Heel, Toe, Do-si-do

Sixth grade was a bitch, man—the bullies, the break-ups, the unfortunate fashion decisions--it's a wonder I ever made it to the horrors of middle school. Luckily for me I had two wise old friends to see me through the tough times, and their names were Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn. That year, I spent many a night listening to Brand New Man and pining for girls in T-shirt dresses and scrunchies. Sure, I only liked three songs on the whole album, but that's what the skip button was for—"Neon Moon" was my jam of choice when it came time to contemplate the status of three-day relationships; "Brand New Man" was the one I played when I felt ready to commit for two more days. But when I really wanted to get down and forget about my lady troubles, only the extended dance remix cassingle of "Boot Scootin' Boogie" would do. Clearly, I was a disturbed and misguided young man, seduced by the lure of bolo ties, flaming Western shirts and the Young Country revolution. Apparently I wasn’t alone, as Brooks and Dunn are currently the second-best-selling duo in the history of popular music after Simon and Garfunkel. Brooks and Dunn play the Smirnoff Music Centre at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $28.75 to $58.75. Visit ticketmaster.com.
Sun., Aug. 27, 7 p.m.