Brooks & Dunn shared their reactions as they watched their first-ever performance at the Academy Country Music Awards. The iconic duo took the stage with their infectious anthem, “Hard Workin’ Man,” at the 28th annual show on May 11, 1993. Hosting trio George Strait, Reba McEntire and Alabama’s Randy Owen led the show at the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles, California.

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn took a look back at their performance as part of the ACM Firsts series, which features artists reminiscing on some of their unforgettable ACM moments ahead of the show’s milestone 60th show this spring. The duo made comments as they watched their early 90s performance, including “he’s rockin’,” and “how ‘bout that hair?”

Dunn explained, “that haircut is called the ‘noogie.’ Like, you know, it’s just some big guy comes down and he grabs you in the hall or something,” he said, miming messing up a person’s hair, “and throws you on stage. But it’s since passed in style.” He added later with a laugh, “isn’t it funny what you think is cool at the time, but what’s the old saying? It’s like, if you want to see what a geek you were, like look at a picture five years ago.”

“We had some energy, and I think we still do. You know, it’s a little more mature energy,” Brooks said, and his duo partner laughed as he highlighted the “nice word to use.”

The 60th ACM Awards will take place on May 8, 2025. McEntire is returning to host Country Music’s Party of the Year for her 18th time, more than any other artist. McEntire previously confirmed that the 2025 show will take place again at the world headquarters of the Dallas Cowboys at The Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Additional details — including performers, presenters and nominees — have not been announced as of publication time on Wednesday.

“Reba McEntire has hosted more ACM Awards shows than any other artist in history, and after her triumphant return this year for the 59th show, there is clearly no one better suited to helm this milestone show!” Academy of Country Music CEO Damon Whiteside previously said in a statement. “Our landmark 50th anniversary show in 2015 marked our debut in Texas, and we’re thrilled to return again to celebrate another major moment in ACM history. We look forward to seeing our industry, artists, and fans celebrate in Frisco, Texas next May for an unforgettable week!”

Brooks & Dunn joined the star-studded lineup of the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival, which is slated to take place on Saturday, May 3. The festival, hosted by iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones, will return to Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Other artists in the lineup include Cole Swindell, Thomas Rhett, Rascal Flatts, Sam Hunt, Megan Moroney, Bailey Zimmerman and Nate Smith.

Hulu will be the Official Streaming Destination of the festival, with performances livestreamed exclusively to all Hulu subscribers at no additional cost. Additional information about the livestream will be posted across Hulu’s platform and social media channels. Fans can tune in to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival to catch all of the action live on May 3 at 8pm ET/5pm PT (7pm CT) across iHeartCountry stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app via iHeartRadio's iHeartCountry station. Tickets to the 2025 iHeartCountry Festival are available now via Ticketmaster.com.

Todd Matthews

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