Garth Brooks came, saw & conquered Houston, Texas, once again. It was a night that many had waited their entire lives for and some had travelled across the country to be a part of and 100.3 The Bull was there for it all!
The crowds starting forming well before doors opened at NRG Stadium for the final night of Brooks' Stadium Tour that had spanned over three years and several dozen cities that could be seen listed on the back of shirts at the many merch tables. The lines for the merch stretched around corners like the traffic at 59/610 when construction closes down the loop. It was madness and a testament to the love for Garth that has been building for more than 30 years.
The Morning Bullpen and Nick Russo made their way into Bud Plaza to hang with the fans long before gates opened. Fully equipped with homemade signs that summed up the feelings of nearly every Garth fan in attendance. The photo taking could have gone on for hours. (And, it did.)
The sun was out but there was a breeze but nothing could match the energy building as the doors opened and the thousands of early birds began filing in to NRG Stadium! The previous time Houston saw Garth perform it was the front and back end of RodeoHouston becoming the only act to ever open AND close the biggest rodeo in the world.
Saturday, August 6th, he would give fans one shot to soak up all the Garth Brooks they could manage in one evening. Mitch Rossell was the opening act and was full send with energy and music; literally, the perfect beginning to what would ultimately end as one of the greatest nights in Houston's musical history.
Garth's entrance was unlike any he'd ever displayed in Houston, he rose from beneath the stage, beneath the twin drum sets and took the stage like a rocket headed for Mars. Over the course of the next 2 1/2 hours, Garth Brooks would take his fans on a musical journey through his own massive hits and a litany of cover songs that touched the crowd in many ways.
Aside from his grand entrance, one of the first massive eruptions came when Garth stepped to the front of the stage with his fiddle player to perform his rendition of "Amarillo By Morning" by George Strait.
When the crowd heard the roll of thunder their roar became deafening to the point that you could barely hear Garth:
Every where you looked, you could find a sign from fans hoping to catch a look, a smile or a wave or a request which he took! Garth made his way around his 360ish football shaped stage all night to make eye contact with as many fans as he could proving yet again that nobody does it like Garth. A pure entertainer by definition.
Garth stepped away from the stage for the faux goodbye only to return for another approximately 40 minutes of music which was kicked off with a surprise appearance from Trisha Yearwood as they sang "Shallow" for the Houston crowd.
There are few performers who can come into Houston and boast about 95,000 people coming to see them play their music but Garth is one of them.
In 2016, he did 4 shows in 2 nights for Houston, then he opened and closed RodeoHouston and this past weekend he came back for perhaps his final visit.
Will he come back? Probably. Will The Bull be there, you betcha!