‘Been waiting for this one’: Garth Brooks says he’s excited for Salt Lake stadium show

Country superstar Garth Brooks speaks to media representatives during a press conference at the University of Utah’s Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 16, 2021. (Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)

SALT LAKE CITY – Garth Brooks couldn’t suppress his excitement.

The legendary country singer walked enthusiastically on an upper deck of the Rice Eccles Stadium during a press conference on Friday before insisting on peeking out the window at the huge stage below.

“I have to see this,” he said, marveling at the huge building. “I’ve been waiting for this one.”

Brooks will perform at Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Saturday as part of his current tour, which the country superstar says will be his final series of concerts to be held in stadiums. Before the stadium show, he will also perform a set at the Westerner in Salt Lake City on Friday evening as part of his Dive Bar Tour.

Before the performances, Brooks spoke to members of the Utah media on Friday. And while this term could indicate prepared statements behind the podium places, the event on Friday was anything but. He paced back and forth on a stage as if performing his songs and realized that he’d rather have a conversation than just address the people in front of him.

It’s finding those personal connections that drives Brooks and makes playing in Utah a great experience, he said.

“You know when you’re coming here – just polite, sweet people every time. It’s fun to be where you play, ”he said.

Country superstar Garth Brooks walks to the windows to look at the set before speaking to media outlets during a press conference at the University of Utah's Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 16, 2021.Country music superstar Garth Brooks walks to the windows to look at the set before speaking to media outlets during a press conference at the University of Utah’s Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 16, 2021 . Photo: Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)

The serious entertainer got a little emotional on several occasions talking about being able to perform in Utah and touring again after the music industry took largely a year off during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brooks’ stadium tour began in 2019 but has been put on hold during the pandemic. The tour resumed on July 10th in Las Vegas, a show that was postponed several times before it finally happened.

He was a little out of practice after not playing for so long. But Brooks said with a great crew, band, and audience in Vegas, it’s easy to get going again.

“The band sounded great and then the train wrecks come one by one because they didn’t,” he said. “And you see, people just thought of it as joy and love … and then it got funny.”

Nice chat with Garth Brooks who is perhaps the nicest, healthiest person I have ever interviewed. pic.twitter.com/yZDJsExMiJ

– Jacob Klopfenstein (@JFKlopfenstein) July 16, 2021

When an audience allows the performer to make mistakes and just roll with them, that’s special, Brooks said.

“These people will allow me to do it, I’ve seen it here before,” he added. “They are not looking for perfection, they are looking for sincerity.”

Brooks lives from the audience and what they give back at concerts. It’s an exhilarating moment to hear an audience churn out “Friends In Low Places,” their signature mega-hit, but then turn around and sing “The Dance,” a more melancholy ballad, with the same enthusiasm they are for “Friends” had. he said.

“So you get ‘Friends In Low Places’ and you get the fuss, and here comes something like ‘The Dance’ and you can hear it in their voices – the sincerity that is in there.”

Country superstar Garth Brooks speaks to media representatives during a press conference at the University of Utah's Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 16, 2021.Country superstar Garth Brooks speaks to media representatives during a press conference at the University of Utah’s Rice Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on Friday, July 16, 2021. (Photo by Scott G Winterton, Deseret News)

The concert is going to be hot – the temperatures at Showtime are expected to be in the three-digit range. Brooks encouraged people not to get to Rice Eccles Stadium too early; the show, slated for 7 p.m., will likely start a little late so people don’t bake in the heat, he said. There will also be some areas in the stadium for people to cool off in.

The Utah Transit Authority will change its service to bring people to and from the concert on Saturday. From around 4:30 p.m., according to UTA, TRAX trains will run between Draper Town Center station and Stadium station every 20 minutes without having to change trains. In addition, Red Line trains run from Fashion Place West to Stadium Station every 10 minutes.

After the concert, UTA has designated 10 additional TRAX trains, which run every 4-7 minutes as required and serve every station on the green, blue and red TRAX lines.

On Saturday Brooks will play in front of tens of thousands of Utahners. But he said he didn’t worry if the audience gave back as much as he put into a concert.

“It’s easy, man, when you play with people and you hear them sing,” Brooks said. “Being sincere and falling in love is the easy part.”

×

photos

More stories that might interest you

Comments are closed.