A Garth Brooks Fan Sounds Off on Notre Dame Stadium Concert
Editor’s Note: This letter was sent to Saving Country Music by a Garth fan, and is posted with permission. Please be respectful to this contributor with your comments.
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10/23/2018
I have taken the past two days to find the words I’d like to share in regards to the concert at Notre Dame.
I am a seasoned Garth fan, having seen him 17 previous times at various locations (Chicago, Denver, Wynn) over the past 30 years. Garth is my coming of age music. He began the tour scene as I got my drivers license, giving me the rebellion from my parents music and opportunity to drive to see him perform. His music provides a soundtrack to my life, as I grow from teenager to mid 40s adult.
I did travel from Denver for the Notre Dame concert. And though I enjoyed the concert, I feel I did not see a Garth Brooks concert, but watched a taping of a performance. The majority of the evening was dominated by CBS, prioritizing their footage over the genuine flow of a live performance. The authenticity of all that Garth concerts have been was compromised, as the evening was sold out to production versus a deep rooted fan base.
As a fan, I am outraged that the flow of the concert was interrupted multiple times for ‘re-taping,’ killing the magical vibe of every other Garth concert which I have attended. There was an invisible barrier between Garth and his fans on Saturday night, blocking the intimate connection which he has always provided even in the largest arenas.
It is unfathomable to me that he choose to cover multiple other artists’ material, over powerful Garth anthems. I am unclear about the set list, and who the target listener was. The decision to skip songs such as “Shameless,” “We Shall Be Free” and “People Loving People” was one that was made not for a Garth enthusiast, but for a bankroll bigger than what a humble fan is able to contribute.
I am disappointed and disheartened. Moreover, I am overall stunned that Garth would perform as he did to 84,000 fans who paid and traveled to see him, choosing wealth and publicity over a sincere performance. Garth has always been on a pedestal, the highest ranked musician in my life. The giver of the melody, the consistent yet innovative.
I’m not sure how to proceed and continue my support for Garth. When people ask about the concert, my heart breaks to tell them the truth. As he begins his stadium tour, I question everything. Were the last 30 years of musical performances bogus? Does Garth prioritize the human fan or the dollars? Has be always been a dancing puppet? Why did I pay to become one of his puppets at Notre Dame? Does he have dignity as a performer or will the person singing at the stadium tour continue to be a pawn for the industry?
With respect,
Sheila Ferrigan
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Garth Brooks announced on October 17th during a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame that his next tour will be a stadium tour, with 10 to 12 concerts every year for the next three years, with a total of 30 dates. Specific dates have not been announced yet. His CBS special taped at Notre Dame Stadium is set to air on CBS December 2nd.
THE NOTRE DAME CONCERT WAS *NOT* INITIALLY ADVERTISED AS A TELEVISION TAPING, AND THIS WAS NOT DISCLOSED WHEN TICKETS WENT ON SALE. THIS WAS NOT DISCLOSED UNTIL OCTOBER 17TH—DAYS BEFORE THE CONCERT.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 8:38 am
Folks, just to emphasize again: Sheila is our guest here, so let’s please be respectful to her. Leave your opinions, but please let’s not make it personal against her if you disagree. She sent me this letter and I thought it offered a lot of excellent insight coming from a Garth fan, including fair concerns about his stadium tour, and deserved to be shared.
Thanks!
Let's go to Luckenbach, Texas with Lil Dale©, Trigger and the boys
October 24, 2018 @ 2:29 pm
how meny women just like er have silent skeems?
how meny men like me do they sleep with in there dreems?
she can stay or she can go and all tho I simpathize
Brian S Venesevich
October 25, 2018 @ 7:11 am
I was at the ND show. I loved it. My wife and I had a great time. Traveled from pa to see it. I’d do it again tomorrow if given the chance.
Jason Robinson
November 7, 2018 @ 4:45 am
I was there, a first time Garth Brook concert goer. I did not have any other concert experience from Garth. With that being said I thought the concert was amazing no disappointment from here. Growing up listening to country music and became a huge fan of Garth Brooks.
Living and growing up I. Southwest Michigan only 30 minutes from Notre Dame I was thrilled that He was coming to a small area. The expectation was to hear a performance ike no other and my longtime girlfriend and I heard just that.
Why did Garth say he was going to start and end his stadium tour at notre dame
BECAUSE THE FAN AREA GREAT and the AREA OF NOTRE DAME IS AWESOME.
Not all concerts by the same artist will be the same but I suppose most people feel that change is not a good thing and like the status quo.
GO IRISH!!!!!
GO GARTH BROOKS
jason w jackson
December 9, 2018 @ 11:31 pm
Very confused. Why is no one mentioning that he pays homage to Bob Seger.
People… Get over your own personal discretions
This man played at the inauguration for president Obama
If you have anything to say say it polite and poignant
Edith Talley
December 28, 2018 @ 8:22 pm
Can you tell me why the one band member was booed? I just didn’t understand.
Kami
January 2, 2019 @ 8:46 pm
They were saying his name – Bruce!
MH
October 24, 2018 @ 8:49 am
As an adult in my early 40s that saw Garth in the 90s and have seen him recently, I have a much clearer lens.
That portion of a show where people in the audience hold up signs with song requests and he does them acoustically?
The more shows I saw, the more I was led to believe that those “fans” are a sham. “Audience plants,” if you will.
The over-emoting “joy” of the fan when Garth pointed them out and did the song seemed waaaaaay too overdramatic to be authentic.
ck
October 24, 2018 @ 9:24 am
The housekeeping portion of the show with fans holding up signs, is 1000% authentic, every time. Real fans, real connections, real emotions, really off the cuff, unplanned. Have any opinion you want about Garth, but there is nothing manufactured or fake about those moments, fact.
MH
October 24, 2018 @ 9:51 am
Sorry, I don’t believe you.
ck
October 24, 2018 @ 10:09 am
Again, don’t care if you hate or love the man, but it’s sad we can’t even have a fair discussion with truth, and then come an informed opinion rather than a cynical one. not defending the ND show, as I wasn’t there. But Fact is the signs and fans are legit, period.
Head Case
October 24, 2018 @ 10:32 am
Not saying either one of you is right or wrong, I really don’t care, but what proof do you have of its realness?
ck
October 24, 2018 @ 10:54 am
Head Case it won’t let me reply directly to your comment. almost 30 years of personal experiences, in which I paid for every single ticket and had no pre-planning with the man (I WISH!). and knowledge of and relationships with 100’s of other normal fans just looking to make a connection or say a thank you who have had these very real experiences. these moments are the signature of the relationship between garth and the fans. He would have had to have had thousands and thousands of plants by this time in his career who would have kept a lid on it, and that’s ridiculous to even consider. But would be very easy to search out many fans who can vouch on social media to the legitimacy of this part of the show
Head Case
October 24, 2018 @ 11:54 am
Ok sounds like it would be pretty cool for a big Garth fan to have him see something you wrote and know he paid attention to it
straitouttanashville
October 24, 2018 @ 10:32 pm
Any chance it could be both. That Garth could have plants and he also could randomly see a sign and play that song? I ask with know knowledge what-so-ever, just seems logical you both could be right here. For the record I have never been to a Garth Brooks Concert.
Henning
October 25, 2018 @ 4:03 pm
Hi, not saying Garth does this, but just to let you know: It would not be hard to put “audience plants” into a show at all. It does not take a star and their team to keep track of thousands of fans. You would outsource the job of provide two or three plants per show to the local promoters.
I was working for a local concert promoter for a while some years ago and requests of this type would come in every now and again. I remember this one big name stoner rock band asked for a couple of girls to “spontaneously” storm the stage and take their tops off for their big hit. So my then boss hired a few girls from the local table dance bar for the night. Were they fans of the band? I have no idea. They waited for their cue, did their job, got their pay. It’s all part of the expenses.
