There are few things in life that leave me speechless…
…but Garth Brooks did.
Not once. Not twice. But THREE times.
When Garth Brooks announced a comeback world tour all of Knoxville waited for the day he told us he was returning. Well he announced it, alright. And all of Knox jumped for joy, tried to order tickets, broke phone lines and the internet, spent the best money of our lives, and waited patiently for the big day. With four shows [Thursday-Sunday] in Knoxville, anyone who knows a thing about country music had "Garth Brooks" penciled in on their agendas.
While Thursday technically was the first show of Garth's Knoxville takeover, Friday was considered opening night and was the show I planned on attending. I purchased a set of tickets which I later handed over to my parents when Garth's team offered me two in their section. I was contacted about attending Garth's pre-show press conference a few weeks prior to the show and jumped at the offer. [you can find out about this experience PLUS find out about my one-on-one interview with Mr. Brooks in a later post].
Thursday night only brought out about 9,000 people but Friday night was sold out and packed to the brim. Thompson Boling Arena was loud, energetic, and ready for a Garth sing-along.
Starting the night off was country singer/songwriter Karyn Rochelle who also doubles as a backup singer for Garth and Trisha. Because I thoroughly enjoy finding new artists and love me some tomatoes (shoutout to Keith Hill. Ha!), I was excited to see what Karyn brought to the table. To say I was impressed is an understatement. I left TBA and immediately bought her song Better Off. Karyn performed this song along with Sunny Sweeney's "From A Table Away" and Kellie Pickler's up tempo hit "Red High Heels". Karyn had a hand in writing both songs and performed them in a way that made me wish she had been the one to record them. She was humbled by the energetic response and welcome she got from the Knoxville crowd. After a quick shoutout to her momma and grandma, Karyn found herself receiving a well deserved standing ovation.
This lady is super talented and has a bright future!
Ms. Rochelle had the crowd warmed up and ready for the main event. Because Garth had mentioned that opening night would be slightly different than the previous night, the crowd honestly had no idea what to expect. Were we waiting for Trisha first? Or Garth? Or the two of them at the same time?
After a few minutes, the cat was out of the bag and the wait was over. In a dramatic fashion, Garth appeared on stage. Smoke. Machines. Garth. He was on stage and the crowd went crazy.
•• So prepare yourself for a war like you've never seen. This is man against machine. ••
Garth was back and Knoxville was on our feet.
From the first seconds on stage, I knew this would be an experience of a lifetime. Before long myself and an arena full of people found ourselves in awe of our favorite artist. When I tell you watching GB on stage is a once in a lifetime experience, I mean it. One second he was running to the left, then the right, then to the back, then on top of the drummers cage. Wow. Speechless.
We were witnessing a legend on stage and our eyes could not believe what we were seeing. We sang at the top of our lungs to every song he played. After performing "Two Of A Kind Workin' On A Full House" and "Beaches of Cheyenne", Garth decided to give the crowd a little test. He played some of his oldest songs and had the crowd finish the lines. At that moment, it was clear that he was as excited about Knoxville as we were about him.
"It's a crime to do two slow songs in a row, but I have to switch it up here. I have to."
After hearing us sing along to every word of "If Tomorrow Never Comes", Garth broke out "Unanswered Prayers" just for us. These moments were pure magic.
— Glenn Q100 (@Q100Glenn) May 30, 2015
Before we knew it, we were all awkward dancing and screaming the words to hit after hit. "Papa Loved Mama" and "Ain't Goin Down [Till The Sun Comes Up]" had us all belting out the words like we were the ones on stage. I'm not going to lie though, one of my favorite moments came when Garth played my favorite song: "Two Pina Coladas." That song had me dancing like I've never danced in public before.
We sang WITH Garth. And we sang FOR Garth.
"It doesn't matter if it's about drinkin', lovin', or workin'. Y'all react the same. I love it man, I love it."
Thunder. Flashes of lights. Smoke.
You guessed it, next was "Thunder Rolls".
But the real excitement struck when Ms. Yearwood made her way on stage with Garth. You've never quite seen a love like theirs. I've never heard "In Another's Eyes" sound so good.
Now, came the moment I had been waiting for since the day I found out Trisha would be accompanying Garth on his world tour. While I initially bought the tickets to see the legend known as Garth, I found myself being more and more eager to see Trisha perform. Let's face it, I fangirled so hard. "Xxx's and Ooo's" and "How Do I Live" were the first two songs Ms. Yearwood sang. But the real magic occurred when she said "Ladies, stand up cause this one is for the boy!" When I was 13, my family and I went to the beach. The one song I sang over and over all the way to Florida was being performed just feet from where I stood. I had to take a moment and dance like no one was watching to "She's In Love With The Boy." But to my surprise someone WAS watching ; it was Ms. Yearwood herself.
Bucket List: Get caught awkward dancing to "She's In Love With The Boy" by Trisha Yearwood
C H E C K
When Garth returned, he had more energy than when he left. He began this time with "Shameless." The first verse was solid. The second verse…a little bit flawed. After messing up, Garth stopped the song and turned to address his band.
"Remember that time I said I'm always right? Well I just f***ed up…"
The crowd irrupted with laughter. Garth turned to us, asked permission to try again, and then started from the beginning.
Garth's guitar. Ever wonder if he is really playing? Well he informed us it's never turned on during his shows. "I only have it to hide my gut…they only let me turn it on for one song…"
*Cue the "Friends In Low Places" chords and the rowdy audience*
I'm willing to bet TBA was at it's maximum sound during these next few minutes. Everyone knows the words, and EVERYONE sang along.
Tennessee. We take great pride in ourselves. So how did we finish "Friends In Low Places?"
By singing a VOLS chant of course!
"I said it's GREAT. TO BE. A TENNESSEE VOL."
"The Dance."
I'm willing to bet some people only bought tickets so they could hear this song live. Garth credits "The Dance" for changing his career and his life. Hearing everyone sing along made for one of the highlights of the night.
— Glenn Q100 (@Q100Glenn) May 30, 2015
"Why Knox? This is where it all began for us. And I'll tell you, flat out, Knoxville you are still the same. Except you've gotten bigger & you've gotten better with time."
How do you end a show when you are Garth Brooks?
With an encore. No, two encores. Wrong again, THREE encores.
We got a taste of some new Garth songs plus a little throwback or two.
I found myself with chills all night long, but something about hearing Garth shout "God Bless Chris Ledoux" during "Much Too Young [To Be This Damn Old]" filled my heart with joy and made me realize that Garth Brooks is what country music is all about.
If you are questioning country music, go see Garth. He renewed my soul and made my love for music triple in size.
Thanks for the tickets, Garth, and thanks for a once in a lifetime experience.
xox
Morgan Hill Sellers
