Big & Rich needed more bang in their country ying-yang

Big & Rich are -- how shall I put this? -- the most unusual duo in the history of country music.

Their albums are a swirling, intoxicating blend of country, rock, gospel, pop and rap. Their concerts are like a collision between a circus and a freak show. But their career has been a roller coaster.

After playing to more than 14,000 at Xcel Energy Center in November 2005, Big & Rich returned Sunday to 2,100 fans at Mystic Showroom at Mystic Lake Casino. The duo didn't seem as wired, weird and wild as at Xcel. Early on, John Rich realized the odds were against him at a booze-free casino.

After Big & Rich's third number, "Wild West Show," Rich learned from fans that alcohol wasn't being served. "Are you kidding me?" he said. "Who needs a drink? I've got one. It's a Crown and 7. Ladies, pass that around the front row. We gotta rock extra hard if you aren't extra drunk!"

Despite the dark circles under his eyes, suggesting he needed sleep, Rich, 33, the rhinestone cowboy who took the stage in a floor-length fur coat, worked it hard. But Big Kenny Alphin, 44, who comes on a like a hippie preacher with a top hat, wasn't in sync with his partner. He seemed tired or under the weather. He was less manic than in the past, his moves seeming more calculated than spontaneous. And his voice was softer. To paraphrase one of their songs, Big Kenny needed to put more bang into Rich's ying-yang.

In the Big & Rich tradition, the evening opened with members of their so-called Muzik Mafia doing their part. Two Foot Fred, who really is that tall (or short), did two minutes of jokes, and then rapper Cowboy Troy threw down, finally getting the party started on his finale, "I Play Chicken with the Train."

Big & Rich then took the stage in front of a backdrop from -- go figure -- their second CD, "Comin' to Your City," but they tore into "Radio," a Sgt. Pepper-ish ditty from their third disc, "Between Raising Hell and Amazing Grace."

That title sums up the dichotomy of the new CD and Big & Rich in general. They want it both ways: Party in overdrive and play ballads that will do well on country radio. "Lost in This Moment," a wedding ballad from the new CD, shot to No. 1 this year, a first for Big & Rich. It was a crowd-pleaser Sunday even if Rich's lead vocals weren't as smooth as on the recording. Another radio-friendly ballad, "8th of November," was a patriotic crowd-pleaser.

And thanks to Rich and some loud guitars, B&R raised hell on "Loud," their classic "Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)" and "Rollin' (The Ballad of Big & Rich)," the most unusual, rip-roaring-est ballad you've ever heard.

Jon Bream • 612-673-1719

Jon Bream • popmusic@startribune.com