These days often you have these viral clips: “Watch this super-relatable rock star pull a fan onstage to play with them!” In these videos the Level-Headed™-Rock Star has spotted someone in the audience with a placard or whatever and now “out of the blue” they ask that kid up onstage. Here they have a little banter, then the kid gets to perform on piano or guitar with and is doing remarkably well. Whoppee, viral gold!
I mean, how does ANYONE fall for this?
Local promoters often enough have to provide support bands for smaller acts, they know their local scene. So when the order from the tour management goes out: Get us someone who can play, say, the piano, they know who to ask.That kid will have been on a stage before (not that big, but still) with his local band or his music school, so there’s little stagefright and sufficient musicality. I mean – How come I’ve never seen somebody make an ass of himself in such a situation?
There’s this clip of this student performing with (notsayingthename) and it’s like, sooo incredibly obvious. The clip is not shaky and the sound is not muffled, it’s perfectly cut from a number of angles and the sound is as crispy as a packet of Walker’s Salt & Vinegar. The “random” kid is even already miked up for the banter. How can he be when he was just picked and helped onto the stage? (Btw usually security would tackle you if you tried that and not pick you up.)
Sorry I was blathering on. You just triggered a pet peeve of mine.
Anyway, again, I’m not meaning to say that Garth and his team are doing this. Just saying it would be dead simple and not uncommon for a touring management to demand the local partner to provide plants in the audience. I mean, the local promoters are getting elaborate riders of what to provide the backstage area with, sometimes including even the color of the drapes, and they manage to comply. They are paying dozens of people per concert, like local stagehands, security, catering staff – what’s three more people on the payroll? (Probably not even on the payroll, just ask three friends: “Hey, you like this band, don’t you? Wanna see the show for free? You’ll only have to hold a sign.”)
RWP
October 24, 2018 @ 2:45 pm
Garth is so awesome, he can leer into the dark audience with super hero sight and see signs standing on a stage with bright lights in hisface. *eye roll*
Marguerite
October 24, 2018 @ 8:07 pm
I’ve been a HUGE Garth fan forever. I’ve been to 37 shows and counting! He is a true entertainer and the most transparent genuine guy out there.
He see’s the signs and I can testify to it. I drive from PA to TN for the flood relief shows. I was in the middle of the arena about 15 rows off the floor. That man saw my sign, called me to the stage and gave me the guitar pick that I asked for. He then called me back to the stage and gave me the guitar off his back. Fast forward 5 years later, I had the pleasure of meeting him. I told him the story of the guitar and he remembered details. I was amazed!
I like most others, make a sign with a song I would like to hear. In 4 different cities with 4 different signs, he played my requests.
lt
October 25, 2018 @ 7:34 am
RWP if you’re going to speak on a matter at least have experience with the topic instead of taking the easy way out with a blind sarcastic opinion. *eyeroll* Had you ever been to a garth show you would know exactly how garth keeps his audience lit, and how he sees the signs.
JG
October 26, 2018 @ 11:34 am
I went to about a dozen shows on this tour, I’m not a person that makes signs, but I definitely enjoy the “housekeeping” portion.
I’ve met some of these people in lines, I’ve watched them on the screen as they react, congratulated them after shows. These people are 100% real fans that paid for a concert ticket. That being said, he does seem to favor some songs over others. Maybe he enjoys them more himself or chooses to play them because they’re the most requested, but he does seem to recycle through the same dozen or so. He’ll often introduce these acoustic songs with the same story or a “how does this one go again? Let’s try this…”. Are parts of the show rehearsed? Absolutely! But these folks certainly aren’t being planted and given signs.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 9:53 am
Sure, okay. And maybe that wasn’t you dad you saw putting presents under the Christmas tree when you were 8.
Jon Darby
October 24, 2018 @ 10:38 am
It is most definitely authentic as I attended 3 shows on the last tour with the same poster and song request, Alabama Clay. He played it in response to my sign as the first housekeeping song at Lexington, Louisville, and Nashville.
Marguerite
October 24, 2018 @ 8:13 pm
It was 1 million % real when he played my song request! 4 times in 4 cities. It’s pure luck that you get to share that brief moment with such an icon. I cried every time. He has a way of making you feel like it is just the 2 of you in that arena.. Nothing fake about it.
Keith
October 25, 2018 @ 6:21 am
I can’t say for certain if the Garth fans with the signs are plants or not but I’m hoping what I’m about to say could shed some light on it. I have a friend who has been on Springsteen’s stage crew and Bruce does a similar thing during his shows. He told me that all the fans with signs are genuine but that Bruce has spotters in the crowd who tell Bruce’s stage manager and guitar tech’s where the fans are and what the signs say they think are the best.
It’s up to Bruce if he chooses to react to it or not. Perhaps Garth uses a similar practice??
lk
October 25, 2018 @ 7:42 am
Garth keeps his show well it, he sees the signs through the show and acknowledges the person when he sees it. he is constantly interacting with the crowd with head nods, finger points, hand signals, etc while he performs. he knows what signs are out there already on his own because he’s seen them and let the fan know he saw it, during the encore decides which signs to go to, 90% of the time they are song requests. Is it possible something is brought to his attention occasionally, yes, but that’s not the usual practice.
Bruce Bouton
October 25, 2018 @ 1:17 pm
Having performed in hundreds of Garth shows I can say with certainty that the fans with signs are not “planted” or hired as schills. Really what would be the point ?
Bruce Bouton
Brett Dale
October 25, 2018 @ 3:58 pm
Its real because I know people who have hold up signs, during the house keeping portions. 100% real.
CAROLYN A KRUTKEVICH
October 26, 2018 @ 7:30 am
I held up a sign in Winnipeg last time he was in town for him to sing “She’s Every Woman”. Garth saw my sign, waved to me and then sang that song straight to me and that moment is forever cemented as my greatest concert moment. I guarantee you that I am not a “plant”.
Steel
October 26, 2018 @ 2:49 pm
It honestly wouldn’t change my opinion of him if I knew with 100% certainty that fans were or were not “planted”. Either way it is a well rehearsed and orchestrated part of the show (even if it is a genuine surprise to the fan when their sign is picked), which is totally fine, he is a professional entertainer after all.
What I don’t get is why so many people are so adamant about defending it? That, to me, is strange.
JKL
October 26, 2018 @ 4:46 pm
What is that you find strange? Someone made a false statement, others jumped on that bandwagon with snarky remarks having no true knowledge or experience with it. So yes, people who do know and are certain are setting the record straight. Because someone has a negative opinion about him doesn’t make it ok to call him a fake or accuse him of staging emotional fans. This isn’t hard to understand. It is a part of the show that is off the cuff, and a way for fans and artist to make a real connection. Whoever wants to can still have a poor opinion of him and that’s fine, it’s hard enough to get Garth tickets. But people will defend this because they are REAL experiences that have value and meaning in their lives, and don’t appreciate it being called out as a sham.
Bill
October 24, 2018 @ 8:52 am
I’ve always believed that there isn’t a genuine bone in Garth’s body and he’s always been in it for the money. This fan’s letter reinforces that belief.
Bill Owens
October 24, 2018 @ 4:37 pm
He would record Row Row Row Your boat if told to. I’ll take Dwight ANY day!
Julian Spivey
October 24, 2018 @ 8:54 pm
Or he wanted even more of his fans to enjoy the experience so allowed it to be recorded and broadcast?
albert
October 25, 2018 @ 7:55 am
I’m not going to knock GBs importance to his fans ……but c’mon if you think he’s not about $$$$ and fame as much as about the music you’re just kidding yourselves .
The guy is a money making machine on nearly every level and it isn’t by chance . BUSINESS is is first career option and he’s applied everything he learned . He has , no doubt , made more money than he could spend in 10 lifetimes and continues to do so . If you think he’s going to leave stones un-turned in that respect ..keep dreaming . This guy may not be as ‘fake’ as is long time fans want to accept but without a doubt he’s about BUSINESS….. and that business is the marketing of Garth . Noting should surprise us in terms of his strategies and his motus operandi .
Debbie
December 2, 2018 @ 10:34 pm
Albert i agree but will say Garth LOVES singing and interacting with his fans on facebook ect just as much…..The saying do what you love and the money will follow applies here.I believe he is as genuine as you can get in this industry.
I am also happy this concert was recorded so i could see it!Thanks Garth!
Keith Heisler
October 24, 2018 @ 8:53 am
Sheila thank you for your perspective. Having not been there I have a few questions. How many songs needed to be re-shot would you guess?? Huge Garth fan myself. 7 concerts total. Excited for the new tour but your well articulated perspective has me re-considering how many shows I want to go to. What cover songs bothered you? After a review of the setlist it seems to me to be pretty standard Garth covers and ones I’ve heard him sing before for the most part. Again thank you for your commentary and for sharing it with all of us here at the best place on the internet Saving Country Music. I appreciate your honesty very much.
Keith
Dennixx
October 24, 2018 @ 8:56 am
The antithesis of everything music should be.
hallfan01
October 24, 2018 @ 8:56 am
She lost me when she complained about Garth covering other people’s material but then immediately lamented the fact he didn’t play Shameless. Lol.
Jeff
October 24, 2018 @ 9:13 am
Shameless is a song Garth recorded and put on an album. Beatles medley, two Bob Seger songs and American Pie are probably what she is referring to.
Jeremiah
October 24, 2018 @ 10:26 am
hallfan01- Not wrong but kind of nitpicky. Would you criticize someone for associating the number 2 with Rusty Wallace? Everyone knows Dale Earnhardt drove the 2 car before him.
Tyler Pappas
October 25, 2018 @ 8:46 am
Yeah but when you think of Dale Earnhardt you think of 3 right off the bat not 2. When I think of 2 I immediately went to Rusty Wallace
Jeremiah
October 25, 2018 @ 12:00 pm
Yea, that’s my point. When most people think of Shameless they think Garth. Not Billy Joel, even though he sang it first.
Rooster Cruiser
October 24, 2018 @ 8:59 am
She’s mad that he did covers, but also mad that he didn’t play Shameless?
RWP
October 24, 2018 @ 9:16 am
I see where she’s going though. Shameless may be a cover,but it was one of his biggest hits that most Garth fans wait for him to sing. Big difference than paying money to see him sing some shit Dan Fogelberg song or whatever he covered.
Jeremiah
October 24, 2018 @ 10:28 am
Rooster- If this was about seeing Johnny Cash do a bunch of covers yet never singing Ring of Fire, would you make a similar comment?
CAROLYN A KRUTKEVICH
October 26, 2018 @ 7:32 am
I’m willing to bet that Sheila does not know that Shameless is a cover.
Jeremiah
October 26, 2018 @ 11:09 am
Speculation.
Jeremiah
October 26, 2018 @ 11:17 am
It also doesn’t matter if she knew. I’d be just as willing to bet that a huge percentage of people didn’t/doesn’t know it’s a cover which makes even more Garth’s. Either way, to pick that one remark to analyze out of her whole letter is nitpicky and brings nothing to the discussion.
Devin
October 24, 2018 @ 9:02 am
When I was a kid I loved listening to Garth but sincerely my mid-to-late teens I started to see how over-hyped he was and haven’t since.
Janet
October 24, 2018 @ 9:03 am
I’m not quite understanding the issue. Unless i’m reading it wrong, it WAS a taping of a performance. Interruptions to get things right in production seems somewhat reasonable to me. I would not think one disappointing concert would leave one outraged with so many questions, regarding a performer who has always come through for you.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 9:09 am
When Garth Brooks played Texas Stadium in Irving in the early 90’s (the notorious one where he flew across the crowd on wires like Sandy Duncan), he played two shows. One was for the fans of the area, and the other was for an NBC Special, and was later released as part of a DVD package. The taping concert was FREE. The other was paid for. Also, that was part of a bigger tour, while Garth hyped up the Notre Dame stadium show as a one-off, once-in-a-lifetime experience …. right before announcing he would be playing 30 stadiums in the coming years.
I agree if you go to a taping, there are going to be some reshoots, etc., but this wasn’t exclusively booked as a taping. When you go to an Austin City Limits taping, they wait until the very end for the reshoots, so you still feel like you’re getting a concert experience, and the vibe of the performance is not interrupted. They’re also free, though hard to get tickets to due to demand.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 9:25 am
Garth is no Sandy Duncan. And Sandy Duncan is no Mary Martin, who is, was, and always will be Peter Pan. And Larry Hagman’s mom, for that matter.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 9:59 am
🙂
RD
October 24, 2018 @ 4:12 pm
I thought Ellen Degeneres was Peter pan.
Janet
October 24, 2018 @ 9:35 am
I didn’t know that, thank you for the back story.
Kevin Doebler
October 24, 2018 @ 9:37 am
I mean no disrespect here, but this really feels like someone looking for something to be angry at. Aside from a few reshoots, it’s standard concert stuff.
A lot of people love cover songs. I definitely enjoy hearing my favorite artists do songs you’re not accustomed to.
Shauna
October 24, 2018 @ 9:39 am
Am I wrong that this was advertised as a major, first ever event for at least a few months before they announced it would be broadcast on CBS? If so, tickets were probably all sold by that point, right?
Shauna
October 24, 2018 @ 9:40 am
Nevermind I see that you answered my question in a later comment.
Crsync
October 24, 2018 @ 10:41 am
Hindering a live performance to capture audio & video compromises more than most folks realize. My opinion is that live music performance is at its best when artist and audience are in the moment and taking the ride together – that’s what you want to capture. If you need coverage, shoot a dress rehearsal before the show with audience. Of course the desire for technical perfection drives a lot of production decisions. My sense is that the folks at home watching the DVD / stream of the completed show will glide right over shaky camera or missed drum fill but what brings them back to multiple views is an awesome performance and crowd gone wild.
Jason
October 24, 2018 @ 3:49 pm
Texas stadium they recorded both night and could blend the two together when one show was lacking.
Notre Dame was a one shot deal.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 4:23 pm
Okay, what I’m seeing now is that there were three shows at Texas Stadium, September 23rd, 24th, and 25th, 1993. The September 24th show was free, that is why it wasn’t marked on the original ’93-’94 tour itinerary. Though according to this report:
https://newsok.com/article/2443001/garth-brooks-tackles-cowboys-texas-size-stadium
…the free show was actually on the 25th, which was a Sunday.
I’m not sure which days were taping, and which days were free. But for sure, they made one of the days for free to compensate for the fact they were doing tapings during the shows, and this would disrupt the concert experience.
ScottG
October 24, 2018 @ 9:10 am
That was well written Sheila.
The only question I would have for you is if there was any advance warning of what the show would be like when you bought your tickets. If not, that totally sucks.
However, as to the question of whether he prioritizes money over his fans and the music / etc..are we talking about the same guy that tried to sell even more records by becoming a different (and very corny) person? The guy that has prioritized spectacles like glossy big production music videos and flying over the audience? No disrespect if that’s your thing…but let’s be honest, there might be some correlation…
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 10:03 am
Garth Brooks announced his Notre Dame stadium concert on August 27th. Tickets went on sale September 14th. Garth did not officially announce that the concert would be part of a CBS television special until last week, October 17th, at a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame, where he also announced his 30-date stadium tour.
