Introduction
Brooks & Dunn sent the crowd straight back to the ’90s with a high-voltage closing set at the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival presented by Capital One. The annual celebration returned Saturday night (May 3) to Austin’s Moody Center, where the legendary duo delivered a finale that felt like a time machine set to full throttle.
Made up of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, Brooks & Dunn tore into a hit-packed, career-spanning performance that had the entire arena singing along. They launched the set with “Brand New Man,” instantly transforming the venue into one giant honky-tonk. From there, it was nonstop classics: “Red Dirt Road,” “Ain’t Nothing ’Bout You,” “Rock My World,” “Play Something Country,” “My Maria,” and the undeniable party-starter “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” The duo wrapped things up with a patriotic, crowd-rousing close on “Only In America.”
Brooks & Dunn first burst onto the scene with their debut album Brand New Man in August 1991, kicking off a career that would redefine modern country music. Over the decades, they’ve become genre pillars, influencing countless artists who followed. In late 2024, they released the second installment of their REBOOT project, reimagining classic songs through collaborations with today’s stars. The first REBOOT 2 track to drop was “Play Something Country” alongside reigning Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Lainey Wilson. The album also featured collaborations with Jelly Roll, Megan Moroney, Morgan Wallen, and HARDY, among others.Portable speakers
The iHeartCountry Festival lineup was stacked from top to bottom, with performances from Thomas Rhett, Sam Hunt, Rascal Flatts, Cole Swindell, Nate Smith, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman, and special guest Dasha, who performed her viral TikTok hit “Austin” right in the city that inspired it.
Fans also enjoyed sets earlier in the day at the free Daytime Village stage, featuring Nate Smith, Megan Moroney, Matt Stell, Tucker Wetmore, and Dasha. The festival reached audiences nationwide via Hulu — the official streaming destination — as well as across 122 iHeartCountry radio stations and the free iHeartRadio app. Hosting duties were handled by Bobby Bones, keeping the energy high from start to finish.
All in all, it was a night that blended country’s past and present perfectly — and Brooks & Dunn made sure everyone left reminded why their music still hits just as hard decades later.