In case you’ve just now stumbled upon my epic story about my Garth Brooks experience, HERE is part 1 and HERE is part 2.

So there I was—standing in the blistering heat outside of Toyota Center, waiting for the 7:00 show to leave the building. It was 10:00. As in p.m. Not one of us complained about the fact that our concert didn’t start until 10:30.

1. How awesome is Garth Brooks for doing TWO SHOWS in ONE NIGHT?

2. Some of us may or may not have taken naps in prep for the late night.

3. All of us wanted to prove that we are still young and fabulous like the kids nowadays who get ready to roll up into the club about this time.

Do kids still roll up into clubs?

I don’t know. What I do know is that the concert didn’t actually start until 11:30. Help me Rhonda. And since Toyota Center and Ticketmaster both told us to be at the venue no later than 9:00, we had a lot of time to waste as we stood in the warm exhaust fumes of a parked bus. The main focus of our conversation revolved around which Garth Brooks song we were most looking forward to hearing. What I loved about the exchange was the fact that no two answers were the same.

When I breezed passed this exact spot months ago during the New Kids on the Block concert, everyone was generally excited about the five same songs.

Quiz: Can you name those five songs?

But this time, the playlist was incredibly diverse. Sure a few overlapped, but no one had the same three songs they were looking forward to. I love that!

We finally got through the cattle call and into the actual building where we took great pride in asking very loudly, “Where do we go if we have FLOOR SEATS?” It was glorious. And so were the seats.

Around 11:30 p.m., Garth decides to start the show. He opened with something from his new album called “Man Against the Machine.” There was a random skull on the screen with fire coming out of his mouth.

And that was the only song I didn’t know. Woo hoo!

Garth Brooks was everything I hoped he would be. He sounded exactly the same as he did in my car so many years ago. He was passionate, energetic and humble. He truly loves his music, his fans, his country and his wife. I was delighted each and every second of the two and a half hour set.

If you are not a Garth Brooks fan, may I recommend the following song selections that were CLEAR highlights of the night/early morning:

Ain’t Goin’ Down ‘Til the Sun Comes Up
It’s fast. It’s catchy. You’ll want to memorize the lyrics just so you can impress your friends later.

Callin’ Baton Rouge
The crowd went NUTS on this one. And I led the charge. I would give anything to be in Baton Rouge when he sings this song. It sticks in your head, but in a good way.

Thunder Rolls
I have two words for you: Third verse.

Shameless
I was not expecting this to be my favorite song of the night. Garth owned it. So did I. I believe this song is the reason I lost my voice the next day. PS: totally worth it.

Friends in Low Places
This one is great, but not in my top five. However, when you sing along with thousands of other Garth Brooks fans, there’s something about the “OOOOOOasis” part that makes you smile. Try it.

The Dance
We choreographed a dance routine my senior year to this song. The seniors passed off our batons (for drill team) to the girls who would be taking our places the next year on the 50-yard-line. It makes me tear up every time.

That Summer
I will forever appreciate a song that allows me to sing about “hands of leather turned to velvet in just a touch.” (That one’s for you Lara.)

In case you’re wondering, I did have a special outfit to wear. And thanks to Leslie for adding a little something extra to the photo:

Nutshell: TWO THUMBS UP!

(The songs that were included in this post are all favorites. But others, such as We Shall Be Free, Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old, Standing Outside the Fire, Two of a Kind, Unanswered Prayers, Against the Grain, Papa Loved Mama and The River should all be considered too. Do you wanna borrow my box set?)