February 22^nd (Ford Field – Detroit, MI) – Although it’s been a pretty mild winter in general so far, it’s about that time where the stir-craziness starts to set in for those who don’t get out much between the months of December and March. For those folks, and for everyone else that was part of the 70,000 people who had tickets for the concert, this day couldn’t come soon enough. Not only was it something to take our minds off the colder weather and the last few months of blah, it was a concert that many of us had been looking forward to for months. Garth Brooks was back in town and the excitement started to spread once his arrival to Detroit was confirmed by local media and sightings starting early on Friday.

As we walked down to our seats the excitement really started to build. Not only because of how incredible the seats were, but because we were just moments away from what was guaranteed to be another epic Garth Brooks concert. This was going to be my fourth time seeing Garth live and I was so thrilled to be able to add one more show to the list. The first time was many years ago at one of the W4 Country Downtown Hoedowns in Hart Plaza, then once at Nashville Arena (currently known as Bridgestone Arena), once at the Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan and now Ford Field in downtown Detroit. I hadn’t thought of it until just now but this completes a circle for Garth with my very first show and most recent show both happening in downtown Detroit. I never even thought of that as a possibility but hey, I’ll take it!

It was now thirty seconds until show time as everyone watched the concert clock count down that final half a minute. The count reaches ten seconds, the lights go down and the crowd begins to roar. As the clock hits zero, the band can faintly be seen running out on the stage to take their places when this loud female voice speaks out to the crowd. ‘Alexa, play Garth Brooks live’. The drum platform begins to rise, aerial views of downtown Detroit play on the video screen and the entire audience stands on their feet screaming with everything they’ve got.  Smoke fills the stage, lights focus on the area under the drum riser and then out walks the man himself. Garth was ready to show this Detroit crowd just how much they really meant to him. For the next two hours and fifteen minutes Garth and the band played around 30 songs including some of his favorites, fan favorites and popular singles and cover songs that obviously had meaning to him for one reason or another. He opened the night with ‘All Day Long’ and continued on with many others including ‘Rodeo’, ‘Beaches of Cheyenne’, ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’, ‘The Thunder Rolls’ and dozens more. The energy level that he can maintain for a set of this length is truly something else. I know people half his age or even some younger guys in local bands that wear out after a forty-five minute or one hour set. Not the case for Garth though, at least not tonight and not in Detroit. Another thing that I’ve always respected and admired about him is his level of passion and just how humble he still remains. There were so many times when you could see he was letting emotions get the best of him. He took pauses between songs pretty often just to sit back and look at the huge crowd in attendance after listening to them sing every word. There were positive words and memories talked about in regards to Detroit and the fans there. Between some things he mentioned during his press conference the day before and the stories he told to the audience that evening, this man really appreciates the life he has been given and the loyal fans he’s made over the last 30-plus years. It was all extra special to those of us from the Detroit area and Southeast Michigan in general. His early love of Motown and Bob Seger were the start of his fascination with the city of Detroit and the music and fans from this area. As he was playing ‘The Dance’, his last song of the set before the encore break, he said this to the audience, “You know, a lot of people came a long way to see this show. But Detroit, I traveled a long way tonight just to hear YOU sing”. He then came back on stage for a ‘housecleaning’ that featured about eleven more songs including ‘We Shall Be Free’, ‘Standing Outside The Fire’, ‘Wrapped Up In You’ and Billy Joel’s ‘Piano Man’. 

As I thought about the show at the end of the evening sitting at home I just couldn’t put into words what I felt and what meant the most to me. I’m glad that these concert reviews don’t have to be turned in by the next day because there’s no way I could have done that for this one. To sum it all up, what a spectacular show. I was very happy to see Ty England back playing with the band, I was once again reminded just how emotional and real Garth gets about things and places that mean something to him, it was touching to see him wearing the Barry Sanders Detroit Lion’s jersey and I was so happy to get the chance to witness yet another Garth Brooks show. I also have to mention that Saturday night’s show was the largest concert crowd ever at Ford Field. A flawless night and concert experience from beginning to end.

I caught a post that Garth put out on Facebook just minutes after the end of the show at Ford Field that night. “Detroit, you carried me all night long, but you always have. I’m in love with you! Love – G”. The feeling is mutual, Garth. We are in love with you too. Thank you for such an incredible evening.