The Triple W & O (when, where, who & outfit):
2.8.15
Consol Energy Center: Pittsburgh, Pa
Garth Brooks & Trisha Yearwood
Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots
Brooks, Garth Brooks.
That is right I
achieved a bucket list item by going to see Garth Brooks live in concert &
it was everything I hoped it would be with a lil extra zing.
When I was finally
able to purchase the tickets for this concert I am “Shameless” in saying that I did a happy dance & felt like “Callin’ Baton Rouge”, if I had known
anyone there. However, I kept it a
secret long enough to surprise my sister with a ticket for her to also come
along with me as a Christmas present. It
was a long wait until the concert in February. The day before I thought “If Tomorrow Never Comes” I am going to
go crazy.
When we got to the
venue some people mentioned they thought we were “Much Too Young” to really know Garth Brooks & like his music,
ABSOLUTELY NOT! That night I did not
want to be anywhere else, not even “The
Beaches of Cheyenne”.
I have never walked
into a concert venue & felt all of the audience buzzing with excitement
like I did walking to my seat at Garth Brooks, & talk about an assortment
of fans that had braved the cold weather to see the icon! There were grandparents with grins on their
faces, all the way to young children who were all struck by all the hoop-la
they were in the middle of. No matter
whom I walked past though, I noticed that everyone seemed to have a twinkle of
excitement in their eye waiting anxiously for what we all had heard was going
to be one of the best concerts we would ever see.
Right out of the
gates Garth went full force. There was
no holding back. This show was the last
one of his time in Pittsburgh & he went out with the gas tank on E. He was constantly running to different areas
of the stage to engage a different part of the crowd, laughing with the band or
the back up singers, making sure the audience knew he wanted nothing else that
night but to be there on that stage singing the hits we love.
Boy, oh boy were the
hits sung. Before the concert I knew I
loved Garth, I grew up listening to him.
But when he kept playing hit after hit that I could perfectly remember
the lines to, I realized how influential he really has been. There have been many concerts of today’s
upcoming/current stars I have gone to & they have done a cover of a Garth
song. It normally turns into one of the
loudest parts of the show because so many people can sing along. Garth has captured the imagination &
hearts of so many artists that has then lead to some of today’s great
music. I understand & appreciate
this now after witnessing it for myself.
If I could carry a tune in a bucket, I would want to try to achieve the
dream Garth is living.
After being
transformed into a world of the “Rodeo”
with “Two Pina Coladas” one for each
hand, & remembering that some of God’s greatest gifts are “Unanswered Prayers”, Garth left the
stage for an intermission. But the show
did not stop while he took a breather.
Trisha had a different idea in mind.
That is right, Trisha
Yearwood took over the stage & continued to blast the venue with hits. Through the years I had forgotten how much I
loved Trisha’s songs. “She’s In Love With a Boy”, “XXX’s and OOO’s”, “How do I Live”. She busted
out a new song too that is called “Prize
Fighter”. Although the hits were fun
& kept the party going, I think the highlight of Trisha being on stage was
when she asked us all to join her in singing Happy Birthday to a certain
birthday boy. Garth’s birthday was the
day before, but the celebration was far from being over. Not many people can say they have sung Happy
Birthday to Garth Brooks with Trisha Yearwood.
After the audience
serenaded him, Garth stayed on stage and started part 2 of the hit rockin’
fun. By this time in the show the crowd
completely had the attitude of we “Ain’t
Goin Down ‘Till the Sun Comes Up”. We
were ready for more. Garth
delivered. So far Garth had done “The Dance” around his 1 big hit that
everyone in the place was waiting for.
Sure, all the hits are fun & take us back to certain times in our
lives, but there is that one Garth hit that gets everyone get up on their feet,
throw their cares aside & sing at the top of their lungs. Know which one I am talking about? That is right, “Friends in Low Places”.
This was hands down the highlight of the entire show. There were 15,000 people singing along,
confetti flying through the air, smiles from ear to ear on everyone & of
course that secret live 3rd verse. It
was a concert moment that will forever be a highlight.
Garth finished out
the show with not 1, no not 2, but 3 encores.
He truly put on a show that demonstrated how much he loves what he is
doing, appreciates the hard working people that fill the venues, & loves
the people that help him to make a show that the fans love.
Going to a Garth Brooks
concert will remind you why you fell in love with country music in the first
place. It brings people together, helps
you cope with difficult times in your life, & reminds you to always enjoy
life. There is a reason his shows sell
out almost instantly, there is a reason people travel far distances to attend,
& there is a reason people keep going back multiple times.
So move this bucket
list item up closer to the top of your list while he is touring.
I am on the look out
for when I can go again.
Until the next good
time,
Allison Pettit
P.S. facts you would only know from going to the show:
-This was the first
time Garth had been back to Pittsburgh in 17 yrs
-Garth has some
pretty fancy footwork on moving treadmill like sections that are on the stage
-His Birthday is
February 7th
-Trisha loves the
city of Pittsburgh
-Garth admitted he
cannot really play the guitar, most songs it isn’t even plugged in