Imagine you make plans to fly to Indiana to see Garth as part of this once-in-a-lifetime experience, only then to hear it will be a taping, and he’ll probably be playing much closer to you eventually. I can understand the frustration.
ScottG
October 24, 2018 @ 10:33 am
Agree, that’s why I said if that was the case, that it sucks. The question is though, how can it be all that surprising and how much more money does he need before he would stop and think about how it affects his fans? No need to answer, it’s a rhetorical question.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 11:00 am
I don’t think it’s about the money at all at this point, it’s more about the recognition and his legacy. He wants to be remembered like The Beatles and Elvis.
And he will be, but not for the music.
Brad
October 24, 2018 @ 3:14 pm
Garth also said basically from the start that the ND concert was going to be “the blueprint for what comes next”. Not too hard to figure out he was talking about a stadium tour.
Dustin
October 24, 2018 @ 10:07 am
I was there as well. First Garth concert. It wasn’t advertised as a CBS shooting special and I don’t believe it was announced as such until maybe a week or two before hand. That said, the reshoot elements and the fucking wave shit was a little overdone. The hype man had us practicing how to do the wave like 20 times the way they wanted it done before the show and even Garth was “directing” us how to act for the magic of Television. That being said when Garth just played Garth stuff and had the flow it was great. The housekeeping portion was my personal favorite thing of the night between getting “The Red Strokes” and his cover of Ashley McBryde’s “Girl/Guy Goin’ Nowhere” being highlights. I just hope in the future if I do see Garth again it lives up more to expectations and less to Tv standards.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 9:18 am
To be fair to Garth, I’d expect much of this if I were to attend a concert that was being recorded for broadcast. Assuming it was announced ahead of time that it was, of course.
But in all honesty, everything Ms. Ferrigan is now questioning about Garth are things that I accepted as fact years ago.
Brad
October 24, 2018 @ 9:19 am
I was there and while I agree that the flow was at times disrupted by tv “stuff” (the re-singing of a few choruses here and there, having the crowd do a “double wave”, more down time than usual between songs) this letter seems a bit of an overreaction to me. How does someone claim to be such a diehard fan that they’ve seen him 17 times and then become “outraged” that he chose to do a handful of covers (not unusual for him) instead of some of her favorites? She’s so angry over this that she now questions her entire fandom? I question the sincerity of this letter. I agree that it was more of a tv taping than a true concert. Garth himself admitted that would be the case after the CBS deal was signed. Having been to a few TV sitcom tapings back in the day I had a feeling there might be more things “staged” as far as reactions, etc than usual. That’s the nature of the beast. It was still an awesome, historic event to be a part of. Whether one liked (or tolerated) the TV aspect of it all or not I can’t imagine questioning my entire lifetime of fandom based off one bad concert experience.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 9:32 am
I think the underlying concern here is that Garth Brooks announced a one-off concert at Notre Dame stadium as a once-in-a-lifetime Garth fan experience, and then began to change the rules of the game after folks had bought tickets and made travel arrangements. Another point people are making is that Trisha Yearwood’s name was on the ticket, but she never appeared. We’ve all been to concerts where you’re super excited to attend, then one thing after another goes wrong, and it’s like a snowball effect, and it ruins your experience. If I was attending a taping, I would want to know that ahead of time, and I would expect the ticket to be free. That is the way it was for Garth’s 1993 concert at Texas Stadium, that is the way it is for Austin City Limits tapings where they sometimes do reshoots. If you’re there for a taping, you’re part of the presentation. You’re an “extra.” If you go to a concert, you expect to be entertained on your terms.
ck
October 24, 2018 @ 9:48 am
Trisha’s name was not on the ticket, and it was made clear from the getgo she would not be performing. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10111923298980129&set=a.10100455543988059&type=3&theater
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 9:55 am
I have other people telling me her name was on the ticket. Perhaps they had different tickets, I don’t know. I wasn’t at the show.
kl
October 24, 2018 @ 10:01 am
No one will be able to produce you a legit ticket with Trisha’s name on it.
people just assume she will always be there, and therefore upset when she wasn’t. That’s on them. Difficult to have a fair discussion when facts aren’t important.
Kevin Doebler
October 25, 2018 @ 6:13 am
You’re trying a little too hard to play devils advocate here.
Has anyone, anywhere seen a ticket with her name? Very difficult to prove a negative. What would convince you ? Seeing 70,000 or so tickets without her name?
Trigger
October 25, 2018 @ 10:17 am
I had multiple people reach out to me about their disappointment with the Notre Dame concert, and a couple of them mentioned this. I was not at the concert, never had a ticket, so I can’t speak first hand about it, and it’s not a hill I care to die on. Perhaps they misread them, perhaps there is a batch out there that did have Trisha’s name on it. I really don’t know.
Brett Dale
October 25, 2018 @ 4:03 pm
Trisha was never going to be in the concert, this was said on several studio G’s. She was always just there for her tailgate party thing.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 10:07 am
The Facebook event posted by the promoter makes it seem as though she was supposed to perform: https://www.facebook.com/events/2141284766140912/?active_tab=about
I think the confusion for some was in the fact that she hosted some sort of tailgate event prior to the concert. http://tasteofcountry.com/trisha-yearwood-garth-brooks-notre-dame-concert-tailgate/
jh
October 24, 2018 @ 10:15 am
Attractive concert is NOT Garth brooks promoter, they’re a bogus facebook page with 100 likes. Again, being informed should mean something. anyone can make those events on facebook, there’s probably over 300 of them for the ND show that fans, groups, websites, and radio stations created… if they say Trisha was scheduled it was because they have no clue what they’re talking about. and people need to go to legit sources for information. the tailgate was a separately sold ticket, not on ticketmaster, or anything resembling the concert, with very clear details on what fans would be getting.
Brad
October 24, 2018 @ 3:22 pm
Again I get the griping about the tv elements disrupting the show. That bothered a lot of people and I can understand that. Personally I didn’t let it bother me enough to ruin my night. I question someone claiming to be a diehard fan for 30 years and now suddenly reevaluating everything about the artist they profess to love. C’mon, let’s not be over dramatic here. He still played 23 songs and delivered what is, indisputably, an historic performance. This is “look at me” manufactured outrage at its finest.
L Martin
December 7, 2018 @ 8:14 am
I recorded the televised show so I could watch. My husband wanted to immediately delete it because Garth is obviously lip syncing! Even the people he works with complained about it. I’m very disappointed because I’ve never seen him live.
Kevin Doebler
October 24, 2018 @ 9:25 am
Interesting take.
My own opinion of Garth and his music aside (love him, love the music)…. if you saw him at Wynn as you say and paid the insane ticket price, how are you just now questioning all this?
It was priced way out of the ‘humble garth fan’ price range (and held at the most expensive hotel on the strip). IIRC tickets were $250 a piece, regardless of where you sat.
60-70% of the show was cover songs (and incomplete covers at that, he only did a verse or 2)
It wasn’t until the final segment of the show when his wife had him perform his ‘vegas wardrobe change’ that he did Garth songs.
Convict charlie
October 24, 2018 @ 9:28 am
They do the same thing at Nissan stadium for cma fest. There is re-shoots of stuff all the time for the abc special.
carol picchiarelli
October 24, 2018 @ 9:32 am
This was my 9th Garth show and to be very honest not the best. I understand the wet slippery floor of the stage so no usual running around and interaction with the band and back up singers. I was a little disappointed that the band and back up singers left. We the fans stuck it out in the rain, hail, wind and snow. Ithought that Garth was more worried about the sound and apperance as we did re takes of the wave, and various songs. We the fans made the best of the evening and even though some of us were dissappointd we will call or stand in line for tickets the next time he is preforming!!!!!!!
