Photos: NEON MOON TOUR Opens With Sold-Out Shows at Bridgestone Arena
Country Music Hall of Famers also announced as recipients of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award.
Brooks & Dunn—the best-selling country duo of all time—kicked off their NEON MOON TOUR this weekend with a trio of sold-out shows, launching their fall trek in Evansville, IN (9/10) and Alpharetta, GA (9/11) before closing out the weekend at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena on Saturday night (9/12). In Nashville, the Country Music Hall of Famers opened with the iconic title track from their landmark debut album, 'Brand New Man,' which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The duo's hit-packed set was elevated by cinematic new production featuring sprawling Western imagery, from glowing desert landscapes and roses to flickering fireflies and dramatic burn-away video effects.
Photo Credit: Braden Carney & Josepha Cheong
The setlist spanned Brooks & Dunn's three-decade career, with fans dancing and singing along to favorites including 'My Maria,' 'Red Dirt Road,' 'Play Somethin' Country,' 'Lost and Found' and 'Cheatin' Kind.' During the evening's centerpiece performance of 'Neon Moon,' a giant illuminated half-moon lit up above the stage as thousands of cell phone lights swayed across the arena. Brooks & Dunn closed the celebration with 'Only In America,' accompanied by a towering red, white and blue steerhead visual. Members of the Nashville Police Department then joined the duo onstage for a special recognition of Nashville's first responders, drawing a huge cheer from the crowd before a confetti-filled finale brought the arena to its feet.
The sold-out crowd got things going from the start with breakout star Tucker Wetmore and fellow Nashville native Caylee Hammack, who later returned to the stage for a surprise duet of 'Cowgirls Don't Cry.'
Following the milestone opening weekend, Brooks & Dunn were announced yesterday (9/14) as recipients of the 2026 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award, one of Country Music's highest honors. Already the most-awarded artists in CMA history with 20 career wins, Brooks & Dunn will accept the honor during 'The 60th Annual CMA Awards' on November 18, where they are also nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year.
The NEON MOON TOUR continues this Thursday (9/17) in Toledo, OH, with dates spanning the fall featuring a rotating lineup from country rocker David Lee Murphy and rising star Tucker Wetmore, and special guests Willow Avalon, Kaitlin Butts, Caylee Hammack and Angie K. The tour showcases the songs and 'jaw-dropping, crowd-raising' (Country Living) live performances that have made Brooks & Dunn one of the most successful touring acts in country music history.
Once artists like Brooks & Dunn hit the Country Music Hall of Fame, folks don't expect much in the way of new ideas. But, thirty-plus years into their career, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn long ago dialed in their generation-defining sound and style. The best-selling duo of all time, their yin-and-yang country-rock blend has earned them 20 Number Ones – plenty of material to fill stadium-rocking set lists. And with a Grammy-winning, course-of-history shifting catalog written mostly themselves, they could rest easy knowing without doubt they left a permanent mark on the American songbook. But Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have always been the restless type. This year, the duo are celebrating 35 years of their highly-influential, culture-defining debut album BRAND NEW MAN with a first-ever vinyl pressing, out October 23. In recent years, they have embraced collaboration with a new generation of artists through the trailblazing REBOOT and REBOOT II projects inviting a diverse roster of today's biggest artists—including Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Lainey Wilson, Halestorm, Marcus King and Kacey Musgraves—to put their own spin on the duo's most enduring songs. Reimagining classics such as 'Brand New Man,' 'Neon Moon,' 'Believe' and 'Boot Scootin' Boogie,' the resulting collaborations showcased the lasting influence of Brooks & Dunn's music across generations, genres and decades. Brooks & Dunn has the record of the longest-running country music residency in Las Vegas, and criss-cross North America year after year on their sold-out tours. For tickets and more information, visit Brooks-Dunn.com and connect on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and .
Photo Credit: Braden Carney & Josepha Cheong
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