Brooks & Dunn journeyed back to DeKalb Saturday night and played to a nearly sold-out crowd at the Convocation Center, covered the audience in multi-colored confetti and streamers and left everyone feeling a little bit country at the night’s end.

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn took the stage while the house lights were still on and began their set with “Red Dirt Road” and the crowd immediately began dancing along.

The 13-piece band, which includes six guitarists and three female backup singers, performed 18 songs during the 90-minute show.

Fans adorned themselves with cowboy hats, boots, button-down shirts and blue jeans with shinny metal belt buckles, and boot scootin’ boogied the night away.

“Country shows are traditionally not a college appeal,” said Kevin Selover, marketing manager for the Convocation Center. “But tonight, there are definitely college students here.”

Brett Doszak, a junior business administration major, and Murphy Mahalik, a sophomore English major, tried to start the wave before the show even began.

“I love the music,” Doszak said. “There’s no better music in the world. It brings people from all over the place together.”

Audience members included toddlers, senior citizens and every age group in between.

“It’s good to get a different mix of people to come to the shows,” Mahalik said.

A mixture of multi-colored lights engulfed the stage while Brooks & Dunn moved about the stage and took advantage of their headset microphones. The duo played to all sides of the stage while audience members sang along and tapped their feet.

During “Rock My World,” two giant inflatable cowgirls on saddles sat on each side of the stage while Dunn tossed drumsticks into the audience and Brooks shot T-shirts out of an air cannon.

The duo also performed a new song entitled “Play Something Country” from their upcoming album. Fans cheered and waved their cowboy hats in approval.

During “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” Dunn pulled 19-year-old audience member Amy Struckmeyer from Elgin onto the stage and danced with her.

“[Brooks & Dunn] have kept the same quality of music since they started,” Struckmeyer said. “They haven’t changed or sold out.”

The main set closed with “Only In America.” A confetti blizzard filled the floor of the Convo, while three Marines walked out on stage and stood at attention and the crowd erupted in a standing ovation.

Gary Allen and his seven-piece band warmed up the crowd with a 12-song, 50-minutes set that included “Nothing On But the Radio” and a cover of “Runaway” by Del Shannon and Max Crook.

“I like Gary Allen’s music because you can relate to it with life and it’s not fake,” Struckmeyer said.

Allen threw guitar picks to audience members while singing and had the crowd sing “Happy Birthday” to his drummer in between songs.

Raspy-voiced Bobby Pinson opened the show as a solo acoustic act, but did more talking to the crowd than actual singing. He performed four songs, including his single “Don’t Ask Me How I Know.”