Brooks & Dunn climb into the country radio Top 5 this week with the fun of “Put a Girl in It” — and while it’s sure to be a concert favorite as Kix and Ronnie tour this year — the guys tell us there’s always a nervous balance of when they should add a new song to their show. “People come to hear the hits,” Ronnie says, and whether you’re Aerosmith or Merle Haggard, it’s always a matter of figuring out the right mix of tempo and ballads, as well as old and new tunes to keep things flowing and the audience having a great time. But it’s Ronnie’s description of those hushed moments of fans listening to a new song that makes Kix laugh, as Ronnie says, “It’s scary. We’re not accustomed to having people actually sit down and pay attention to what we’re doing!” (AUDIO INFO BELOW)

• Watch for the guys on tour throughout the second half of this month as they head toward the August 1 kick-off of their tour with ZZ Top! And don’t miss Kix and Ronnie in Atlanta this Sunday with Kenny Chesney! Check out brooks-dunn.com for all the latest tour info!
• “Put a Girl in It” is the third big hit from the duo’s Cowboy Town album, which also includes “Proud of the House We Built” and “God Must Be Busy.”

  Kix Brooks laughs along as Ronnie Dunn describes certain “scary” concert moments. (:34)
“You know, it’s an odd phenomenon because we say time and time again, people come to hear the hits, so every year when you sit down to do that set — and I don’t know a band that’s not out there, from Aerosmith to the Stones to Merle Haggard — who doesn’t sit down probably and go, ‘What do I cut? What do I take out? And then at what stage do we put a new song in?’ Because they’ll…you know, you’ll have a crowd up on their feet rockin’ and doin’ their deal and then they’ll sit down and listen for a minute, and it’s scary. (laughs) We’re not accustomed to having people actually sit down and pay attention to what we’re doing! Not like that.”