Tex Hex
October 24, 2018 @ 9:47 am
Was it announced ahead of time that it’d be a taped concert for broadcast on network TV, like, at the time of ticket purchase? If not, that’s messed up and I commiserate, however if so I think it was a “buyer beware” situation from the start and Sheila may have been a bit naive with her expectations – with all due respect.
As a lifelong music fan whose been to hundreds of concerts, some involving travel across oceans, I can say a concert experience is highly subjective and not worthwhile to fret too much over missed expectations. One fan could’ve had the time of their life, while another could’ve thought it sucked. It’s a matter of perspective. I’ve had a blast at shows with friends right next to me who thought “meh.”
Regarding Garth, he’s probably long past his prime and going through the motions, especially for a TV taping where the camera is the number one priority, not the live audience. Plus, it’s extremely rare for a legacy artist to be just as vital onstage as they were decades ago. I’ve watched newer bands rise and fall in the span of less than a decade. They peak, then they coast on their reputation and phone it in. At that point, I think twice about going to their next concert. It sucks, especially when the artist is so meaningful to a fan’s personal life and history, but such is the way of things.
It’s so so so damn rare for artists to give 110% decade after decade. The only artist I’ve seen, and I’m not even much of a fan honestly, that blew me away in this regard was Springsteen who I saw a few years ago rip a nonstop four-hour concert like he was still in his twenties. It was nuts.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 10:05 am
When the Notre Dame concert was announced in August, and tickets went on sale in September, there was no mention of a television special. This didn’t happen officially until last week, October 17th. Fans purchased tickets not knowing they were going to a taping.
Tex Hex
October 24, 2018 @ 11:09 am
Well that’s some bs, then, but not unheard of. Some fans might consider this a plus, though – what with bragging rights about being present for the big televised show or being able to relive the concert on home video forever. It’s all relative.
Terri Tylman
October 24, 2018 @ 9:51 am
I think it should of been announced before the sale of the tickets. Maybe it was decided after the fact that is was going to be recorded. It being the first ND concert ever I am not surprised that it was being filmed. With that being said I think there should of been a portion designated for filming that way to keep to the flow and vibe of the concert. The camera could of caught some other candid glimpses of the performance through out the concert. He gives A LOT you could be more forgiving of him for being stuck in the middle trying to appease everyone for the this will go down in the history books.
TxMusic
October 24, 2018 @ 9:52 am
Not a Garth fan but my understanding is when you go to shows that are taped, isn’t it par for the course that it’s not your standard show? I can understand if you have no idea how it works but something seems weird.
If you’re such a huge fan of somebody and you’ve been to so many shows that you loved to the point that you will travel cross country for another show, how do you go from superfan to questioning every show the man ever did, his career and the man himself? All that over one show that you even say you enjoyed? Weird.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 9:59 am
Because The Garth has never disappointed her before. She’s heard the criticism, but always pooh-poohed it because Garth has never been anything but amazing for her personally. Now that she’s seen the hole in the veneer she’s remembering the naysayers and wondering if they were right and she was wrong all along.
It’s sort of like thinking you have a great marriage until you find out your spouse cheated on you and you go back and re-evaluate everything and realize that nothing was really as you thought it was.
TxMusic
October 24, 2018 @ 11:00 am
I had a not so good steak at my favorite restaurant and then my friend said they didn’t like the place so I’m thinking I never liked the steak there because of that one experience even though I always had great steaks there and kept on going back.
Makes all the sense in the world.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 12:06 pm
Bad analogy.
A better analogy along the same lines would be, you’ve enjoyed steak at a favorite restaurant for years. You’ve heard rumors that they substitute horse meat for beef, but you’ve never had a bad meal so you think it’s just talk. Then one night the steak is a little tough, so you wonder if there’s something to it. It doesn’t change the fact that you enjoyed every other meal you’ve had there, but now you wonder if you were really eating what you thought you were eating.
TxMusic
October 24, 2018 @ 12:16 pm
You might be slightly tainted against the place now because on principal you think you should be opposed to horse meat because that’s what others tell you, but the truth is you liked horse meat so much you kept on going back for it.
True Bador
October 24, 2018 @ 10:02 am
Garth has always exhibited the authenticity of P.T. Barnum. It’s all for show with him. Yes, he made some passable attempts at pretend country music. But he also pretended to be Chris Gaines. And have you ever seen a Garth interview where he failed to tear up over something? No grown ass man ought to bawl every time he’s got an audience. So who’s shocked that he stiffs 84 thousand paying customers in order to pull together his next highly compensated TV extravaganza. Truth be told, it should be rubes he’s suckered doing the crying.
Black Boots
October 24, 2018 @ 10:19 am
hahaha do you *actually* think he thought Chris Gaines was getting one over on his fans and the public at large? C’mon, yes it was a silly publicity thing, but he knew he wasn’t fooling anyone.
Tom
October 24, 2018 @ 10:30 am
Actually he did fool a lot of people, although that wasn’t his intention. They had no idea what was going on, which was why the whole thing failed so miserably.
DB
October 24, 2018 @ 12:05 pm
A little off topic, but I think people are a little too hard on Garth for the Chris Gaines thing. For as strange of a story as it is in his overall career narrative – and for as bewildering as it was at the time – I think it does help to explain Brooks’ overall career.
No one is more calculating about what marketplace demands are being under-exploited at any given time. And the Gaines persona just reads to me as a bit of a market read heat check fail.
Convict charlie
October 24, 2018 @ 2:15 pm
You would be wrong. It still sold two million copies. It was to a character to a movie. The soundtrack ahead of time was released. Then the movie got pushed back a little bit and finally never released. That’s why he looked so bad and the backstory is quite strange without the movie.
Independent reviews of the actual music were pretty good until they found out it was garth. It’s n the book called the garth effect by patsy bale cox.
BJones
October 24, 2018 @ 10:11 am
Now you know why the rest of us never gave a shit about him.
Black Boots
October 24, 2018 @ 10:17 am
Would you like some fries with that whaaaamburger?
King Honky Of Crackershire
October 24, 2018 @ 10:23 am
I am shocked that people exist who think that much of Garth Brooks. Wow, that is insane. Too me, he’s just a lucky dude, with very mediocre musical talent and a marketing degree. He has a handful of decent songs. I wouldn’t pay a wooden nickel to sit through one of his shows.
Overall, he hurt C(c)ountry Music more than he helped it…a lot more.
ScottG
October 24, 2018 @ 10:44 am
I think a lot of people, including me, would agree with that last sentence.
Cobra
October 24, 2018 @ 12:14 pm
And there are a lot of people, including me, who would disagree with it.
Granted, his last album was pretty mediocre, but as a whole, Garth is amazing.
ScottG
October 24, 2018 @ 12:50 pm
Which is why I said “a lot of people” and not “everyone.” To each their own. Clearly there are enough of you out there to have made this guy into the superstar that he is. Could say the same for any flashy marketing driven pop star….
King Honky Of Crackershire
October 24, 2018 @ 7:19 pm
Is he, literally amazing?
Cobra
October 25, 2018 @ 8:56 am
Yes, he is amazing.
Cobra
October 24, 2018 @ 1:01 pm
And a lot of people, including me, would DISAGREE with it.
ScottG
October 24, 2018 @ 1:04 pm
You forgot the “Garth is amazing” part this time.
Head Case
October 24, 2018 @ 12:00 pm
Honky! I’ve been wondering why you put country like you do-C(c)ountry.
