I love nostalgia. I wish I could bottle it up.
Especially when it comes to ’90s country. That is my favorite genre of music, period. Give me those songs, those voices, those videos I used to watch on GAC every day growing up, and I’m happy.
Faith Hill is my personal all-time favorite from that era. But Brooks & Dunn? Those guys are giants.
And Tuesday night, in a parking lot in Midtown Nashville, they reminded me why.
Brooks & Dunn announced the show the night before: a special pop-up at Losers celebrating 35 years of Brand New Man.
Only in Nashville, right?
I wanted to go badly. So I reached out to my buddy Storme Warren, who knows just about everyone in this damn town, and asked if he had any way in.
Storme’s response was basically, “Heck yeah, that sounds awesome.”
Next thing I knew, I was going with him, his sons Evan and Jackson, and Jackson’s girlfriend, who, funny enough, is Storme’s former intern.
What a treat.
The crowd was so fired up, and Brooks & Dunn delivered. “Brand New Man,” of course. “Neon Moon.” “Red Dirt Road.” “My Maria.” “Only in America.”
You hear those songs start, and suddenly you’re remembering all the times you heard them before. Watching the videos. Singing along. Being a kid who had no idea how much he would someday miss that time in his life.
For stretches Tuesday night, I was right back in junior high.
Ronnie Dunn has acknowledged that his voice isn’t exactly what it once was. Fair enough. But damn, it still sounds amazing to me. He hits the notes that matter, and hearing that voice sing those songs in person is still something special.
And Kix Brooks still has the energy of a guy in his 20s.
Thirty-five years in, these guys can still give a parking lot full of people one hell of a night.
I could have stayed in that little time capsule of musical heaven for a while.
But the other part that made Tuesday special was getting to spend time with Storme.
Since he left SiriusXM a few years ago, I haven’t seen him nearly enough. I miss the guy.
Back when we worked out of the SiriusXM offices inside Bridgestone Arena, his show on The Highway and Full Ride were right next door to each other. He had the big studio, and we were in the smaller one nearby.
I used to wander into his studio and hang out all the time. Those were wonderful days.
Someday I need to write more about them, because I have some stories. Dolly Parton. Carrie Underwood. Garth Brooks. People whose music had been part of my life, suddenly standing there in the place where I went to work.
What made it special was getting to be around them in such a normal, human way. You got to talk, laugh, and spend a little time together.
So much of that happened because of Storme.
He would bring guests over to Full Ride, too. Kelsea Ballerini, Lauren Alaina, Garth, Tim McGraw. I still have some great stories to tell about those visits.
Storme opened that world to me. He included me. And somewhere in the middle of all that, we became good buddies.
I cherish those memories.
Tuesday gave me a chance to make another one with him.
I went because I wanted to see Brooks & Dunn. I wanted to hear those songs and scratch that ’90s-country itch that never really goes away.
I got all of that. A fired-up crowd, a slew of hits, and two guys who can still bring it after 35 years.
And I got a night with a good friend I’ve missed.
If I could bottle up a little nostalgia, I’d save some of Tuesday night.
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