Garth Brooks First To Play Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium

The NFL's Atlanta Falcons have a new home, but making as big or bigger headlines is the venue's inaugural concert.

Garth Brooks will play the $1.6 billion Mercedes-Benz Stadium October 12th. "It was important for us to not only find an artist who could deliver the biggest show in the world," AMB Sports + Entertainment's Tim Zulawski told Billboard this week. "But also had the same fan-focused ideals. We knew the best artist who could deliver, and that was Garth Brooks."

As for Garth, "I'm thrilled to be back in Atlanta and honored to play the first concert in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. I've visited the stadium twice in the last month and all I can say is – the fans are going to love it; it's truly one-of-a-kind."

That seems about right. Construction on the facility lasted nearly three years, it seats 83,000 at max capacity and boasts a pinwheel-shaped retractable roof. The satdium officially opens August 26th with the Atlanta Falcons' preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Teddy McDonald is a fun-lovin' country music fan man living in Nashville, Tennessee.