Garth-o-mania kicked off last night in Nashville, as Garth Brooks did not one but two shows at Bridgestone Arena. The 9-show stand of full-band, full-on country music shows continue tonight through next Wednesday, with Trisha Yearwood and Karyn Rochelle onstage every night, and surprise guests showing up when they want to play. Last night, Garth was joined by Steve Wariner, and the two of them lit up "Longneck Bottle." Steve also performed his song, "Some Fools Never Learn," to the delight of the crowd. The show was broadcast live on the Armed Forces network, and proceeds from all of the concerts go to flood relief for middle Tennessee. The set list is expected to change, but here's last night's:
Rodeo
Papa Loved Mama
The Beaches of Cheyenne
Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House
Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)
Shameless
Unanswered Prayers (Acoustic)
We Shall Be Free (Played slideshow of flood damage photos)
The Thunder Rolls
**Longneck Bottle (with Steve Wariner)
Steve Wariner performs “Some Fools Never Learn”
Baton Rouge
The River
Burnin’ Both Ends of the Night
**In Another’s Eyes (with Trisha Yearwood)
Trisha Yearwood performs “She’s In Love With The Boy”
More Than a Memory
Friends In Low Places
The Dance
ENCORE: Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)
Country stars continue to pony up for flood relief. Many have donated items for an online auction which ends at noon today. If you're looking for truly one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts and you have deep pockets, go shopping for a great cause - helping to rebuild middle Tennessee after last spring's flooding. Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Blake Shelton and many more top country stars have donated autographed items, and some even throw themselves into the prize package, offering tours, meet & greets, etc.
Congratulations to Josh Turner and his wife Jennifer - son #3 has arrived. Crawford Marion Turner arrived Monday evening, a little early but just fine. He'll be called Marion and joins Colby Lynch, who's 18 months, and Hampton Otis, who's 4 years old.
Blake Shelton is thanking Joe Nichols for his latest hit. "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" was originally recorded by Joe and is on his "Real Things" cd. Blake heard it, loved it, and when it didn't get released as a single, he cut it. Joe is thrilled with the success Blake's having with the song, just as Blake is thrilled about Miranda Lambert's success with "The House That Built Me," a song Blake was supposed to record. Good thing country artists are friendly and civilized - can you imagine this kind of sharing in any other musical genre?
Rascal Flatts and Justin Bieber will team up on a song destined for Justin's next album. Gary LeVox's two daughters, Brittany (10) and Brooklyn (6) suffer from Bieber Fever, so he's very familiar with Justin's music!
Dierks Bentley is hosting a pre-Grammy bash again, and tickets - a precious few! - will be available today on Dierks' website. The Grammy Awards will be handed out on Sunday, February 13th, and Dierks' party is planned for Saturday the 12th. Dierks is up for three Grammy awards this year.
On April 3rd in Las Vegas, the 46th Annual ACM Awards will be handed out. The following night, the ACM will tape an all-star concert special called "Girl's Night Out: Superstar Women of Country." Tickets for both events go on sale January 19th at 10am Pacific time. Proceeds from the Girls Night Out taping will go to the ACM Lifting Lives foundation.
Lyle Lovett is on The Tonight Show on NBC and Trace Adkins is on The Talk on CBS. And the American Country Awards will re-air tonight on the Speed Channel.
Happy birthday to Tracy Byrd, who turns 44 today.
The tweet of the day is from Brad Paisley: "Working like a dog on the new album. Where does that expression come from? My dog is the laziest animal on the planet!"
