Garth Brooks Announces Dive Bar Tour to Kick off in Chicago

Garth Brooks just announced a new tour, even while in the middle of his massive Stadium Tour, with this one allowing him to get much closer to his fans. The Oklahoma native announced in a special Sunday edition of his Inside Studio G conversation on Facebook, that he will launch his Dive Bar Tour on Sunday, July 7.

"We're announcing the Dive Bar Tour today," Brooks said, adding that he was unable to announce the actual bar where the tour would kick off. The tour is launched in conjunction with Seagram's 7, who will pick the dive bar locations.

"They're trying to save every single dive bar on the planet, and they should, because it's something that should not see extinction," Brooks explained. "Sometimes that's your church. And for those people who think that's sacrilegious, please hear me out. A church is a people who are like you, searching, and sometimes you just need a shoulder to lean on. That's what a dive bar is. That's what a good dive bar is."

Brooks previously hinted to PopCulture.com that he would return to small stages at some point in the near future.

"Wouldn't that be the most fun thing on the planet? Now that would be fun," Brooks told us exclusively. "Talk about completing the circle. Because when we played [Nashville bar] Layla's, everything just came back to the circle. And everything was centered on it. And I so enjoyed it. And this music was built for honky tonks."

The 57-year-old, who cut his teeth in the music industry by playing small bars and clubs, vows to keep playing – in venues large and small – as long as he is able.

"I think you just go out and play," Brooks explained.. "You have fun, and as long as this is allowed to happen, then it's going to happen. And the moment it's over, it would break my heart to think, 'I didn't try everything the moment that I could have tried it."

Brooks and Blake Shelton have a song called "Dive Bar" currently climbing up the charts. Shelton will join Friday, July 19 in Boise, Idaho, to record a live version of the hit single. Brooks will kick off his Dive Bar Tour in Chicago, at a location to be announced in the future, on July 15. More information on all of Brooks' upcoming shows can be found at GarthBrooks.com.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Terry Wyatt