Honoring Brooks & Dunn.
Last night, on the eve of the ACM Awards, country music stars gathered for the 60th Annual ACM Gala. This year’s event was called the “Play Something Country” gala hosted by the ACM and ACM Lifting Lives. The event honored the Country Music Hall of Famers and 25x ACM Award-winning artists… Brooks and Dunn.
The evening featured a seated dinner, a silent auction, and performances of their greatest hits by Eric Church, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and more.
One of the notable performances from the evening was Eric Church covering “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone.” The tune was co-written by the famed ’90s duo alongside Don Cook and recorded in 1995. It was released as the fourth single from their third studio record, Waitin’ On Sundown. Like many other Brooks & Dunn singles, the song was an instant hit, reaching the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
However, what sets this song apart from other hits is that Kix Brooks leads the vocals instead of Ronnie Dunn. “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone” was the third single in which Dunn took a back seat and let Brooks’ vocals shine. When Brooks & Dunn recorded their #1s…and then some record, this was the only single with Kix Brooks’ leading vocals that made the cut.
The heartbreak song highlights a man explaining to his lover that she’s constantly mistreating him. While he realizes their relationship is in jeopardy because of her actions, he gives her one final chance to start acting right before he walks out and warns her that she will regret not getting in line.
“There’s not much chance we’re gonna make it
If I’m the only one who’s trying
You know I’m running out of reasons
We’re running out of time
Someday, girl, you’re gonna wake up
And wonder what went wrong…”
During the gala, the Chief, Eric Church, took to the stage, laying down a beautiful acoustic rendition of the song. Church recently released his record, Evangeline vs. The Machine, leaning to a gospel-style sound incorporating horns, strings, an organ, and a background choir. So, hearing him sing a country tune with more of a twang is quite different. Of course, he still put his flair on the tune, and it’s near perfection from the short clip shared on social media.
Many folks in the crowd were taking in the performance, unplugging entirely to be one with the music. However, I wish more people had captured this performance on film because I am itching to hear more.
@katdunn ACM Awards 60th Anniversary Gala honoring Brooks & Dunn #brooksanddunn #ericchurch #acmawards @ACM Awards ♬ original sound – katdunn
Church is not the first artist to deliver a stellar performance of this song. Ashley McBryde teamed up with Brooks & Dunn to reimagine this song for the 2019 record Reboot. Having this tune as a duet between Brooks and McBryde shines a whole new light on the tune, giving it a new perspective that both parties in the relationship have done wrong and are considering leaving the other.
This song deserves more airtime because it’s a masterpiece, and I’m glad McBryde and Chruch see it that way too.
Before you go, turn up the original cut of the song. Without it, we would not have these other stellar renditions to enjoy.