King Honky Of Crackershire
October 24, 2018 @ 7:22 pm
Because Country Music is country, but “Country” Music isn’t
Acca Dacca
October 26, 2018 @ 4:38 pm
I like Garth, but he’s my least favorite of the so-called “Class of ’89.” Overall, I think the numbers he pulled down were more hurtful than his actual musical output. It’d be one thing if he downplayed the twang in his songs and only sold 500,000 copies, but it’s a whole other ballgame when someone sells double digit millions. He opened us wide up to more commercial interests in the genre than ever before, even if I still maintain that his music is more country than, say, Glen Campbell. They’re intertwined by era, but honestly I think Shania Twain did more damage than anything. She went further into pop territory than Garth did (aside from his Chris Gaines interlude, which he had the decency to not pretend was country… or even Garth), and she really downplayed the genre itself by releasing multiple versions of her albums with different arrangements of the same songs.
Willie
October 24, 2018 @ 10:31 am
I can understand Shelia’s disappointment. Garth was my favorite performer–and I use that word specifically because he used to put on a helluva show. I remember seeing him at the Colorado State Fair back in the day just as he his fame was exploding. It was one of the greatest concernts I’ve ever been to because Garth poured every ounce of energy he had into the show. He climbed up to the top of the lighting rig at one point. And by the time he came back out for the encore, he was leaning against one of the stage speakers because he was exhausted. That was 25 years ago and it would be unrealistic for me to expect him to put on that kind of show now. BUT his shows (having seen him a couple times since then) were always better than your average concert because of the connection he would establish with the audience. It would seem Shelia’s disappointment is centered up around the loss of that connection. I can understand that.
The older I’ve got, the more I’ve avoided stadium shows precisely because of that. I prefer the smaller venues. Plus, given the current state of country music, there’s very few “artists” today that I’d bother going to see.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 12:25 pm
I am really surprised Garth has decided to do a stadium tour. When he was doing his arena tours, it was seen as just about the perfect way for a modern superstar to tour. He still was able to keep it fairly intimate, but would scale the amount of shows he would do in each market to accommodate demand. He was able to make more money, but keep ticket prices down for fans, and everyone who wanted to see him could. Garth even talked about how he appreciated the intimacy and control of the arena over stadiums at that time. Now all of that appears to be out the window. Doesn’t mean he can’t put on a quality stadium show, but it’s going against the grain of what he established with his last tour.
lpk
October 24, 2018 @ 12:42 pm
Garth is going on 57 years old, the demand of that 3 yr tour, six, seven or more shows a weekend would be grueling even on a guy half his age. No way he could jump right back into that schedule. Problem is his demand is still up. If he stays in arenas and does less shows, that means the scalpers have a field day, which is why he did so many shows a city to begin with to saturate demand. Stadiums are really his only option to meet the demand, yet with fans still having at least a shot at a $100 ticket, as opposed to the $5,000 ticket it would be if he came and did one arena show per city and all tickets ended up on the secondary market.
AT
October 24, 2018 @ 4:56 pm
I almost wondered if his desire to do the stadium shows is because it’s some of the only territory he’s yet to conquer. George Strait started the trend with his festivals then Kenny Chesney has consistently dominated the stadium market which solidified his multiple entertainer of the year wins. In recent years, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and Florida Georgia began adding stadiums to their schedule. A lot of those shows from the aforementioned acts were the first artists to play shows in the select NFL/MLB stadiums they played, bringing tons of press and hoopla surrounding the event. Eric Church will become the second country act to headline Nashville’s Nissan Stadium next year. And while she’s solely pop, Taylor Swift’s latest tour is entirely comprised of stadiums, often breaking attendance records.It’s another chance for Garth to shatter records + add to his resume.
JG
October 26, 2018 @ 11:52 am
He wants the notch on his belt. He’s done stadiums before (Atlanta) but to have a stadium tour is unchartered territory for him. I have a few hesitations about this:
1. Intimacy goes out the window at a stadium show. Stadium shows are more alcohol-fueled parties than musical experiences. Which is fine, don’t get me wrong, but what Garth is best at is creating connections with the people in his audience.
2. Garth has been able to sell a ton of tickets because they’re fairly reasonably priced and there’s not tiered pricing. How is this going to work at a stadium? In an arena, the farthest seat away isn’t too bad, but a stadium? There’s a reason why they call them the cheap seats. Not to mention the people that will be interested in this show likely saw him on his last tour. Will they want to go again?
3. Successful stadium tours have huge lineups, you’re getting two headliners and a few heavy openers. He basically will need to pull together a one-day festival-worthy lineup. Who will Garth be able to pull in? Or will he try to go it alone?
I hope the guy pulls it off, but this isn’t going to be as easy as filling up an arena on a comeback tour.
BJones
October 24, 2018 @ 2:35 pm
I will never understand the view that jumping around and climbing shit on stage makes for a good show.
liza
October 25, 2018 @ 1:21 pm
Amen. I saw one Chesney show and found it exhausting watching his constant rapid back and forth movement. I swear he was afraid he would make eye contact with someone.
Don
October 25, 2018 @ 5:16 pm
If you would have seen Chris Ledoux in action, you may have changed your mind.
Tom
October 26, 2018 @ 9:33 am
Meh. I’ll take Chris LeDoux playing his original cowboy songs in a beer tent after a rodeo in the ’80s over the post-Garth Chris LeDoux jumping around on a big stage singing Bruce Springsteen and Tom Cochrane covers any day of the week and twice on Sundays.
BJones
October 26, 2018 @ 5:39 pm
I seriously doubt it. I go to musical performances to hear music and watch music made. If I want to see an athletic event I go see the professionals.
Steel
October 26, 2018 @ 3:18 pm
I remember thinking that all the running around meant that they were somehow more invested in the show. Then I saw Mike and the Moonpies on a 10’x5′ stage with no room to move if they wanted to playing to a room of about 40 people in Atlanta this past summer, maybe 10 of those people actually showed up to see the band. Didn’t matter, they stayed in their 3 square feet of space and put on one of the best shows I’ve ever been to. Running around like a maniac doesn’t magically mean you care more about the fans or the music, its just theatrics.
TwangBob
October 25, 2018 @ 5:22 am
Yep, as I’ve grown older, I skip the stadium shows too. Arenas are large enough for most big shows. Tom Petty’s 40th Anniversary July 2017 show at Royal Farms Arena (Baltimore) was my most recent attendance at a large ‘concert’ venue.
Bill Weiler
October 24, 2018 @ 10:32 am
This guy told you who he was in college. A marketing major. Nothing wrong with that, just don’t be surprised that the Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder you sent away for turns out to be a crummy commercial.
Michael Sanks
October 24, 2018 @ 10:39 am
Garth brooks has a 30 minute Facebook show every Monday around 7 pm if u follow him and he talks to fans and gives updates on future shows and his life with his queen Trisha Yearwood
Stringbuzz
October 24, 2018 @ 10:42 am
not shocked at all.
I got a lil irked when he started doing the two shows a nite.
Was suppose to be for the fans, and not his pocketbook.. yeah right.
What got me was going to a garth show, getting moved out like cattle after a decent length show but not great.
Then for less money, the next week, I see Eric Church play almost 3.5 hours for less money.
At this point, that is what Garth should be doing for his fans.
Diane Ritthaler
October 24, 2018 @ 10:57 am
I was disappointed he dissinvited Michael Ketterer and took away the song he wrote for him. I understand with the circumstances that happened with him being arrested was why he felt he needed to but I’ve did not press charges and know one other then Micheal and his wife knows what really happened. I still hope someone signs him because he has a unique voice and has the ability to move you when he sings. Many high paid entertainers don’t have that
Cobra
October 24, 2018 @ 11:12 am
I can see both sides of the coin. I definitely understand her frustration at having traveled and paid to go to the show. But I also understand that it was billed as being a taping for a CBS special and that, as a result, those types of things are anticipated and expected. I don’t blame her for being upset or disillusioned with the experience, but I hope it won’t ruin 17 other good concert experiences that she had.
