Garth Brooks Reveals Heartbreak After 2021 Nashville Concert Was Ruined by Storm

Garth Brooks hits Nashville, Tennessee, this weekend with a two-night stand at Nissan Stadium, Music City’s largest venue that typically hosts the Tennessee Titans. However, Brooks’latest large-scale country music capital show was supposed to go down back on July 31, 2021. However, just minutes into the opening performance (a Grand Ole Opry showcase), thunderstorms forced a sudden cancellation. This sent a crowd of an estimated 70,400 — as well as stadium and performance personnel — back out into Nashville as heavy rains poured down. Some sheltered in the stadium and nearby buildings, but this also came amidst continued COVID-19 fears.

“I’ve seen rain before, but damn,” Brooks said at the start of a Friday afternoon press conference at Nissan Stadium. “And it was in the COVID protocol where no masks were needed outside, that was the mandate, but then you shove 70,000 people inside. People are hot. I would say, ‘Garth, I love you, but f— you. I’m done.’”

This whole ordeal greatly affected Brooks, who became emotional while continuing to discuss the stormy summer night in question. “Here’s what broke my heart — I’m going to cry, sorry  — the drive home was horrible,” Brooks said, noting people wading through high waters and huddling under bridges. “They didn’t expect to have to drive here. If they did, they could Uber out and everything would be fine in their shifts. But when everybody gets out once, that was so hard to watch.”

He went on to add, “Why these people do this, I have no idea. Because I would not do it. I don’t care. Short of my mom (Colleen Carroll) coming back and singing, I don’t think I would do this. So I can’t believe they’re doing it twice.”

A moved Brooks — who is set to open a bar named “Friends in Low Places” in Nashville — also revealed what he was doing during the storm. While grappling with the emotions around the cancellation, he was hunkered in place inside Nissan Stadium alongside fellow country legends. “Here’s the blessing and the curse,” he recalled. “For two hours, we were in this building expecting it to blow over when it wasn’t going to. But I was trapped in the locker room with every Grand Ole Opry member that was there, so the stories were phenomenal. I’m crying [and] laughing.”

Brooks ended up refunding all 70,400 tickets to the July performance, before eventually slotting Saturday’s show onto his tour calendar, which also has dates lined up through September. Just three weeks ago, he added the Friday concert, noting it was a “grace night” for “those people who were sweet enough to give us a second chance.” As of Friday afternoon, the tickets-sold total was 70,350, meaning a lot of those original ticket holders surely were ready to give the “Two Pina Coladas” singer another shot.

“You never get a second chance at a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and they just gave it to me,” Brooks, 60, said. “My job’s now to go out there and hopefully, hopefully have mega, mad, fun and have a good night.”

Brooks’ Friday night show was a success and wrapped up before a storm rolled through Middle Tennessee late that night. His Saturday show begins at 7 p.m. local time, and tickets are available now via Ticketmaster. Brooks has a steady lineup of dates throughout 2022, including stops in Baton Rouge, Cincinnati, Salt Lake City and Charlotte. Click here to see a full list of upcoming tour dates.