I hadn’t seen Garth brooks in 16 years until July. Now I’ve seen him twice in six months. The experience was no less awesome the second time, I’ll tell you that. And in this one, I got to see even more of his personality. I’ve been around televised musical performances for years now, and there all generally pretty similar. The talent arrives on set, goes on stage, does the performance, and that’s it. They leave. If they’re doing multiple performances, they generally talk to the stage managers and such on breaks.
Not Garth.
No, Garth Brooks talked with the audience, introduced himself, shook hands, took pictures, even played not-for-air songs just for the crowd who was there to be with him. The man can’t help it - every show he does has to be its own animal. It has to be for the fans who are there in the room. You can watch him twenty times, and get a different show each time. Oh sure, the same basic script is there…maybe even the same setlist. But, there’s always something new. There’s always something different. Some joke, some spontaneous moment, some song that he hadn’t planned but just HAS to play.
And that’s going to make that experience unique. It’s going to make it something that you have, and he has, and the two of you share - forever.
Still learning from that guy.
He came down into the audience at one point, to shoot a “podbuster” in the middle of commercials. As he passed me, he put his hand on my back and said “Thank ya bud.” He’ll never remember that moment - but it will stay with me til there’s dirt at my door. Once again, Garth found a way to connect solely with me - and it gave me pause.
I wonder if some kid will be thinking similarly of me in thirty years. Who knows? I doubt I’ll be touched with anywhere near the success and fame that Garth has been - but I do hope that I can affect someone out there the same way he has me. THAT, my friends, is a gift that keeps on giving.
Yeahcomon!
- Dukes
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