The 7: Seven things to know about Garth Brooks
Country superstar Garth Brooks’ name has been on the tip of nearly every tongue in town since he announced he would perform seven shows at the Spokane Arena as part of his Garth Brooks World Tour.
The last time Brooks performed in Spokane, 58,189 tickets were sold for his 1998 run of five shows at the Arena.
When tickets for this run went on sale about a month ago, all 84,000 tickets sold out in three hours, bringing in roughly $6.3 million in ticket sales.
As his Spokane takeover has begun, here are seven things to know about Brooks:
Seeing the finish line
After more than three years, the North American Garth Brooks World Tour will come to a close in December. Following his seven-show run in Spokane, Brooks and Yearwood will perform three shows in Newark, New Jersey before closing the tour in Nashville.
Another award
Wednesday night’s Entertainer of the Year win at the 2017 Country Music Association Awards brings the singer’s EOTY trophy count to six. He’s also taken home trophies for Music Video of the Year (“The Dance,” “The Thunder Rolls”), Album of the Year (“No Fences,” “Ropin’ the Wind”) and Single of the Year (“Friends in Low Places”).
Newest album
Brooks’ latest album, “Gunslinger,” was released last year. The album, his 10th, peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. The album was also an international success, charting in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Switzerland and the U.K. as well.
Still got it
“Ask Me How I Know,” the second single from “Gunslinger,” is the first Brooks’ song in almost a decade to reach the top 10 on “Billboard’s” Country Airplay chart. It also marks his 35th time reaching the top 10. Judging by setlists from recent concerts, it’s likely Brooks will perform this tune at the Arena.
All Brooks, all the time
Diehard Brooks fans can listen to the singer 24/7 on the Garth Channel (Channel 55) on SiriusXM. Launched in September of 2016, the channel features songs from Brooks’ career as well as songs from artists who influenced him.
Looking back
On Tuesday, the day of his final show in Spokane, Brooks will release “Part 1: The First Five Years,” the first in a series of anthologies chronicling his decades-long career. “Part 1” covers 1989 through 1993. The anthology includes books written by Brooks and more than 150 photos, plus five new CDs, which feature outtakes, demos and master recordings. Brooks also plans to film a documentary for each part of the series.
No retirement
Don’t think the end of the Garth Brooks World Tour means the singer is thinking about going back into retirement; Brooks is set to headline the 2018 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California. The 12th edition of the festival will also feature performances by Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Tanya Tucker, Kacey Musgraves and Kelsea Ballerini.