Garth Brooks Live from Las Vegas
If there was any doubt left, as 2013 winds down, that the world will be reintroduced to Garth Brooks in 2014 all have now clearly been erased with the release of a new boxed set and last night’s, 2 hour, live TV special on CBS from the Wynn Encore Theatre in Las Vegas.
Garth is no stranger to TV specials with half a dozen of specials already under his belt. There was something different about this special. The entire tone was more like a refresher or history lesson on all that is Garth Brooks. For us life-long fans it was a refresher but for new Garthmaniacs it was almost like an introduction to something spectacular.
The special comes straight on the heels of a 6 disc, 2 DVD boxed set which include 4 albums of NEW material as well as a re-release of his 2007 Ultimate Hits.
Throughout the 2 hour concert special which featured Garth alone on the stage (wearing work boots, a pair of jeans, a hoodie and a baseball cap), with the exception of a brief visit by his wife Trisha Yearwood, taking the audience through the 50 years that created Garth Brooks. It was a journey starting with the 60′s then going decade by decade to the 80′s when Garth Brooks the entertainer was launched!
Garth payed tribute to his early influences such as the likes of Merle Haggard and George Jones and talked about the first time he met James Taylor (his idol and daughters namesake) and how star struck he became when Taylor came to his dressing room to introduce himself for the first time. Now I’ve met many celebrities over the years and don’t normally get star struck but I think Garth Brooks would be the exception, much like he felt when he met James Taylor.
For the final hour of the show Garth took the audience through a history of some of his biggest hits and how they came to be thanks to influences from some of music’s greatest artists like Merle Haggard, George Jones, James Taylor, George Strait, Randy Travis, Elton John, Bob Seger, Bob Dylan, Don McLean, Billy Joel and more. There’s no question that these influences helped Garth’s music transcend generations and genres and touch the world. Garth closed the show with Billy Joel’s Piano Man on the guitar and of course it can’t be a Garth Brooks show without Friends in Low Places, the extended version. Although nothing was ever directly stated you don’t need to be a genius to figure out that something big is coming for Garth and Trisha in 2014. A huge box set release with 4 new albums, a concert DVD combined with a TV special recapping the last 50 years of Garth to me is all about relighting the fire for Garthmania. For his new fans it’s a chance to get caught up and for his existing fans, like me, a chance to refresh our memory with some of the greatest country music ever released! Garth’s boxed set, Blame it All on My Roots, can be purchased exclusively at Walmart and is available now for less than $30.
Garth Brooks – Blame it All on My Roots
One thing is now clear, Garth is back! The only question that remains is when, where and how will he launch Garth phase 2? Knowing Garth whenever and wherever that will happen it’s going to be huge and I pray that I’m lucky or blessed enough to be there with Sound Check and god willing maybe even meet the man, the Garth whose music has been such a big part of my life!