Cap'n Tele Twang
October 24, 2018 @ 11:21 am
Meanwhile, I attended a JP Harris concert in a brewery in Abingdon, VA. Now, that was a real (and excellent) honky tonk country concert. Keep your Garth Brook CBS produced stadium shows, give me the real deal, like JP, any day.
BJones
October 24, 2018 @ 2:36 pm
Charlie Parr sits in a chair his entire set. Some of the best shows I’ve seen.
Clint
October 24, 2018 @ 11:50 am
Go to any TV tapings and prepare to be jaded. Went to a CMT one and they did so many crazy stuff. The hard core fans who were older were moved to the back in favor of some young fans who didnt know the artist at all.
Ginger
October 24, 2018 @ 12:14 pm
I loved the concert. Once in a lifetime opportunity. I think it’s great that others will be able to see him perform. Garth inspires people and they come together as one in love with the music. I’m glad people who cannot afford to go to a concert get to see it live. Thank you Garth!
SmokeySean
October 24, 2018 @ 2:52 pm
What we saw at Notre Dame on Saturday, we’ve seen before on the big screen. It was simply the “dancing chicken” from Pure Country. Thanks Dusty.
Cosmic Cowboy
October 24, 2018 @ 4:04 pm
I have never been a Garth fan nor will I ever be, but when you pay to see a show by anyone you deserve a show! PERIOD!
RD
October 24, 2018 @ 4:17 pm
I recall a lot of the same anger when Joe satriani did the same thing and then overdubbed the whole performance and called it a live album.
kapam
October 24, 2018 @ 4:26 pm
I appreciate the heartfelt sentiments of the letter writer.
I may misunderstand. Was this show intended to be a taped/televised event and advertised that way? I don’t think I’ve ever been to a concert where any “retaping” occurred, so I am rather surprised. Not being a huge Garth fan, I have no particular passion for the artist, but it does sound a bit manipulative unless there was pre-publicity to declare that it was a show specifically for some sort of documentary – rather makes a mockery of any spontaneity suggested by his concert videos though.
Trigger
October 24, 2018 @ 4:39 pm
No. The event was advertised as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Garth Brooks at Notre Dame stadium. No mention of taping was done until October 17th, way after tickets were purchased, and days before the concert. I added this information in big bold letters to the article to hopefully clear up this misconception moving forward.
Patricia M Jones
October 24, 2018 @ 8:21 pm
He filmed in response to fans wanting him to. It was not originally planned to be filmed, but fans on inside studio G asked him too.
Keith
October 25, 2018 @ 6:23 am
Your right Patricia but he also filmed because CBS paid him to. I love Garth and I’m excited to watch the special but he didn’t do this just because of fan requests.
AT
October 25, 2018 @ 7:14 am
“After the sellout, I thought it could not get any more exciting than this,” said Garth Brooks, who has received every accolade the recording industry can bestow upon an artist. “Then, CBS calls and in an instant, the show becomes bigger. This changes everything.”
And in the press release, he words it as if the whole CBS involvement was a last minute thing….I find that very hard to believe. Filming and tv schedules are planned far in advance….he makes it sound like a serendipitous matter…but again…it all comes back to the marketing.
Dirt Road Derek
October 24, 2018 @ 4:42 pm
I can see both sides of this. Your disappointment is understandable. As a dedicated fan you expect, rightfully so, to be Garth’s main priority at his concerts, not an afterthought. But at the same time, the filming of stadium performance is no small task and compromises have to made to ensure that the final product is worth the time, effort, and financial investment.
It’s unfortunate, but I wouldn’t be so quick to write him off as a sell out because of this.
straitouttanashville
October 24, 2018 @ 10:38 pm
100% agree if Garth lets you know what you are buying ahead of time. This show was never announced as a taping, just let the fans know what they are buying that’s all this girl and Trigger are saying. Big difference between a taping and a actual live uninterrupted concert.
Ann shellen
October 24, 2018 @ 4:46 pm
I was there and agree. No energy first time seeing him. No entrance nothing. He built up iconic, first time, two icons, did the weather turn him. The venue was incredible for the first time but scratched my cold head a few times.
Patricia M Jones
October 24, 2018 @ 8:16 pm
It is sad to me that some people have a hard time believing in the goodness of anyone. It is sad that it is easier to believe in hate than in love. It is much like words from one of Garth’s songs, “People Loving People” Doctor you ain’t got the cure, for whatever is making this ill. You can’t get forgiveness from the store, and peace is a politicians war. If you have a hard time believing in goodness, that isn’t Garth’s problem, that is yours, and you need to look inside you and see what is making you “ill”, because for some reason you are not able to accept love as genuine.
Julian Spivey
October 24, 2018 @ 8:49 pm
I’m sorry you didn’t have a good experience, but as someone who’s seen him a bunch of times maybe you couldn’t have seen this one experience as unique?
That last paragraph, though, is something else. Basically the only thing I can think of to say is “relax.” If an artist means as much to you as Garth Brooks does one bad experience shouldn’t toss it all away.
Carla
October 24, 2018 @ 9:03 pm
Hey Garth!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXG3G3bv-6s&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR1OweaoPhbKFdYBbTE–i9TQzDPPn3OCOypjTNAH9zzCRqsHLRvWER_ij0
Barstool Hero
October 30, 2018 @ 1:15 pm
Cool show from WM! Thanks for sharing. If anything by Garth (cover of songs, fan-shot videos, recorded songs, etc) is posted on YouTube, it’s removed within hours or days. He said he does it because the writers don’t get compensated, which is well and good, but it would be nice to see some fan-shot videos, covers of Garth songs by fans, and moments at concerts shot by fans that may not happen again. Wish he would just embrace technology instead of re-boxing and re-selling his same stuff over and over!
Chongrulz
October 24, 2018 @ 10:32 pm
Garth has been a sell out for many many years now, its taken some people longer to see it than others. Not sure when but for a long time he has cared more about the money than the fans. He is a marketing ploy. He is the walmart of the country world. Occasionally he has something decent but more than not, its empty consumerism
Kelly Owens Bentley
October 25, 2018 @ 1:27 am
Oh my, I can not understand any of these complaints about this concert at Notre Same. I am a true dedicated fan and I have gone to so many Garth concerts, traveled many miles and spent a lot money and have never left disappointed. Garth is getting older and is exploring his options to keep his fans happy as well as himself. I am sure that he knows he takes a risk when he tries something new but he is no different than we are in growing and learning. As a fan you can chose to go to his concerts and support him or you can stay home. There is no doubt that he wants his fans to love him and I believe he is one celebrity that truly does care. Let’s not be so quick to judge him. Probably he looks back and realizes maybe some people were not thrilled with the taping of a show, but as for the weather, that was against him for the start. He had no control over that. I am sorry for anyone that didn’t come away feeling fulfilled but every once in a while we can expect that will happen. GARTH BROOKS is the best entertainer out there and he is genuine. If you were not happy, no one will force you to buy another ticket and no one will force you to watch the show on December 2nd. Spread the love not the hate. There is enough of that out there. Most of us are counting down days until the next Garth Brooks concert. Love you, Garth♥️
CS
October 25, 2018 @ 3:36 am
Authentic? What about the free concert he gave last night for thousands of kids at the National FFA convention? He was amazing and did not do it for publicity… every one I know who has met him or interviewed him has said what a genuine person he is. So he was asked to do a show for TV, so millions of people who may never get to see him are able? Good for Garth.
Mack
October 25, 2018 @ 4:24 am
This Sheila seems fake. I doubt I’ll get posted but I have serious doubts this letter was written and sent by a female SCM reader. I think it was concocted by Trigger himself, to hammer at Garth over playing stadiums, and because he has always harbored a snobbish disregard of him. I’m not a fan of Garth myself, tho I’ve enjoyed some of his music from his early years mostly.
