I’m not big on sports and/or sports references, but this? This I understand.
Before Garth Brooks took the stage in St. Louis at the Dome at America’s Center on March 9 — the first night of his stadium tour — he sat down with CMT’s Hot 20 to talk about what he’s doing to make this tour such a winner.
Here are some of the outtakes from that conversation:
CMT: Is this like kicking off a season?
Garth Brooks: “Hell yeah it is, man! It’s going to be full contact, I can tell you right now. Cause the guys are so scared and the only way to get that scare out is to go out and pop somebody. That’s just how sports are. So I can’t wait for that first exchange. (Fans) are gonna get it on the first song, they’re going to get their test on the first song and you’ll know at that moment, what kind of night it’s going to be.”
You’ve scheduled more space between tour stops. Why?
“Remember that Chicago was 11 nights, Minneapolis was 11 nights. Now you see that many people on one night or in two nights. So it makes the tour itself shrink down to about 40 cities, but it makes each city show its own.”
Brooks also explained his philosophy on what defines a tour, and how that makes each tour a new experience for his fans. Each one over the years has had something all its own. This year, it’s what he’s done with the poles that are a necessary evil in stadiums.
“There’s those four poles that everybody hates,” Brooks said of the structures that make for the dreaded Obstructed View seats. “I hate them, everybody hates them. But wait until you see these: totally dressed in videos, they’re just going to become part of the set. They’ll look like they’re moving, it’s gorgeous. It’s just going to be fun, it’s going to be something that you’ve never seen.”
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Brooks broke the attendance record at the Dome thanks to the roughly 75,000 fans who showed up.
St. Louis THANK YOU for giving me the BEST night that I’ve had in a long, long time! love, g #GarthInStLouis pic.twitter.com/E1cBXxc9FN
— Garth Brooks (@garthbrooks) March 10, 2019
For the rest of the Hot 20 interview with Brooks, tune in to an all-new episode airing Saturday and Sunday (March 16-17) at 9 a.m. ET.
Brooks’ tour continues with dates throughout the country for the next few months.