Events
Brooks and Dunn
March 6, 2004
The concert, which boasted two headliners and one rising South Carolina star, started early on the Littlejohn lawn. Casey Joe Kelley, a young local talent that has been playing at the Blind Horse in Greenville and cutting demo tracks in Nashville, entertained the gathering fans. While enjoying the music, the fans also took advantage of the food and drink provided on the lawn.
WSSL-FM was there to show their support for the concert. Early morning talent, Bill Ellis and Beth Bradley, gave away a guitar signed by Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn. They also opened the show inside.
Inside Littlejohn, the rising star Josh Turner, of “Long Black Train” fame, got the crowd warmed up for the night. The South Carolinian mentioned the University Ridge fire and that his sister had been effected by the incident. The crowd cheered him on as he recognized his sister and other members of his family.
Joe Nichols hit the stage next, and the crowd hit their feet for a show of new and old music. Nichols was great at getting the crowd to participate. He left the stage briefly only to return in a #6 Clemson football jersey. The fans jumped to their feet and cheered.
After a pretty short but intense stage changeover, it was time for the boys of Brooks and Dunn to hit the stage. They took it by storm. The performance included old and new hits from the award-winning duo. In addition to some rocking country girls on stage, the group took time to interact with the crowd and threw a number of drumsticks into the crowd. Kix Brooks even threw his hat. They ended the show with a spectacular display of American pride. As they finished “Only in America,” the fans were showered with red, white and blue confetti.
“The fans really got a value on this concert and Brooks and Dunn did not disappoint -- they played to the crowd, involved the audience and put a lot of effort into making it a great fan experience,” Marty Kern, Director of Major Events, said.
A show of this caliber takes a lot of work and preparation. The staff of Littlejohn Coliseum and Tiger Paw Productions deserves a huge pat on the back. There were over 350 staff members working this show with 250 of them being students.
The tour had played the night before in Maryland, and rolled into Clemson two hours late. The delay didn’t stop the show.
“This was a pretty elaborate set and we stayed pushed the whole day,” Kern added. “I was impressed with our crews who stayed positive and pumped up during the demanding load-in. Load out was smooth and our crews were complimented. Changeover crews stayed right though to get it all done that same night.”
In addition to entertaining fans on stage, the performers also participated in large meet and greet crowds. Each artist had their own meet and greet event, and Josh Turner did two. Ronnie Dunn even took a break to workout in Fike.
“It was exciting to have talent of this caliber in the building, I love to work on tours that put effort into their set and lighting design and this show was one of those,” Kern said. “It was also a wonderful addition that we got to showcase powerful newcomer and SC native Josh Turner. His sister attends Clemson, so that was a special connection for us.”