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Garth Brooks gives Las Vegas his all at sold-out Allegiant Stadium performance

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Garth Brooks entertained a capacity crowd at Allegiant Stadium on July 10.
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Garth Brooks and drummer Mike Palmer perform at Allegiant Stadium on July 10, 2021.

Garth Brooks and drummer Mike Palmer perform at Allegiant Stadium on July 10, 2021.

Before he took the stage at Allegiant Stadium Saturday night for a historic sold-out concert in Las Vegas, Garth Brooks talked about the last time his band and crew played a venue of that size, in Detroit in February of 2020. He didn’t deliver the energy and performance he wanted at that show, but of course he also didn’t realize it would be his last Stadium Tour event for nearly 17 months.

“My job is hopefully [that] I get you on your back and then I just beat the living sh** out of you all night long,” Brooks said at a press conference at Allegiant on Friday, comparing the interaction between the band and the audience to a prizefight. “What happened in Detroit was they got up and got on me, and I got behind and I’m still pissed about it. I want a rematch with Detroit. They were so good. The truth was I was behind because they came ready to play, and I like being surprised like that, but at the end of the day, I want to win.”

It was a different story Saturday night in Las Vegas. The first-time capacity crowd (estimated at around 68,000) at the year-old stadium also came ready to play, but the interaction was less like a big boxing match and more of a back-and-forth lovefest. The overwhelming energy when Brooks and company opened with 2018 track “All Day Long” was only the beginning, the key in the ignition. Operating from a football-shaped stage on the field surrounded by thousands of dancing, fist-pumping, cowboy hat-waving fans in tightly packed floor seats, the band consistently revved the engine all night long, performing for more than two hours.

Extended ovations came at the close of nearly every song, and for locals in attendance, the sights and sounds of Allegiant Stadium operating the way it was intended for the first time was cause for a deeper celebration. But Brooks did not let up, giving a signature emotional performance interrupted only by brief pauses to express his gratitude to fans for coming back again after the long interruption of the pandemic.

“I can tell every musician out there [to] get back to it, because it’s the greatest feeling in the world,” he said from the stage. Given the extreme temperature outside, he also thanked Las Vegas in general for building a domed stadium. Most fans walked for 20 minutes or so from the Strip over the Hacienda Avenue bridge to get to the venue, braving triple digits and a setting sun beating down. After two big concerts in two weekends at the stadium, that walk has already emerged as the preferred transportation method to Allegiant, but hopefully cooler fall temperatures will make the trip for Raiders games much more pleasant.

Brooks rolled through his biggest country-pop hits like “The River,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “Shameless,” “Friends in Low Places” and “Standing Outside the Fire”; took plenty of time to celebrate and highlight his longtime band and crew members during the show; took even more time to interact with the fans closest to the stage; and capped it all off by bringing out his superstar spouse Trisha Yearwood to sing a few songs together including the Lady Gaga-Bradley Cooper smash “Shallow.” Considering Brooks’ comments Friday about his fondness for his legendary Wynn Las Vegas residency shows and appreciation for Yearwood’s talent, there could be a co-headlining gig on the Strip in the couple’s future.

Next up for Brooks’ rejuvenated Stadium Tour is Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City on July 17, and for Allegiant Stadium, it’s the sold-out Concacaf Gold Cup Final soccer event on August 1. But before looking head, it’s worth looking back at this Saturday night one last time, when the UFC also held a major event at T-Mobile Arena and Justin Bieber popped into brand-new Wynn restaurant and nightlife spot Delilah for an impromptu performance. It was one of the biggest nights so far in a big Vegas comeback.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of managing editor at Las Vegas Weekly ...

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