
They don't need the visual effects - the lights, the jumbo screens that bring closer-than-life views, the multi-leveled platforms, increasingly large cattle skulls or stained-glass-effect props - to make the show interesting. It doesn't hurt, though.
From the upbeat, jazz-keyboard-rich "Little Miss Honky-Tonk" to the sunset song "Boot Scootin' Boogie" 90 minutes and double encores later, they delivered a sharp, entertaining and well-paced performance.
Saturday night, they mixed it up. Slow and sad for "I'll Never Forgive My Heart." Rambunctious for the sing-along "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)." Mellow during "Best of My Love." A subtle salsa turn on "Neon Moon."
Sometimes Brooks and Dunn sing together. Often, they take turns. A B&D show provides generous showcases of each one's talents. They fall into back-up mode as easily as they take center stage.
The total effect is a show that works so well it's hard to analyze its components.
Tractor opened the three-hour show with an unremarkable, but enjoyable multiple-song set. They were at their best with the high-energy "Baby Likes to Rock It." But there were sound problems, like the painful feedback during "The Little Man," that kept this Salt Lake audience from hearing what they could really do.
David Ball, the middle act, fared far better. Ball has a big, smooth voice that at times seems like a gentle cross between Willie Nelson and Clint Black, especially during "When the Thought of You Catches Up with Me."
Ball doesn't mind remaking some of the old favorites and he always does them as well as the originals. He did a great rendition of "Heartbreak Hotel" that included wonderful keyboard backup. Ditto "Pick Me Up on Your Way Down." And the guitar work was particularly tight on "What Do You Want with His Love?"
The audience, although eager to hear Brooks & Dunn, responded to Ball with an ovation and an invitation to keep on dishin' out the tunes.