Garth Brooks, Album Cover

Few country music arts have had successful careers as Garth Brooks. His music and his influence over younger country artists have helped shape the genre for so many years. In 2001, Brooks, then the reigning king of country music, broke the hearts of his fans throughout the world when he announced his retirement from the scene to take time off to take care of his three children. In interviews, he has repeatedly mentioned that he will only return to the spotlight once he’s done raising his children.
Well that time came sooner than later.

In a move anticipated by the music industry for weeks, Brooks announced his plans to do a series of shows later this year. On October 15th of this year, Brooks made a joint announcement with Steve Wynn of the famous Wynn Resorts in Las Vegas, that he is set to do a series of shows to be held at the Encore Theatre at Wynn Las Vegas starting this December. Quite fittingly, Brooks made this special announcement at a press conference at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee, which was then followed by a second press conference at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel.

Wearing his trademark cowboy hat, Brooks announced the series of concerts that are scheduled to start on the 9th of December later this year. With this announcement, Garth now joins the ranks of famous artists who have also booked shows at the resort, including Celine Dion and Elton John, among others.

When asked about why he chose Brooks, Wynn said, “Everything about Garth’s performances—his artistry, the range of his voice and connection with his audience—is something that I haven’t seen since the Rat Pack.” He added, “I watched a man create instant love in real time, right before my eyes. Now we have the privilege at Wynn and Encore in Las Vegas to share this extraordinary, intimate experience with everyone.”

Although the full details of the financial agreement are undisclosed, it has been speculated that it could be one of the biggest yet, with Wynn even giving Brooks a private jet that he can regularly use to transfer from Oklahoma to Vegas.

At first, Brooks said he was reluctant to return to the scene until after he thought the time was right. However, he was convinced by Wynn who put together a special deal that will allow Brooks to perform in Las Vegas without compromising the promise he made to his family. Says Garth, “Steve Wynn has done what I thought was impossible. He has given me a chance to sing again for the people, while at the same time never missing a day with my children.” He further added, “I am naturally nervous, but it feels good to be out from under the low ceiling of ‘retirement’ I put on myself.”

Tickets for the special series of shows, pegged at $143, have gone on sale last October 24th of this year. For further details regarding the confirmed dates and schedule of performances, more information are available at the Wynn Las Vegas website at www.wynnlasvegas.com.