Back on the road after pulling the plug on five scheduled arena shows, the 'Friends in Low Places' hitmaker explains why he believes that smaller venues will keep his fans safe.
- Sep 23, 2021
AceShowbiz - Country superstar Garth Brooks is swapping stadiums for smaller venues in an effort to keep fans safe during the COVID crisis.
In August, Brooks pulled the plug on five scheduled arena shows, citing the rising wave of COVID cases, but he hasn't stopped performing.
He's now back on the road at much smaller venues, quipping they're safer, because "dive bars are vaccinated."
During an episode of his Facebook Live series "Inside Studio G" on Monday, September 20, Brooks told viewers, "Stadiums are officially out for this year."
The 59-year-old explained, "The thing that scares me that you have to look at is, I never saw the second wave coming. I didn't know there was going to be such a thing. Well, is there a third wave? So, you just watch this."
"What you want to do is what's best for the people," he went on to stress. "I want to play music and I want to get out there and laugh... it'd kill me to have to shut it down again."
The country star said it's easier to monitor entry protocols - including requiring attendees to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours of the show - when fewer fans are in attendance.
The "Friends in Low Places" star is slated to perform one of his smaller shows at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma's 1,000-capacity Diamond Ballroom on October 11 according to Billboard, with more shows yet to be announced.
"We're for sure going to do one in November and December and hopefully there will be one in between, but the dive bar tour has officially begun," Brooks added.
