To be fair, country singer-songwriter Ronnie Dunn admits straight away that he only vaguely remembers playing the very first Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio back in 2007.
“Back then, before we took our hiatus, we were running so hard that everything was a blur,” Dunn, half of country music duo Brooks & Dunn, said during a recent phone interview. He and his longtime musical partner Kix Brooks will be back to play the three-day fest at the Empire Polo Club on Sunday, April 30, going on just before closing headliner Chris Stapleton.
“I had people here in my office telling me, ‘You played the first one,’ and maybe I shouldn’t tell anyone that I don’t remember it, but the shows out West and in California, they always turn into a blur because they are so much fun,” he continued. “The crowds are so much different out there than anywhere else. I remember calling home to my wife one time and she still makes fun of me for this, but the first few times we were out in California, I said ‘My God, I’m not making this up, but we just came off stage and I felt like it had been a Rolling Stones concert by the crowd’s response.’ California crowds are real about being fans; it’s party time in California.”
Brooks & Dunn went on a farewell tour in 2010 and stopped by Stagecoach again. This time around, with a renewed energy and passion for performing, Dunn said they’re ready to have a blast right alongside the thousands of die-hard country music fans coming to the event on April 28-30. Along with the music of the late Tom Petty, Brooks & Dunn’s songs are arguably some of the most covered by a variety of artists that have performed at Stagecoach. Even when the duo is not performing, they’re always there in spirit.
Dunn said knowing that makes him smile.
“That was the intent from day one,” he said. “People would ask us what we ultimately wanted to accomplish and I’d say we just want our music to live on. Once we peter out, let it keep going and do its job. Knock on wood, it has, it’s doing it.”
Back in the late ’80s, Dunn wrote a little country dance song called “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” It was first recorded by Asleep at the Wheel in 1990, but Brooks & Dunn recorded their version on their 1991 debut album, “Brand New Man.” And it was a hit.
The song is credited with having helped revive line dancing in honky tonks and bars across the country and is popular still to this day, with more modern acts like the trio Midland performing the song live in their sets and recording it for the 2019 Brooks & Dunn album, “Reboot.” It’s also a track that DJ Diplo, who is curating the Honky Tonk at Stagecoach this year and leading the Late Night in Palomino Sunday after-party, has played in his sets to get the crowd going.
“That song was like the first club mix done in country music,” Dunn said. “Back in the day, we just went with it and we dove in. It is what it is and thank goodness … little did we know it bought me a couple houses. I love that line dancing!”
Despite having little to no memory of having previously played Stagecoach, Dunn said he is impressed by the organizers and their attention to detail and the eclectic lineups they’re able to curate year after year. If he’s able to, he said he’ll be on-site to watch rockers ZZ Top perform on Friday.
“It’s not just another show, it’s a cultural event,” he said. “The weather is great in California, the culture is terrific and they know how to party because they’ve been doing it for a long time, so we’ll go out there and take notes. It’s that excitement and that energy combined that makes the event. We always feed off of the audience and our energy comes from out there where the party is. The party isn’t up on stage, it’s out in that crowd, so we get a little dose of that and we come off as high as a kite.”
Stagecoach Country Music Festival
When: Noon-Midnight April 28-30
Where: Empire Polo Club, 81800 51st Ave., Indio
Tickets: Three-day general admission passes are $429; three-day Saloon passes are $799; Corral Reserved Seating is $1,299-$1,999; any-line shuttle passes are $70. To purchase tickets or for more pass, parking and shuttle information, go to stagecoachfestival.com.
