25 Years Ago: Garth Brooks And Shawn Stevens Took On Central Park

Please read on as I share some of my personal experiences.

Who would've thought that a country boy from Tulsa, Oklahoma could bring an estimated crowd of one million people together for a country music celebration in the heart of New York City?

Sunday, August 7th, will mark the 25th Anniversary of Garth: Live From Central Park. The event in 1997, was a free concert event and live HBO special that became the most watched special on cable television for the year. Over 14.6 million television viewers watched as Garthstock, the largest concert ever held in the park, took over the Big Apple. The HBO special was nominated for 6 Emmy Awards including outstanding performance in a variety or music program, as well as outstanding variety, music or comedy special.

I'm thrilled to say that I was there for this historic, once-in-a-lifetime event. It was my first trip to New York and I had the job/pleasure of hosting 30 guests from Salt Lake City who had won the experience of a lifetime.

We flew into New York the day of the show and shuttled to the beautiful Marriott Marquis in Times Square.

As a large group of out of town visitors (none of which had ever been to the big city) we were like fish out of water but determined to find our way to Central Park. Just follow the crowds, right?  We made our way onto the subway and happily, even found the right station to exit for the park.

It was going well. When we emerged, there were thousands of people all heading in the same direction. We just followed the herd, eventually landing a spot in the park. The crowds were so massive that we weren't able to get a place where we could see the main stage but we staked a claim in front of a giant video screen. The sound was great and we could feel the electricity of the crowd. It was a perfect night for a concert.

When Garth hit the stage, the real magic of the night began. The energy was off the chart. This truly was a special once-in-a-lifetime experience and we knew it. Garth seemlessly wove his way through all of his hits and was joined by special guest Billy Joel, for a version of 'New York State of Mind', and Don McLean on 'American Pie.' The night was simply amazing.

When the show was over, it got real interesting. There were a million people all leaving the park at the same time and nearly all of them were heading for the subway. My group of 30 strangers were getting swallowed by people rushing to get home. At that time, I realized what it must be like to herd cats. I was able to get everyone together and we formed a human chain, holding hands to keep everyone together. Fun times. We made it back to the hotel successfully. I considered that a victory and a memory that I will remember for ever.  I'm honored to say #IWASTHERE.

By 2016, as reported in Forbes,  Garth became the only artist in history to have seven of his albums albums certified Diamond in the US. Diamond status is awarded to records and songs that have moved at least 10 million copies in the US.

This was a great reason to have a celebration and that's exactly what Garth did. It was a privilege to share the night with Garth, Trisha and dozens of industry friends. Garth presented his invited guests with a commemorative 7 Diamonds crystal, I was honored to be one of them. See the pictures below.

On a windy night in Indio, California, Garth finally headlined the Stagecoach Country Music Festival hosting a record 75,000 fans.

Sunday, April 28th, 2018 while the winds whipped, Garth took the Stagecoach festival by storm. It was the festivals 12th year and the wait for a Garth Brooks concert was worth every minute.

Garth brought along his incredibly talented wife, Trisha Yearwood who took a turn entertaining the massive crowd.

Garth has a knack for doing things BIG. If there's a record, he usually smashes it. World tours, stadium tours, you name it. When it came to Vegas, he made history in a big way.

In March 2020, Garth became the first artist to sell out the new Allegiant Stadium, and he did it in just 75 minutes.

Due to COVID, the show was postponed twice. Garth was finally able to help us christen the new Allegiant Stadium on Saturday, July 10th, 2021.

I had the privilege of hosting an exclusive Soundcheck Party for a group of 50 people on Friday night prior to the show. Garth spent about 45 minutes entertaining the group, answering questions and taking requests. He's a master showman.

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Garth Brooks on stage at Allegiant Stadium for the Soundcheck Party.

Garth Brooks on stage at Allegiant Stadium for the Soundcheck Party.

Garth Brooks on stage at Allegiant Stadium for the Soundcheck Party.