Garth, Iowa City, and His Comeback

Tonight's the night. Garth Brooks' comeback, in my opinion, officially begins with "Garth Brooks: Live From Las Vegas" on CBS (8 pm). He's putting a wrap on his run at The Wynn in Vegas, released new music yesterday, and rumors are rampant of a world tour in 2014. It's re-launch time for a man who was an advertising major at Oklahoma State. That degree has served him well as no one markets themselves as well as Garth Brooks...except Taylor Swift.

Remember when he lit up Iowa City with three sold-out shows at Carver-Hawkeye Arena? That was late-March 1994, believe it or not. I was one of many, many people who stood in line at the Westdale Mall Younker's on a cold January morning, hoping to purchase my four tickets (that was the limit). I still remember the huge cheer that went up when it was announced that a second (and then third) show had been added, after the previous one(s) had sold out. I was lucky enough to get tickets for one of those three shows, and it's still the best concert I've ever seen (I've been to more than a few).

What has really stuck with me through the years was the way Garth acted backstage. He came out in Hawkeye gear from head to toe (see picture below with a star-struck yours truly) and asked if he could get us anything. Huh? The other thing I recall so well...when the backstage was taking longer than the norm, with 15,000+ in attendance, Garth said, "They'll wait." The wait that night was very short compared to the last dozen years spent anticipating his return to touring. When he finally does hit the road again, I'd expect to pay more than 1994, when tickets were $17.75. I still have the ticket stub to prove it.