CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Garth Brooks fans with tickets to his next three shows in West Virginia will be treated to high-energy performances, nostalgia and a performer delighted to be back on stage.
During Friday night’s concert at the Charleston Civic Center — the first of four through Sunday — the country music megastar inserted a healthy dose of self-deprecation.
“I’m like 104 years old,” Brooks told the crowd between songs. “The only way this big ass is going to get through this weekend is if you pick me up and carry me.”
That was actually meant to be encouragement to help him out by singing along to “The River,” and the crowd enthusiastically complied.
MORE: Garth in Charleston
Brooks, now 54, blew onto the country music scene in the late 1980s and by the time the next decade out, he’d become a country music legend.
He retired in 2001 to move home to Oklahoma and raise his three daughters.
Brooks came out of retirement in 2014 and started a world tour, along with Trisha Yearwood, a fellow country music star who is also his wife.
Brooks and Yearwood are playing four shows in Charleston — the one Friday, two Saturday and a grand finale Sunday. Brooks was describing Sunday as a “kitchen sink” show, where a wide variety would be played.
At Friday’s performance, some people said they were longtime fans who had seen Brooks before, while others became fans while Brooks was on hiatus.
“When he first came out, he played in Myrtle Beach and we were there. He hadn’t even had a record out yet,” said Maxine “Pal” Patton, a Charleston resident who was attending Friday’s show with her husband Bud and 10-year-old granddaughter Lakin.
Kayla Cantley of Glen Daniel was in line for a limited edition Garth Brooks world tour T-shirt that made special mention of the shows in Charleston. She said her favorite songs are “Wild Horses” and “The Dance,” but it was her first chance to see Brooks.
“I’ve been listening to him since I was a little girl,” Cantley said.
Even Friday, there was still a bit of a wait to see him. Because parking was a challenge for most, the concert, which tickets advertised as starting at 7, began a little late. The first opening act, Mitch Rosell, came on stage at 7:38. The second opening act, Karyn Rochelle, a backup singer for Brooks, started at 7:56.
Brooks erupted (figuratively) on stage at 8:40, with a high-energy light show that featured West Virginia images. He blew threw two straight rockers.
“Hello West Virginia!” he shouted to the crowd, which was on its feet. “We’ve been 20 years since coming back. Thank you for coming back as well!”
Some fans recalled being at the Civic Center for those 1997 performances.
“We were here 19 years ago,” said Liz Utter of Clarksburg. “It was great. His voice. His humility. He’s just down to earth.”
Back in 1997 when Brooks played four shows at the Charleston Civic Center, it was a Thursday through Sunday schedule with one show each night.
Even back then, Civic Center manager John Robertson was confident that Brooks’s band and management team could rally quickly between shows.
“He has top quality people working for him,” Robertson said in a 1997 Charleston Daily Mail interview. “When it comes to showtime, it’s a pretty simple matter. They know what they’re doing.”
Lines for concessions and restrooms were long but efficient Friday night at the Civic Center. Some women did report that the ladies rooms had become a mess.
There are similar multi-date stops all over the country. He and Yearwood will be in Richmond, Va., for example, Nov. 11-13.
In Orlando, Fla., as in West Virginia, fans were nostalgic about earlier years when they’d seen Brooks perform. Brooks had to reschedule a couple of the shows there because of Hurricane Matthew.
During a press conference prior to Friday’s show at the Charleston Civic Center, Brooks said he and Yearwood would have some down time while they’re in West Virginia. They said when they do go out, it will likely be with other members of their touring staff, who are like family.
Members of the media helped them brainstorm places to eat. For brunch, possibly Black Sheep Burrito or Bluegrass Kitchen.
Brooks rubbed his belly and asked about barbecue possibilities. Dem 2 Brothers and a Grill was a suggestion for that one.
For pizza, the crowd proposed Pies and Pints or Lola’s.
During Friday’s concert, though, Brooks made it clear he came to play. And to enjoy being back on stage as much as the crowd enjoyed having him.
He ran from side-to-side, gesturing and singing into a headset. Sometimes he would perform from a riser on either side of the stage. During the earlier press conference, he warned that he would not race out into the crowd on a zipline, as he had in his younger days.
The Civic Center was packed to the rafters. Some fans, like Brooke Sayres of Fairmont, were actually seated behind the stage. Sayres was confident that because Brooks is so mobile she would have no trouble with her line of sight.
“I like it,” Sayres said. “I saw him in Pittsburgh. The way the stage is laid out, I think this will be closer.”
Brooks confided in the crowd that when he goes to a show, he likes to hear the old hits.
“We brought out all our old stuff,” he said, making a promise.
Out in the corridor, Makenzie Randolph of Charlton Heights had enjoyed everything she’d seen.
“It’s been awesome,” she said. “I like it, especially the beginning when he first came out.”
Her expectation for the rest of the show was pretty simple.
“Just for it to be really awesome like it has been so far.”
Did you see the show, or are you going to one? Tell us about it in the comments below.