Imagine a world without Garth Brooks being the greatest living country music performer in the world. It’s not possible. There would be a huge gap between George Strait and Sam Hunt with no Brooks stadium tours, no flying over his friends in low places, no comeback from semi-retirement, no Las Vegas residencies. At 61, Brooks is possibly country music’s biggest star, with no end in sight.
Last month, panelists assigned by web publication Taste of Country to name the best living country performer chose Brooks, whose concert schedule so far for 2023 consists solely of dates at The Colosseum inside Caesars Palace. Garth Brooks/Plus ONE looks to be a fusion of the Garth at Wynn residency he undertook in 2009 and Garth Brooks: The ONE Man Show, the sprawling two-night engagement he played at Dolby Live in February 2022.
Whether he performs a 40-plus set list at the Colosseum as he did at Dolby Live remains to be seen, but he’ll split the evenings between solo acoustic segments and band sets. Brooks has long expressed his admiration for singer-songwriters such as James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg, with the latter’s influence strongly flavoring Brooks’ 1989 hit “The Dance,” off his eponymous debut album.
Nearly 40 years after he became a star, Brooks still delivers heaping helpings of material from that period, including “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old),” “Unanswered Prayers” and “The Thunder Rolls.” It was partially how Brooks performed those songs in concert that elevated him to the top of the country music industry. He looked traditional but contemporized stage production, and inspired by the late Chris LeDoux he wore a headset that allowed him to run around freely onstage rather than be grounded by a microphone stand.
Brooks was touring the world by 1993 and completed his recent Stadium Tour in September with multiple dates in Ireland. He’s performed sporadically since, with his last appearance at Kennedy Center Honors singing “Midnight Train to Georgia” with the Pips for honoree Gladys Knight. Only two years prior, Brooks was an honoree, with artists such as Jimmie Allen, Kelly Clarkson and Taylor serenading Garth with his wife Trisha Yearwood at his side.
Surprises have been promised for the nearly 30 Colosseum dates that Brooks will play this year. Yearwood has the option to appear at every show alongside her husband. Brooks has stated that band members will be embedded in the audience and called up both individually and en masse. His daughter Allie Colleen, who released her debut album in 2021, may have the opportunity to perform her own music or duet with dad.
If Yearwood does step onstage, expect a rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow.” Brooks’ Dolby Live sets allowed him to stretch out with a wide-ranging selection of covers of songs by Taylor, Jim Croce, Billy Joel, Bob Seger and Marvin Gaye. He played multiple songs by Strait and Fogelberg, but certainly didn’t short fans on his own songs. Expect more of the same for Plus ONE, but even better.
Caesars Palace, begins May 21, ticketmaster.com
Click here for your free subscription to the weekly digital edition of Las Vegas Magazine, your guide to everything to do, hear, see and experience in Southern Nevada. In addition to the latest edition emailed to every week, you’ll find plenty of great, money-saving offers from some of the most exciting attractions, restaurants, properties and more! And Las Vegas Magazine is full of informative content such as restaurants to visit, cocktails to sip and attractions to enjoy.
