If I had to pick a single performer that I’ve looked up to in my life Garth Brooks would be the one. Four years ago Garth came to Ottawa and I gave him a less than favourable review. I found the show a bit cheesy and over the top. Last night Garth pulled off something that I didn’t think could be done, united an entire continent with a massive drive-in concert simulcast.

When I first heard that Garth Brooks was planning a drive in concert I thought ok he’s going to do a bunch of shows similar to Brett Kissel’s unbelievable run of drive-in shows. When it became clear that it would simply be a pre-recorded concert I, admittedly, became sceptical but also curious. Garth Brooks is one of those artists who doesn’t just come up with a concept he puts his heart and soul into it. After 2016 I had to see for myself what the Garth Brooks Drive-In Experience would be like. With big thanks to Encore Live and Jake Klein we jumped into the van and made the trip to Port Elmsley.

It had been a hot and humid day with some heavy thunderstorms rolling through our area earlier in the afternoon but by the time the sun set the stars were out, the drive in was full and we were ready.

The night started with a warmup by Randall King, a new comer Garth has his eye on at the moment. The crowd was treated to a number of King’s music videos to get the ball rolling. I would’ve preferred live performances but understandably and logistically that would be been tough.

Garth Brooks on the big screen at Port Elmsley Drive-In in Perth, ON

After a short intermission it was Garth’s turn. The show started feeling a bit like we were just watching a concert movie at a drive-in theatre but as the night went on the theatre started to feel like a stadium and our vehicles felt like they were just seats in that stadium. Knowing that not only were we watching this show in Port Elmsley, in Eastern Ontario, people at 300 drive-ins across North America were watching the same show.

Garth would address the audience from time to time and it didn’t feel weird or tacky at all, it felt legitimate. It was as if Garth Brooks had some sort of crystal ball that let him see all of us. Throughout the show Garth and Trisha, who, unfortunately, was not part of last nights performance, were  actively engaging with fans on social media thanking them for coming out to the show. Reading tweets or posts on Instagram and Facebook really hit home how big this event was and how small the world truly is when brought together by music. The best part about this is that we weren’t sitting at home watching on tv, we were out, we were together, we were singing out loud like no one was listening and it felt great!

From classics like “Ain’t Goin’ Down Till The Sun Comes Up” and “ The River”, for which we lit up the drive in with our phone lights, to his huge comeback hit “Ask Me How I Know” it was a night of hits. Garth touched on the state of the world and introduced “We Shall Be Free” as a song whose words could never be more relevant than today. Last night we were all free, race didn’t matter, sexual preference didn’t matter political stripes didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was a love for music and togetherness. He closed the night with a song that changed my life, and I’m sure many of yours, “The Dance”.

Garth summed up the night perfectly so I’ll leave you with his words. “If you’ve heard me say it once you’ve heard me say it a million times, everyone on this band and crew knows it. The blessing and the curse. The last four or five months there’s your hard time. But the blessing in the hard time is how I’m seeing time after time, people coming together. This is exactly one of those moments, we can’t play stadiums or arenas yet so what do you do? You get in your cars, you bring your families and then come to the freakin’ drive-in theatre”

The set list:

  1. Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)
  2. Rodeo
  3. The Beaches of Cheyenne
  4. Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House
  5. The River
  6. Fishin’ in the Dark (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover)
  7. Two Piña Coladas
  8. That Summe
  9. The Thunder Rolls
  10. Standing Outside the Fire
  11. Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)
  12. More Than a Memory
  13. We Shall Be Free
  14. Ask Me How I Know
  15. Callin’ Baton Rouge
  16. Shameless (Billy Joel cover)
  17. Friends in Low Places
  18. The Dance