This letter just reeks of b.s. to me. Never seen this mythical sheila commenting, and dont expect her too unless “someone” creates an account for her, now I’ve sent in this comment that most likely wont get posted, unless mr. Ego Blogger can’t resist himself.
Trigger
October 25, 2018 @ 8:19 am
The letter is not fake. If I harbor such a “snobbish disregard” for Garth, I could just use my own words to criticize him if I wanted. I have been critical of Garth in the past, but I also consider myself a Garth apologist. Even after incidents such as this, you still can’t deny that he’s country, and contributed a hell of a lot of songs and fans to the genre, while doing a lot to support important songwriters like Caitlyn Smith and Randall King.
Carrie Nation
October 25, 2018 @ 6:41 am
Garth made two mistakes: 1) not announcing before ticket sales that the concert would be taped for TV, and 2) not saving retakes until after the actual concert (as he did in Dallas way back in the day). But he is human, and people make mistakes.
Chris Gaines
October 25, 2018 @ 7:05 am
Dear Sheila,
I’m so sorry that Garth disapointed you at his concert. It is a shame how he has sold his soul for money. My name is Chris Gaines. I am a struggling musician, one who is real and who connects to his audience. Perhaps you would consider giving my music a chance? I have had a long history of connecting with my fans. I have a greatest hits album with all real, organic tunes that I poured my inner self into. I am a real performer whose soul is torn by the passion I infuse into my deeply personal songs. Sheila, try to give real, struggling artists a listen. Move away from the fake, almighty dollar influenced performeds like Garth Brooks.
Sincerely,
Chris Gaines
Carter Burger
October 25, 2018 @ 7:13 am
I’ve been to a couple of Garth concerts of late. and attended a few when he first broke through in the 90s. Comparing the later concerts to the earlier ones, you get the feeling that Garth is just cashing checks now and mailing in the performance. The difference is almost like night and day the entertainment value of the earlier ones to the most recent ones I attended. It’s highly likely I don’t be attending any more.
Mike Honcho
October 25, 2018 @ 7:28 am
Anybody that remained a fan after the second album should not be surprised. The guy is as country as Shania, and as fake as a politician. Ever see the GIF of Hillary Clinton looking at fireworks like it’s the first time she ever saw one? That’s Garth pretending to be modest.
EW in DFW
October 25, 2018 @ 7:50 am
Garth Brooks has been a fake “aw shucks” guy for 30 years.
Batterycap
October 25, 2018 @ 8:17 am
So many of the Garth songs will always be a welcome part of my existence. They lost a notable part of their allure once Garth turned into Oprah with a cowboy hat.
Corncaster
October 25, 2018 @ 9:31 am
Up here in the cornfields, I’ve heard a LOT of people complain about the Garth concert. It wasn’t just the taping (surprise!) and the constant deflation of energy. The weather was absolutely brutal. It frickin’ snowed. How many performers get out there in front of 85,000 people and play guitars in the SLEET? I’m not a big fan of Garth, but he, his band, and their whole technical crew were total professionals to follow through on the concert like that. People were bummed, but in the same breath, they were saying how it was something they all suffered through together, which made it a little more “epic.” And that fiddle player of his was smiling the whole time.
Chip Carter
October 25, 2018 @ 10:25 am
Part of “showbiz” is putting on a show. A lot of people would be thrilled to be part of a taping. Some people are offended by “planted” gimmicks like Bruce Springsteen and maybe Garth does. I do know from the inside that sometimes artists choose what pleases most of the crowd knowing full well some will be put off. Majority rules
wayne
October 25, 2018 @ 11:09 am
“Garth turned into Oprah with a cowboy hat.” True that.
The ole’ lip-syncer is as fake as the phony media he cuddles up to.
Go see Alan Jackson if you want a taste of authenticity with a dose of real humility.
liza
October 25, 2018 @ 1:26 pm
#TeamSheila
Willie Potter
October 25, 2018 @ 3:42 pm
Garth rules.
The whole story is tripe.
Brett Dale
October 25, 2018 @ 3:56 pm
I’m a massive Garth fan, I have seen him three times in concerts. (Im from New Zealand)
1994 in New Zealand. 1996 in Phoenix. 2010 at the Wynn. I watched several clips of his
Notre Dame concert on youtube/twitter and was blown away by his performance.
Over on twitter and at a long time Garth Brooks message board, Shelia’s comments were said a by a few people, stating they paid to see a concert, not a TV performance. Although the majority of people seemed to like what actually goes into a taping of a tv special. The redoing bits of songs after the song was done.
My mindset was, that would be one heck of a experience. I have to say, it probably should’ve been announced way before hand, this was going to be the case. Im pretty sure people still wouldve put tickets.
The times I have seen Garth his concerts he’s been sincere and he’s the best entertainer out there, and if he ever came back to New Zealand, I would be first in line to get tickets.
Nan
October 25, 2018 @ 5:15 pm
Hi Sheila, Thanks for sending this letter. It always seems best to hear from a fan about anything regarding an Artist. I’ve liked some of his music, never seen him live. There are different views on here for you to consider. My opinion (if you’d like it) is the problem started when you put him on a pedestal. No person, no Recording Artist belongs there. They can mean a lot to us, their music be the ‘soundtrack to our lives’ as you’ve felt. But they will always do something to disappoint us, being human. Maybe both sides of him that you mentioned are true. But I don’t think you should discount what his music has meant to you, how it’s added to your life. Those memories, his music, can always be special to you the same.
Crazy Man
October 25, 2018 @ 5:46 pm
It was a television taping. It happens. Get over it.
David Hamilton
October 25, 2018 @ 10:23 pm
One thing that may help in the future is to check out the set lists of the shows running up to the one you are going to, I know some people disagree and want to be surprised and that’s fair. A quick google of his last 10 shows look pretty consistent. For what it’s worth of the three songs your site specifically he hasn’t only played shameless , the other two he hasn’t played all year.
Ann Stokman
October 25, 2018 @ 11:34 pm
Garth is still the best
Terri
October 28, 2018 @ 9:10 am
Garth has obviously conquered the knack for captivating the world through his music,songwriting,charisma and personality. Why not just let him carry on. If you enjoy his music and concerts wherever they may be and however they take place then go if not don’t go. If the stadiums work for him….great. Hands down Garth is a great entertainer!
Megan
October 28, 2018 @ 5:46 pm
I was at the Notre Dame concert and I have to say I agree with Sheila. I am 38 and have wanted to see Garth my entire life. My husband on the other hand has never been to a live concert. We drove 3 1/2 hours for a “history making concert”, where he announced he would be doing stadiums for the next three years (I would have waited to go somewhere closer to home). We were also soaking wet in 30 degree weather and he was 45 minutes late coming on stage. Fine. I can handle that. He stopped the flow of the concert several times to reshoot. It wasn’t as magical as I had dreamed about my whole life. There were a couple of his big hits I would’ve loved to hear (Shameless being one of them). It just all seemed like a big production. When we left my husband was less than impress and he said “it just felt like we were props for a tv special”. At first I defended Garth but reading Sheila’s letter it sunk in for me. I wish my “once in a lifetime experience” would’ve been more magical like I had always heard Garth concerts were. By the way I am an avid concert goer so I know a good performance when I see one.
Lauren
December 3, 2018 @ 9:35 am
I thought the concert was wonderful. I also enjoyed him singing the Beatles’ medley. His voice was perfect and his joy was obvious. Because it was on TV, of course there were commercials That’s what fast forward on the DVR is for. I have seen him in concert twice before in Vegas and the Univ. of Illinois. I loved this concert. I thought it was almost perfect,
Lany Granman
December 10, 2018 @ 10:38 am
Watching the concert on tv it sounded and looked like there was a lot of either lip syncing or pre-recorded singing dubbed in post production.