Garth Brooks' Summer of Sold-Out Stadiums
Garth Brooks' Summer of Sold-Out Stadiums
Armed with the pent-up energy of a stabled race horse, a penchant for setting records, and a lineup of the best touring band of his 32-year career, Garth Brooks is leaning hard into the final lap of a 30-city Stadium Tour that he launched back in the spring of 2019. And judging from 104,000 fans at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, whose enthusiasm registered as a small earthquake on an LSU seismograph, the remaining stops on this monster tour that culminates in five sold-out performances in Dublin’s Croke Park should be ones for the books.
Perhaps the strongest evidence of Garth’s intent to finish strong is his recent inclusion of veteran Nashville session aces Chris Leuzinger (lead guitar) and Bobby Terry (acoustic) among his usual well-tuned lineup of Dave Gant (keys), Mark Greenwood (bass/vocals), Mike Palmer (drums), Jimmy Mattingly (fiddle/acoustic guitar), Gordon Kennedy (electric guitar), Steve McClure (steel), Blair Masters (keys), and Robert Bailey and Vicky Hampton (background vocals).
As always, Takamine Guitars will be carrying the acoustic flag from beginning to end. New guy Bobby Terry has turned to the CP5D-OAD as his number-one acoustic, along with the EF360GF Glenn Frey Signature model for the occasional drop-D tuning. And while GB mainstay Jimmy Mattingly carries a P7NC and EF360GF, both of which have seen significant stage time over the years, it is the P3D from Takamine’s popular cedar-top, satin-finish Pro Series 3 that has become his primary piece.
Garth, an underrated guitarist in his own right, tends to prefer the exclusive custom Circle-G version of his signature model for those broader performances, but reverts back to his trusty GB7C for the more intimate offerings (see upcoming Paul Simon Tribute performance with Trisha Yearwood). If you’ve never seen Garth live, you may consider cherry-picking a city from the remaining shows and booking a flight. There really is nothing else like it.
It’s probably safe to say that these final stadium shows will not his last, but you can bet your house that Garth and Co will play each and every one as if they were.
Have been a huge fan of Garth Brooks, his band, Takamine guitars, & pick guards/scratch plates for years. My 2012 TAN16C-12 & LTD2012 have been played hard over the years with no damage.
I wish Takamine would make a pick guard/scratch plate with a section that had lateral rounded top ribs, with another section of pointed top ribs, while still maintaining a large flat surface. That way, in addition to the percussive sound of strumming muted strings, two additional percussive elements would be available for Garth to play with, & yet protect his guitar. Of course, with his enthusiasm, you might need to add a pick guard below the new pick guard. If he adopts the new design & uses it in his show, maybe he & Takamine could name the design, “The Garth!”
PRICING AND SPECIFICATIONS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Support
©2024 The ESP Guitar Company, 5433 West San Fernando Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90039 USA - PH: (800) 423-8388 - INTL: (818) 766-2097 - FAX: (818) 506-1378
Design by SilverFrog