Ain’t going down ’til the sun comes up: Part 3

funny entertainment blog-Garth Brooks

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:

funny entertainment blog-Blame It All On My Roots

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?)

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Sarah
Sarah
July 9, 2015 7:07 pm

I told my husband that it was like listening to Garth Double Live actually live. Haha! He did 6 shows in Pittsburgh – we went to the first and spent the other days contemplating if we could go see the other 5. Definitely one of the best concerts I’ve ever seen.

Laura Jean
Laura Jean
July 9, 2015 10:02 pm

I wish that shirt said “Blame It All On My Boots,” especially with the Texas reference on the tee. 🙂

Glad it was great – so many of my friends were really excited about this!

Trisha
July 10, 2015 9:22 am

So jealous of this concert!! I saw Garth on his world tour in the first city he stopped at, Atlanta, oh back in 1996 I believe it was. He is an amazing performer! Love all the songs you mentioned, very hard to choose a favorite, but did he sing More than a Memory?! love that one and also Fever!

Julie
Julie
July 13, 2015 6:31 pm

We saw him his last night in Portland, OR in April, and I couldn’t believe how incredible he was after 4 other shows earlier in the week. The concert was absolutely amazing. Shameless is at the top of my Garth faves; hearing him sing it live brought me to tears (yes, I’m that fan) and was very much the cause of my lost voice. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it!

I’m so happy to hear that 4 months later he’s still kicking butt on this tour!

Kari K
Kari K
July 14, 2015 12:35 pm

Saw him many years ago when I was stationed in Germany and he gave one of THE BEST concerts I’ve seen. Love, love all his energy and I relived some of that in your blog post. Sounds like it was a fantastic event for you!

Can’t wait to see your Kaitlyn blog for this week. I can only imagine it’ll be another laugh-fest.

jL
jL
July 14, 2015 3:55 pm

I saw him when I was in the 10th or 11th Grade – back in the late 90’s? All I remember are the tight white jeans his fiddler wore and we were behind the stage so we got to look at that for most of the night which was just a delight. And then Garth waved at us when he was leaving the stadium. I forgot how great he is. I need to pull out The Hits.

Also for the 5 NKOTB Songs Quiz:

1. Step by Step
2. The Right Stuff
3. Hangin’ Tough
4. Please Don’t go Girl
5. Cover Girl

(For the record, my personal favorite is I Wanna Be Loved by You where they each take turns telling us their astrological signs and that they wanna be loved by me).

Kari
Kari
July 15, 2015 7:34 pm

I could have written these three entries! We were at the early show on Friday night in Houston. I’ve been to many concerts, and this was by far my favorite! I loved that *everyone* sang along to every song, with the exception of a couple of new ones. It was so fun to see and hear! The River was probably one of my favorites. Hard to choose though. I also loved how the cameras showed the audience so often. It was so fun to see everyone having such an awesome time! Plus, I loved how Garth was SO appreciative of the audience.

His first CD came out right about the time my husband and I got married. We listened to him and Clint Black’s Killin’ Time CD on many three-hour trips home. His songs bring back so many fun memories!

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