Save the cliched darkened entrance — country superstars Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn made their way onto a Riverbend stage occupied by a fire eater, jugglers flinging sets of burning clubs, cowboys with lassoes and huge images of the American flag. The duo then finished their opening “Only In America” with a blast of red, white and blue streamers.

        In town Saturday with their Neon Circus and Wild West Show, Brooks & Dunn never did recapture that energy, though they did give it a good shot with a decade of hits featuring “Brand New Man” and “My Maria.”

        The momentum faded most notably midway through the 90-minute set. As Brooks & Dunn sat down in bar stools, much of the audience took that as cue to sit as well, while many others fans simply left their seats altogether.

        The fans, though, were probably the evening's biggest stars. The interest they maintained and excitement they generated throughout more than five hours of music by four different acts rubbed off on even a non-country music fan. Equally enjoyable was their self-effacing humor, repeatedly roaring approval as act after act declared it a redneck audience. (That was humor, right?)

        The night's best act was Toby Keith. Taking the stage before Brooks & Dunn, Mr. Keith entertained for 60 minutes, moving from the sing-along “A Little Less Talk, a Lot More Action” and “How Do You Like Me Now?” to back-to-back ballads (wisely without bar stool) “Does That Blue Moon Ever Shine On You” and “You Shouldn't Kiss Me Like This” to the John Cougar Mellencamp hit “Authority Song.”

        Opening act Keith Urban's 45 minutes, featuring “Your Everything” and “Love Thing”, showed why he is a rising star. Likewise, Kentucky's award-winning Montgomery Gentry found a receptive audience with, among others, “Daddy Won't Sell the Farm” during their 40 minutes.

        The evening's host was Cledus T. Judd, a countrified version of Weird Al whose parodies typically draw a chuckle and then a nervous glance to make sure others were laughing as well.

        Meanwhile, outside was a circus of sorts designed to entertain before the show. It really wasn't much of a circus, though there was “Blaze, the world-famous balloon-blowing goat.” There's something you don't usually see at a concert.

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