So far, all of the resident performers at the Caesars Palace Colosseum have been solo artists: Celine Dion, Cher, Bette Midler, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Shania Twain, Mariah Carey. The latest act to take up residence, however, is a trio: country legends Reba McEntire and Brooks & Dunn, teaming up for an evening of hits from their respective careers. Dubbed Together in Vegas, the show will feature McEntire and Brooks & Dunn performing both separately and together, showcasing their talents as individual artists and also creating a unique opportunity for fans to see them collaborating onstage.
The three artists have a history of collaboration that goes back to 1992, when Brooks & Dunn opened for McEntire on tour. They co-headlined dates from 1997 to 1999, and they’ve had two joint hits on the country charts with “If You See Him/If You See Her” and “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.” Although Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn dissolved their 20-year musical partnership in 2010, the prospect of a Vegas show with McEntire enticed them to reunite. “Ronnie’s the quiet one. Kix is the loud one,” McEntire told Rolling Stone about her collaborators. “They are both so witty, so funny, and they both tell great stories.”
Some of those stories may end up as part of the show, but the specifics haven’t quite been set yet. “We’re going to keep having dinner, and saying, ‘We gotta put a show together.’ That’s about as far as we’ve gotten,” Brooks told Country Weekly. “But something tells me, especially with the redhead cracking the whip on me and Ronnie, it’ll happen.” Performing in the same city and at the same venue each night should also allow McEntire and Brooks & Dunn to focus entirely on playing music without the stresses that go along with a tour. “Consistency is something you’re not getting to have very much of when you’re on tour, so this is neat,” McEntire told Rolling Stone.
Over the course of 20 years as a duo, Brooks & Dunn scored 20 number one singles on the Billboard country charts, and McEntire has achieved twice that many during her nearly 40-year recording career. Brooks mentioned hits “My Maria” and “Fancy” as potential inclusions when talking to Country Weekly, and it’s a solid bet that the show will also include the artists’ two hit duets.
For McEntire, her hits range from “(You Lift Me) Up to Heaven,” her first top 10 single from 1980, through songs like “Little Rock,” “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and recent top 40 country single “Going Out Like That.” In 2008, she released 50 Greatest Hits, a compilation with a staggering 46 songs that made it into the top 10 of Billboard’s country charts.
Whatever hits they end up including, McEntire and Brooks & Dunn should have no trouble matching up to the star power of previous Colosseum headliners.
Caesars Palace, 7:30 p.m. June 17, 19-20, 24 & 26-27, July 1 & 3-4, $59.50-$205 plus tax and fee. 888.929.7849
