DETROIT – He’s the No. 1 selling solo music artist of any genre and he’s playing Detroit on Saturday. Garth Brooks is nearing the end of his stadium tour and the next stop is Ford Field.
Brooks spoke to the media Friday ahead of the show and reminisced about how Detroit has played a part in his life and music career.
“The music that was born in this town affected my house so much," Brooks said.
Click here to view the Change.org petition to bring Brooks back to Detroit.
He learned everything he needed to know about Detroiters during one of his concerts in the 90s.
“I was up there playing along when I saw something coming from the crowd -- and I didn’t see it until the last second,” he explained. “I caught it right here across my chest and it unfolded and it was a Detroit Red Wings jersey. And this place went through the roof," he said.
He’ll try to recapture that emotion as soon as he takes the stage Saturday.
“You don’t want to be left behind and Detroit will leave you behind,” Brooks said as he described the fans. “They’ll start a show without you. So, my hope is they leave crawling on their hands and knees saying, ‘If that cat comes back, I’m going to see him again.’”
It’s remarkable how one of music’s all-time icons is still both enthusiastic and humble about his success, which now includes selling out stadiums.
"You can have 300 people singing ‘Unanswered Prayers,’ but when it’s 70,000 ... Whoa … And as a grown man, you’d think you get used to it, but you just try not to cry,” Brooks said.
This is expected to be the largest concert crowd ever at Ford Field -- and there are still tickets available. One site has them anywhere from $110 to $6,000 dollars for a front row seat.
Garth Brooks explains why Detroit has such a special place in his heart:
Jason Colthorp had the chance to tell Brooks about the first CD he ever bought: