Garth Brooks

He’s

Back Garth Brooks comes back for five big shows

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E1

TABLE OF CONTENTS 2

Review: Garth has always been Garth

4

Garth’s guitar

6

Garth and The Gazette: His first show made history

8

Make-A-Wish visitor will come back for Garth’s next show

11

Garth’s leading lady

12

The fourth time is (still) a charm

14

Tips for enjoying the show

16

Garth’s studio albums

18

Garth charms the press on his return to Billings

20

Garth’s third stop in Billings

22

Garth’s country rocked Billings in 1992

23 Garth Brooks’ Top 40 Country hits

Contributors Tara Cady Chase Doak Mike Ferguson Chris Jorgensen Larry Mayer Rob Rogers Jaci Webb

Section editor Darrell Ehrlick General Manager Dave Worstell Publisher Mike Gulledge

On the cover: In this Jan. 25, 2008 photo, Garth Brooks performs during a charity concert in Los Angeles, to benefit the Southern California 2008 Fire Intervention Relief Effort (F.I.R.E). (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

E2

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Garth was Garth from the start A force of nature even in his earliest shows

T

here he was, swinging on a rope from the rafters of Salt Lake City’s gilded Abravanel Hall, home to the stuffy Utah Symphony.

It was early in 1989 and people were just starting to hear about Garth Brooks. His self-titled debut album had been released a few months earlier and “Much Too Young To Feel This Damn Old” was all over the radio.

Still, there were some empty seats in the 2,800-seat hall. Ricky Van Shelton opened the CHRIS show, playing acoustic JORGENSEN guitar while leaning on bar stool. And, he was quickly forgotten.

Garth was still relatively unknown then, but he was already GARTH. I was there as a young reporter with the Salt Lake Tribune, taking my turn on the evening shift, which included the occasional review of artistic events in the city. Having grown up on Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings, I was a little resentful of country going pop, and still am. But, even I could see this new guy was bound for glory, and he deserved it.

Arriving like Tarzan onto the stage, Brooks never stopped moving, or grinning. Before even singing a note, he whirled his big black hat to whip up the crowd and his band, opening with what was then his only hit. He then tried out a new song no one had heard yet, “If Tomorrow Never Comes,” and then another new song, “Not Counting You” and then another, “The Dance.” He could do no wrong.

The show was mesmerizing and the relentless tide of firepower became a little overwhelming, in a good way.

Even when he covered pop ballads like Dave Loggins’ “Please Come to Boston” and James Taylor’s “How Sweet It Is,” the air sizzled. In the end, it felt like the building had been hit by lightning. I hadn’t seen anything like it, and haven’t since.

It was clear the new guy had “it,” whatever cosmic energy “it” is that creates mega stars.

That energy during his live shows hasn’t diminished much in the last

music. Those 180,000 Chicago tickets sold in less than three hours. And since announcing dates for this year’s leg of the tour, Brooks quickly sold out nine shows in Edmonton, Alberta and six shows in Kansas City. In many of the cities he’s passing through, Brooks has broken arena attendance records that have stood since he himself set those records nearly two decades earlier. That’s true in Billings, too.

Since seeing Brooks in Salt Lake City all those years ago, (I bought his cassette tape at the merch table on the way out), he’s gone on to sell more than 116 million albums. That’s hard to imagine in these modern times of streaming and iTunes singles, when selling even 100,000 albums is considered a hit. And, I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard “The Dance” played at weddings, and teared up a little.

I’m still feeling a little sore about his popification of country music — and his launching a generation of bad shirts — but I have a deep respect for those numbers and his staying power.

Here’s another reason I respect him. That ticket to see Brooks in Salt Lake City in 1989 cost $28. That’s about what even huge artists were charging back then. I paid $32 the Gazette file photo same year to see Stevie Wonder.

Since then, the price of mega conGarth Brooks performs in front of a soldcert tickets has risen so high, especialout audience at the Billings Metra July 2, 1998, as part of a four night concert ly for festivals, that some venues have series. 10,600 fans attended each of the allowed a payment plan. Two years four shows. ago, I checked into to seeing Roger Waters with my wife in Denver and 30 years, despite his various retirea pair of floor seats would have been ments, family challenges, Las Vegas more than $1,000, plus fees. casino residency, and the increasThe Rolling Stones during their last ing gravity of middle age. I’ve seen a tour were charging an average $624 few mega-stars in their late careers, per ticket. Justin Timberlake was getJohnny Cash, James Brown and Aretha ting $339 and Paul McCartney $240.

Franklin, and you can’t expect them Brooks is charging $66. He doesn’t to glow like they did in their heyday. need the dough, although he could get Brooks still glows. five times that and do five times less Here he is well past his last charting work in Billings. hit, and probably well into billionaire Maybe that’s why I’m still a fan. territory, and he’s still swinging from He’s the people’s country star, a true the rafters. And, by all accounts, he’s blue collar working man who deserves also still a nice guy with a surprisingly to sell nearly as many tickets in Billboring private life. That’s weird when ings as there are people in Billings. you consider how predictably other “What he loves might kill him, but suddenly famous artists — Elvis, Hen- he’s got no choice,” Brooks sings in drix, Joplin, Winehouse — finished “The Fever.” their careers.

Here’s hoping that never changes.

The world tour that brings Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood through Jorgensen is one of The Billings Billings began nearly three years ago Gazette’s city editors, entertainment with 11 sold-out shows in Chicago, a editor, writer and reviewer of all things city not exactly known for country musical.

FEEL THE RUSH! r E g r u B a Buy and gEt • Breakfast Specials • Happy Hour • Early Bird Specials

$CH5Play

h play.

Maut to receive matc et ck ti l ea m h pon wit on.

is co te or coup Must present th r offer, certifica he ot y an ith w – 9pm.

Not valid day. Valid 8am One per visit, pe

r

Chicken Fried Steak $8.95 8am-11am • Mon-Fri 7am-11am • Sat-Sun

Friday nigHt tHundEr and Car CluB nigHtS See full schedule on Magic City Street Cars Facebook Page

Car Meet/ Club Night June 23rd • 6-9PM Featuring

Outkast Strays

Friday Night Thunder & Vendor Event July 7th • 6-9PM Featuring

Street Car Outlaws

Car Meet/ Club Night July 14th • 6-9PM Featuring

Yellowstone Valley Mustangs

2300 King Avenue West, Billings Montana 59102 | 406.652.4980 Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E3

Muncie,

By MIKE FERGUSON mferguson@billingsgazette.com

M

any of the 50,000 fans set to take in one of Garth Brooks’ five upcoming shows have already attended a concert or two of his.

But probably only 87-yearold Muncie Morger of Fort Benton owns a guitar that the famed performer literally removed from his own back during a Las Vegas performance six years ago, signing and handing it over to the stunned Morger.

Morger said she’s thought about bringing Garth’s guitar — now, of course, it’s her guitar and proudest possession — to the concert she’ll attend Sunday, but has decided against it.

“Nobody thought taking it to the concert was a good idea, but it’s the only way to prove he gave it to me,” she said. “But I did write about it in the River Press, and I’m sure he’ll remember me.”

Morger said she hopes to speak to Brooks before or after his final Billings performance Sunday.

“Giving his favorite guitar away?

I don’t even question it,” said Ray Massie, MetraPark’s marketing and sales director. Massie has worked with Brooks and his handlers for many years during previous stints managing a number of large radio stations. “It is so part of Garth’s character to do something like that.”

The River Press is Fort Benton’s weekly newspaper, where Morger writes the column “View from the Bridge” “pretty much every week without fail,” said Bethany Monroe DeBorde, a reporter at the River Press for the past four years.

“It’s a fun small-town column,” Monroe DeBorde said. “It’s a fixture on the back page every week. I hear from readers it’s the first thing they look for every week.”

Morger “basically tries to keep up with everything going on around town,” Monroe DeBorde said. “She is very pro-Fort Benton. She encour-

E4

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

God Bless Love,

ages people to get involved and attend events. It’s kind of her platform.”

It’s also the venue she chose to tell the world about how she came to own an autographed guitar that Brooks had just played during the Las Vegas concert Morger took in with her stepson, Randy, on Sept.

10, 2011.

“This is my 15 minutes of fame. I was a V.I.P. for a few moments and here is the story,” Morger wrote in her Sept. 14, 2011 column.

Her husband Wally, since deceased, had bid on and won a Las Vegas package the previous Christmas season at a Toys for Tots auction.

While Wally instead played cards, Randy and Muncie, who’d celebrated her 82nd birthday the day before, showed up for an evening concert early at the Encore Theatre, where they found an usher.

“I boldly went up to her with the note (she’d written to Brooks) and a crisp 10-dollar bill in my hand, and asked if she would take the note back to Garth,” Morger wrote.

While the usher declined, she offered the two this advice: At the end of the performance, the house lights will come on and Garth will probably ask concert-goers if they have any questions or requests.

During the show, Morger reported, Brooks talked about the kind of music his parents liked and how much they’d influenced his own musical choices. When the house

Garth Brooks 9-10-11 lights d i d indeed come on at the end of the concert, Randy, “who has an outside voice,” tried three times to shout the performer’s name. After the third time, Brooks gestured toward him, and Randy pointed out that Muncie was there celebrating her birthday.

Led by Brooks, the 2,000 people in attendance sang “Happy Birthday” to her, and Muncie responded by standing and throwing Brooks a kiss.

“I immediately sat down,” she wrote, “because I thought I was going to faint.”

To her astonishment, Brooks then said, “I think I ought to give her a present for her birthday.” He asked someone in the crowd to toss him a marker.

“At this point,” Morger wrote, “I thought that he was going to autograph a CD or a picture for me.

Wrong.”

Pen in hand, Brooks told the crowd, “I don’t have anything to write on.”

He began taking the guitar strap off his neck, “and the people went ballistic. They screamed and clapped because they realized what

he was going to do.”

He asked her how to spell her first name — with a “cie” or “cy.” On the guitar, he wrote, “Muncie, God Bless, Love, Garth Brooks,” and the date — 9-10-11.

“Many of my female friends in Fort Benton, who knew I was going to see Garth’s show, asked me to bring him back with me,” she wrote.

“That being an impossible happening, I was now going to bring back what he said was his favorite guitar.

Unbelievable.”

Two security guards found her a guitar case, and one guard led Muncie and Randy through the casino so they could show Wally what had just happened. Along the way, gamblers showered her with birthday greetings.

“Randy put the guitar case on a chair and took it out,” she recalled.

“The whole place got quiet. Even the dealers were listening. Randy told the whole story, and he told it very well.”

The next day, aboard the shuttle bus headed to the airport, Randy Please see Muncie, E7

SUPER SUNDAY SALE June 11th 9:30am - 1:30pm

Hours: Mon - Sat 9:30 am - 6:30 pm Closed Sunday

Native American & Western Art • Crafts • Jewelry

f f o 0 2 12/17 / 6 h % to throug 5 select items how s r o ad %

n this ket Stub i g n i ou br rooks Tic y n e Wh arth B G r u yo

2715 1st Avenue North • Billings, Montana 59101

406-702-7292

www.straightnarrow.net Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E5

MetraPark hosts its largest concert

By CLAIR JOHNSON Of the Gazette Staff From the day the tickets went on sale on a wintry February Saturday to the final encore Wednesday night, the Judds and Garth Brooks concert at MetraPark generated its own excitement, both in dollars and in decibels.

“It was an excellent night for MetraPark,” a tired but pleased Bill Chiesa, manager of MetraPark, said the morning after. “I’m working right now to get Garth Brooks back to Billings. You’d be hardpressed to find anyone who has a greater rapport with the audience.”

Brooks connected with the crowd from the very first note and left the thousands screaming for more. He worked every inch of the stage to the delight of fans in the side and back seats. When Brooks invited the audience to sing along, almost 10,000 voices roared the chorus to “Friends in Low Places.”

A fevered pitch of clapping,

About this article This article originally appeared May 18, 1991 after Garth Brooks opened for The Judds. It set a record then for a concert at MetraPark. It is reprinted here in this Garth Brooks special section.

cheering, hooting and stomping brought Brooks back for an encore, and the noise level reached a new plateau. Even Brooks seemed a little surprised but obviously pleased with his Montana welcome.

The Judds, who headlined one of the hottest tours going, also had the audience on its feet, cheering for more.

The concert, though not quite a sell out, grossed $200,000 making it the largest concert in MetraPark’s 16-year history. Ticket sales numbered about 9,800 out of 10,000. A hint of how hot the tour was came the day tickets went on sale three months ago. More than 500 people

were in line — some waited overnight in the cold and rain — when the MetraPark box office opened.

Chiesa said Wednesday night’s crowed was the most people he’s seen in the Metra arena in the six years he has been manager.

MetraPark’s profit was about $23,000, Chiesa said. MetraPark made an estimated $5,000 in rent, $10,000 in T-shirt sales, $4,000 in beer and $4,000 in food and drinks.

The concert also was good for the community and drew fans from a wide region, Chiesa said. A survey of license plates in the parking lot showed that 42 percent of the cars were from outside Yellowstone County. He estimated that about 4,100 people were from outside the county. If those people each spent $50 in Billings, businesses received more than $200,000 in concertrelated revenues.

The license-plate survey showed the top, out of the communities werew: Big Horn County

(Hardin), with 180 cars; Gallatin County (Bozeman) with 145 cars; and Park County (Powell and Cody) Wyoming, with 105 cars. Chiesa said 105 cars came from Stillwater County (Columbus).

The Judds concert was also the first show in which MetraPark tried out its new alcohol policy that cut off beer and wine cooler sales after the first intermission and limited purchases to two beers at a time. Concert goers were also closely eye-balled, and sometimes searched by beefy guys dressed in MetraPark’s blue T-shirts. The security teams of four men and one woman at each entrance were looking for bulges of alcoholic beverages.

The security teams lifted up pants, checked boot legs and peeked in purses. Chieasa said the teams found a few pints and halfpints of alcohol, but that a lot of beer was left outside.

For the most part, people came sober and had a nice time, Chiesa

said, adding that nobody objected to being searched.

A random survey of 100 people showed that 10 to 15 percent thought MetraPark should keep the beer stands open longer.

“I stood and watched a guy unfold a wine skin bag and pour four beers in it,” Chiesa said, adding that the person legitimately bought two beers at a time. “I had no right to interfere.”

For those who wanted beer sales to last longer, there were others who complained about beer being spilled on them, Chiesa said. To his knowledge, no warnings were issued to underaged drinkers, he added.

Chiesa said he also got calls Thursday morning from people complaining about smokers who refused to extinguish their cigarettes after being asked (Metra is a no-smoking arena), people who were singing and bothering others who wanted to hear the music and a man who refused to take off his hat.

Huge Breakfasts to Perfectly Grilled Angus Steaks Cocktails • Montana Microbrews

www.montanaclub.com

E6

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Muncie Continued from E4 again had a ready audience to explain once again how Muncie had obtained the signed guitar. “It took him all the way to the airport” to recount the story, she said.

After arriving back home in Fort Benton, “I still couldn’t figure out why (Brooks) would give an 82-year-old woman his favorite guitar.” She plugged Garth’s parents’ names into a search engine and soon discovered that the performer’s mother, Colleen McElroy, would have been 82 that same year.

A country singer herself, McElroy died of cancer in 1999.

“I know he loved his mother very much,” she said.

The real deal Massie said he’s seen Brooks spend hours signing his name and chatting with radio marketing and management people. “That endears him to every professional broadcaster who has ever played his music,” he said. “That was him.

That’s what he did.”

“The only other performer I have seen who treats people at that level is Taylor Swift,” Massie said.

Brooks’ wife, the singer Trisha Yearwood, is much the same, he said. One time while she was revamping her career, she walked into the Phoenix radio station Massie was managing, and she recognized him.

“Oh thank God — somebody I know,” she said, giving Massie “a big hug.”

“They are that kind of people,” Massie said. “You can’t be around people for long before they’ll shine you on, but I’ve never seen anything like that out of either of them.”

Not surprisingly, Morger has never put her guitar up for sale, and she says she never will.

“When I’m gone, it will go to my daughter,” she said.

In her column, she described her magical night this way: “It was surreal, unbelievable, mind-boggling, awesome, incredible, miraculous, and a dream.

“Really, none of those words could describe my feelings. This PHOTO COURTESY OF TIM BURMEISTER/The River Press just could not be happening to me.

It was my 15 minutes in the lime- Muncie Morger, 87, of Fort Benton is the proud and grateful owner of a guitar Garth Brooks gave her following a Las Vegas concert on Sept. 10, 2011. light.”

Feeling

off key?

Ages 2 and up

Appointments every 15 minutes

Quick & easy access to care. © Billings Clinic 2017 All Rights Reserved

Rehberg • Central • Heights Open 7 days a week

Schedule your appointment online: billingsclinic.com/ expresscare Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E7

Twenty years later, her heart still beats to ‘The River’

By ROB ROGERS rrogers@billingsgazette.com

JORDAN — Heather Zigler was 9 years old sitting just left of center stage when Garth Brooks last played MetraPark in 1998.

Halfway through the show, Brooks caught her gaze and, with his wide grin, shouted out from his perch, “Hi, Heather!”

It was the second most exciting thing to happen to Heather that day. The first was hanging out with Brooks and Trisha Yearwood before the concert.

With Brooks returning to Billings this week, Heather’s family plans to get everyone back together again and catch the show.

Heather now lives with her husband and son in Illinois and the concert will be a specific kind of homecoming for her.

“Twenty years ago we didn’t know if she was gonna be here 20 years later,” said Heather’s sister Ally Murnion.

Heather grew up on a farm 26 miles north of Ingomar listening to Garth Brooks in her mom’s car.

She was born with a heart defect that led to open-heart surgery when she was 7 days old. The family had to make frequent trips to Billings for doctors appointments or to board flights for the children’s hospital in Denver.

“Everywhere you went was a really long way,” said Heather’s mother, Cathy Murnion.

Cathy’s collection of Garth Brooks tapes essentially became the soundtrack for Heather’s childhood as the pair traveled from their home to school or to Billings or simply tooled around town.

Her initial surgery as a newborn only fixed part of the problem in her heart. Heather needed a second surgery to complete the repair and so she had spent all of her young life visiting doctors and waiting for the O.K. for the next surgery. No one was sure if

E8

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

Heather Murnion of Jordan meets Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood in 1998 right before they performed at MetraPark in Billings.

Heather Murnion has a large scar on her chest after undergoing surgery at 7 days old for a heart condition she was born with.

Courtesy photo

Courtesy photo

in her mom’s car, to connect deeply with one of his most famous songs, “The River.” In it, Brooks sings about learning from the past and being at peace with

whatever the future may bring.

And so when Metra announced “It is my favorite song,” in 1998 that Brooks would be perHeather wrote at the time. “I’ve forming a handful of shows there been singing it since I was 3 years Please see HEATHER, Page E10 old.”

Heather Murnion of Jordan pictured here with her parents Pat and Cathy after Heather Murnion of Jordan rests in a room at Children’s Hospital in Denver being born with a heart condition. during her second heart surgery with her father Pat.

Heather would live long enough to make it.

It was a stressful, scary time.

It led to Heather, as a young child listening to Garth Brooks

WALK-INS WELCOME

FAMILY TIME BRING YOUR FRIENDS!

BRIDAL PARTIES

BIRTHDAYS

2010 GrAND AveNue 406-294-4278 www.artnparty.com

Formerly known as In Good Glazes

Kids’ Project Nights Weekly Painting Classes Melted Glass Art

Kids’ Theme/ Costume Party Destination Mosaics and of course Ceramics!

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E9

Heather From E8

that summer, Heather’s parents wanted to make sure she would be there. It was a difficult task at a time when getting tickets to a big show in Billings involved standing in line for wristbands one day to save a place in line a few days later when tickets actually went on sale.

Cathy, an elementary school teacher, made the two trips from their farm — a nearly three-hour drive — to ensure she would get the tickets.

In the end, with the concert as popular as it was, the best she could get were two different tickets, each for a single seat in separate sections of the arena near the back wall. It was discouraging.

So Cathy called the Metra to see if there were a way to at least get two seats together. As Cathy explained her situation, the Metra offered her two new tickets seated together and then suggested she reach out to the MakeA-Wish Foundation, the charity with which Brooks closely works.

But in 1998, Make-A-Wish, which works to help terminally or gravely ill children go and do things they otherwise wouldn’t be able to, had yet to set up an office in Montana.

Cathy was eventually put in contact with Make-A-Wish in California and working with the organization was able to get two tickets in the first few rows and backstage passes to meet Brooks and Yearwood, his opener, before the show.

The two tickets she had purchased through the Metra allowed a 7-year-old Ally and their dad Pat to also go to the concert.

It was an amazing experience.

Cathy accompanied Heather back stage before the show. They waited outside Brooks’ dressing room door for a moment and then he appeared and led them into the room wearing a T-shirt and ball cap. Yearwood joined them a few minutes later.

Brooks immediately engaged with Heather. She was shy and nervous, hesitant to respond.

“He got right on her level and talked to her right away,” Cathy said. Heather warmed up and “became like a magpie. She just talked and talked and talked.”

Heather had brought stick

E10

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

CASEY PAGE, Gazette Staff

Pat and Cathy Murnion of Jordan talk about their daughter Heather’s congenital heart condition and her Make-a-Wish trip to see and meet Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood when they performed in Billings in 1998.

horses for Brooks to give to his children and Brooks in turn gave her four T-shirts, a stack of videos and a tour book, and then he and Yearwood autographed pictures for her.

“She was just amazed,” Cathy said. “An ear-to-ear grin.”

For the most part, Heather’s health has progressively improved in the last two decades.

She gave birth to her first child and got married three years ago and then moved to Illinois last summer.

The distance has been hard on both Heather and those in her family who have remained in Montana. When Ally, who works for the Billings Chamber of Commerce, learned that Brooks was coming back to Billings this June, she hatched a plan to get Heather out to Billings and surprise her by taking her to the concert.

But there was no surprising her. Heather was well aware that Brooks was coming back to town and was almost expecting the call from her sister.

The trip is further complicated by an out-patient procedure related to Heather’s heart condition she has the week before the show.

Heather was born with trun-

cus arteriosus, a rare defect in the vessels of the heart. The condition occurs when the two main vessels that carry blood out of the heart — the pulmonary artery, which carries blood to the lungs and the aorta, which carries blood to the body — grow to together, forming one vessel. It often leaves a gap in the wall between the bottom two chambers of the heart.

To correct the condition, surgeons have to create a new second vessel, fix the two valves and repair the wall between the two bottom chambers of the heart.

At the time, the procedure had to be done over two surgeries. In her first, at 7 days old, doctors created a pulmonary artery and repaired the gap between the two chambers of her heart.

Before the surgery, the doctor told Cathy and Pat that Heather had a 10 percent chance of surviving.

The second heart surgery was finally approved in the fall of 1998, just months after the Garth Brooks concert when Heather was 9. Surgeons repaired the two faulty valves and sent Heather on her way. It was a huge success.

Sports were too much of a risk

but Heather could do 4-H and she participated with a vengeance.

She had her own horse and she raised pigs, working as hard as any of the other kids.

“She’s so damned stubborn it couldn’t have been any other way,” Pat said.

All that changed when she turned 14. The aortic valve surgeons had placed in her heart when she was 9 had calcified and was no longer working properly.

It needed to be replaced.

Heather flew to Denver one more time for her third openheart surgery.

“It was horrendous,” Cathy said. “We don’t have pictures from that one.”

What was originally supposed to be a six-hour procedure lasted 14 hours. Complications in the surgery left the surgeon scrambling. When the operation was finally over and Heather was wheeled to recovery, she wouldn’t wake up.

“It was horrible,” Cathy said.

After a week in a coma, Heather finally came to. For the family it was terrifying. They didn’t know if Heather would ever wake up and if she did they wondered if her personality would be altered

or if there would be neurological damage.

She ended up making a full recovery and doctors now theorize Heather had a small stroke on the operating table.

While it was the same old Heather, her health was just a little shakier after that. During a party at a friend’s house the next year, Heather collapsed while playing a game.

To be safe, their doctor told her to come back to Denver for tests.

Once there, doctors performed a stress test on Heather’s heart and decided she needed an implanted defibrillator, something that could help regulate her heart beat and shock her heart back to life should it slow or stop beating.

The device has to be replaced from time to time and it is this procedure Heather will have the week before the Garth Brooks concert. The hope is she can put off the procedure until after the concert or, if not, be recovered enough to travel.

For the whole family, the concert feels like a poignant return.

“Just having her see him in person again,” Ally said. “I’m sure she’s going to cry through the whole concert.”

Ally and Heather have seen their relationship deepen as they’ve gotten older. They’re a year and a half apart in age and as teenagers, they fought all the time.

Still, they supported each other. Jordan is a sports town, Ally said, and it was always hard on Heather that she couldn’t participate. Ally excelled at track and volleyball and Heather was always at the games and the meets cheering her on.

Ally for her part, once she moved to Billings, often had to be the one to accompany Heather on the medical flights down to Denver. The close calls from their childhood and the pulling together as family when life got scary had an impact on everyone.

“It made me who I am today,” Ally said.

Now as adults, and particularly since Heather moved to Illinois, she and Ally have become closer than they’ve ever been.

Ally, along with Pat and Cathy, are ready to see her back in Montana. And Heather’s ready to be back too.

“She’s ready to come home and be with family,” Ally said.

TRISHA YEARWOOD Garth’s Leading Lady

By TARA CADY tcady@billingsgazette.com

Wade Payne

Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood attend the Country Music Hall of Fame Inductions on Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 in Nashville, Tenn.

Country star Trisha Yearwood dreamed of being famous from a young age.

But it wasn’t until she was in her late 20s that her 1991 debut single, “She’s in Love with the Boy,” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Chart and that dream was realized.

Garth Brooks’ charm was not far away from Yearwood’s fame.

He co-wrote “Like We Never Had a Broken Heart” on her 1991 debut album.

Fast forward seven years, five more albums and two compilations, Yearwood hit the road with Brooks for his second world tour in 1998, which included a stop in Billings. Brooks was featured in Yearwood’s two most recent albums at

the time with duets “In Another’s Eyes” and “Where Your Road Leads.” The former was performed at many stops along the tour and won a Grammy for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals the same year.

The award-winning song continues on as part of Brooks’ third world tour set list with one major difference: Yearwood is more than a featured artist; she is Brooks’ wife and an acclaimed cookbook author, lifestyle guru and TV personality.

Her most recent studio album, “Christmas Together,” is a collection of Christmas duets with husband Brooks. It was released in November 2016 and is the country couple’s first album recorded together. Yearwood told People magazine in May 2017 that her goal is to release new

music in 2018.

The multi-talented country singer is set to bring her best hits to the Billings stage for a second time with songs like, “XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl),” “How Do I Live” and “Georgia Rain,” along with aforementioned “She’s in Love with the Boy” and “In Another’s Eyes.”

Yearwood, known on social media for her love of coffee, may post a Facebook Live video while in Big Sky Country. Search the hashtag, #TsCoffeeTalk, when Brooks and Yearwood visit June 9-11 to see if she’s indulging in some Magic City java.

4177

$259 ALL Boots on Sale!!

Save 10%

3R2401L

$199

enTeR TO WIn!

1 menS & 1 ladIeS paIR Of bOOTS Valued aT $200

LADIES

16” BuckARoo

y OpenmSu-3npdam 11a

E

BI

S GAZE ING TT LL

2016 READERS’ CHOICE

WINNER B

E

ST

OF BILL

IN

Smooth oStRIch

G

S

Serving the West since 1946

Mon. - Fri. 9aM - 6pM • Sat. 9aM - 5 pM

1820 1st Ave. N. • Billings 8 Blocks West of the MetrA

245-4827

www.alsbootery.com • info@alsbootery.com

2912 7th Ave. N. Billings MT 59101

406-248-6400 Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E11

GA

Garth Brooks performs in front of a sold-out audience at the Billings Metra July 2, 1998, as part of a four night concert series. 10,600 fans attended each of the four shows.

RIGHT: Fans cheer for Garth Brooks during a sold-out concert at the Metra in July 1998.

Gazette file photo

E12

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

R

B jwebb@

M

onta B Met for show ing that the cou Many marked th in Billings as th shows.

Well, he’s bac Billings will his wife Trisha Y In a buying f Park’s history, 4 out on May 5 in day for Brooks f tiple computers Lacey Selle, three times, th years old. But t ning two comp May 5 to buy tick “He’s so insp He’s just such a g Brooks has a He often condu ternoon of his co to Billings medi an event.”

“Each night h

in Montana

ARTH BROOKS

RULES

By JACI WEBB @billingsgazette.com

ana loves Garth Brooks.

Brooks held the record at traPark’s Rimrock Auto Arena 19 years for selling out four ws in 1998. Folks kept predictuntry superstar would be back. he high point of entertainment he time Brooks sold out four

ck, and bigger than ever. host five shows by Brooks and Yearwood June 9-11. frenzy unparalleled in Metra40,000 tickets to Brooks sold 36 minutes. It was an exciting fans, many of whom had mulrunning to find tickets. of Billings, has seen Brooks e first time when she was 17 hat didn’t stop her from runputers and two cell phones on kets to all five Billings shows. piring, he’s kind of like my hero. good guy,” Selle said. real appreciation for his fans. ucts a press conference the afoncert. In 1998, when he spoke a, he said “each night has to be

Gazette file photo

Garth Brooks and future wife Trisha Yearwood give a press conference prior to a concert at the Metra in July 1998.

ever done,” Brooks told The Billings Gazette.

“You know in reality you hit that great show maybe once every six months. But as long as those people walk out and think that was the best show they have ever seen and had a blast, that’s what is important.”

Brooks hasn’t wavered from that commitment to fans, making him the No. 1 best selling solo artist in U.S. history. He has sold 160 million albums worldwide and was named the 2016 Country Music Association Entertainer for the Year.

The series of Billings concerts opens with a 7 p.m. show on June 9, followed by two shows has to be the best show you’ve on June 10, at 3 and 7:30 p.m., and two on June

11 at 3 and 7:30 p.m.

Ray Massie, MetraPark marketing director, said fans won’t be disappointed.

Brooks will play for two hours and 20 minutes, performing most of his biggest hits, including “The Thunder Rolls” and “Friends in Low Places.” Then, he’ll return to the stage for a lengthy encore. In Chicago on April 29, he played nine encore songs, then briefly left the stage and returned to play one last song.

“This is a guy who does a show unlike anybody I have seen. He will absolutely blow you away,” Massie said.

Part of the fun of seeing Brooks live is hearing his cover songs. In Chicago, he played George Strait’s “Amarillo by Morning” And Don McLean’s “American Pie.” If you have tickets to his final show in Billings, don’t think you’ll get leftovers. Massie said he’s been known to make his last show in a venue his liveliest.

“Sunday is when he does the longest show because Garth Brooks opened for he wants to prove what mother-daughter duo The Judds at the Metra he’s got. It’s his last night in May 1991. here and his last chance to impress us,” Massie said.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E13

GETTING READY for Garth

By JACI WEBB jwebb@billingsgazette.com

Garth Brooks is known for connecting with his audience, making him a hero to fans because he cares.

Folks who have seen him perform live say when Brooks makes eye contact with you, he makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room. If you want that moment with the country super star, don’t spend your evening recording every song, advises Lacey Selle, who has seen Brooks three times and bought tickets to all five of his shows in Billings.

“Taking pictures and video is great for afterwards, but you miss so much of the show. Drink your iced tea and put your phone away.

When you have your phone in front of you, you miss so much.”

Here are some other concertgoing tips: Consider bringing a sign. Brooks is known to interact with fans based on what their sign says.

When Selle saw Brooks in Denver, a girl brought a sign that said, “The last time I saw you, I was in my mom’s tummy.” Brooks made a point to comment on the sign.

Get ready for stories. Brooks likes to tell stories about his life and about his band members, some who have been with him for 30 years. “Within his show, he always pays tribute to somebody who taught him to be the man he is,” Selle said.

Ray Massie, MetraPark marketing director, said consider getting a VIP parking spot if you’re worried about parking. MetraPark turned the lower parking lot into VIP, available for $10 a slot. Go to metrapark.com for more information or to reserve a spot.

Carpool, take Uber to the show or catch a free shuttle from the Centennial Ice Arena to the Metra. Parking in the Centennial lot is $10. The shuttle, operated by the YMCA, starts at 1 p.m. for the early

1

shows and runs the entire evening.

There are 2,700 parking spaces on the grounds and the capacity for each show is 10,700 people. Obviously, there won’t be enough parking for every person at that show.

Get ready for a big night. Brooks will play for two hours and 20 minutes and run through as many as 35 songs. His encore is huge. In Chicago on April 29, Brooks played 10 songs in his first encore and one song as part of the second encore.

Don’t take a lot of extra stuff with you, like backpacks or large purses. Security will include wanding. Plan ahead and take just what you need, which should include an ID if you want to buy alcohol.

You can arrive early for the 3 p.m. shows, but don’t get there too early for the evening shows because MetraPark will still be trying to empty the lots in between shows.

On Saturday, June 10, and Sunday, June 11, there will be two shows each day. Massie advised that you shouldn’t get to the evening shows before 6:30 p.m. otherwise you will create more traffic.

Plan where to buy your merchandise. For many fans, seeing Brooks in concert is a bucket-list show, which means many of them are buying T-shirts and posters.

MetraPark is adding additional merchandise booths to accommodate fans. If one booth has too long a line, look for another.

Wear comfortable shoes and think about bringing throat lozenges because of all the singing and shouting you will be doing, said Angela Cimmino, who has seen Brooks twice.

Cimmino said you will be “dancing the night away” so the comfy shoes are important.

If you still don’t have a ticket, don’t panic. Check metrapark.com because additional tickLARRY MAYER, Gazette Staff ets are often released as late as day Garth Brooks fan Lacey Selle is shown with a 1997 tour book foldout and concert T-shirt she bought at a show in South of the show.

Dakota.

5

6 7

2

8

3

9

4

10

E14

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

EAT WHERE THE LOCALS EAT! AMERICAN

AMERICAN

CHINESE

Bin 119 119 N. Broadway 406-294-9119 bin119.net

Rendezvous Burger Grill & Casino 2300 King Ave. West 406-652-4980 facebook.com/burgergrill

Golden Phoenix 527 24th Street West 406-655-0388 goldenphoenixwest.net

Commons 1882 404 North 39th Ave. 406-254-1882 commons1882.com

Stella’s Kitchen & Bakery 2525 1st Ave. North 406-248-3060 ASIAN FUSION

Juliano’s Restaurant 2912 7th Ave. North 406-248-6400 julianosrestaurant.wordpress.com

Asian Sea Grill & Sushi Bar 1911 King Ave. W. Suite 3&4 406-655-0888 asianseagrill.net

McCormick Café 2419 Montana Ave. 406-255-9555 mccormickcafe.com

Fancy Sushi 1313 Grand Ave. 406-245-6888 fancysushius.com

Old Chicago Huge Selection of Beers on Tap 920 S. 24th Street West 406-655-8122 oldchicago.com

BAKERY Log Cabin Bakery 2401 2nd Ave North 406-245-0389 logcabinbakery.com

COFFEE Mazevo Coffee Roasters 2719 1st Ave. North 406-534-6625 mazevocoffee.com GERMAN Oktoberfest 3839 Grand Ave. Suite E 406-894-2337 oktoberfestmt.com ITALIAN Bruno’s A Taste of Italy 1911 King Ave. West 406-587-3377 brunosmt.com Café Italia 2417 Montana Ave. 406-869-9700 cafeitaliabillings.com Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E15

Garth Brooks DISCOGRAPHY

By BILLINGS GAZETTE STAFF This is a listing of every studio album released by Garth Brooks. It does not include box sets, special release CDs, live or holidays albums. Chart position and dates as reported by “Joel Whitburn Hot Country Albums” and Billboard Magazine. would help use his star power to catapult LeDoux into the spotlight as well. This was a landmark album, it would begin to defi ne Brooks’ crossover popcountry style that would make him the No. 1 country artist of the 1990s. Not everyone was so impressed, though. Rolling Stone’s review only earned 3 of 5 stars.

For a listing of Garth Brooks’ Top 40 Country hits, according to Billboard Magazine, please see page E23.

Release date: September 1991 Peak Position: 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart 1 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.

Tracks: Against the Grain | Rodeo | What She’s Doing Now | Burning Bridges | Papa Loved Mama | Shameless | Cold Shoulder | We Bury the Hatchet | In Lonesome Dove | The River Notes: For the fi rst time in more than a decade, Brooks’ “Ropin’ the Wind” debuted at No. 1 on both the country albums and pop albums chart.

Like others before it, it continued to grow a list of notable musicians and performers, including Ty England and Trisha Yearwood. It also took the CMA’s “Album of the Year” award. Brooks’ cover of Billy Joel’s “Shameless” continued his tradition of crossover, which had previously included a version of “Mr. Blue,” a No. 1 pop hit for the Fleetwoods.

Allmusic gave the album 5 of 5 stars, but Entertainment Weekly gave the album just barely above average with a C+ ranking. Rolling Stone gave 4 out of 5 stars.

Tracks: We Shall Be Free | Somewhere Other Than the Night | Mr. Right | Every Now and Then | Walkin’ After Midnight | Dixie Chicken | Learning to Live Again | That Summer | Night Rider’s Lament | Face to Face Notes: This is the fourth studio album release by Brooks in four years. It features three covers, including “Walkin’ After Midnight,” which was one of Patsy Cline’s best-known songs. The fi rst track features a country-gospel “We Shall Be Free,” which was co-written

by Stephanie Davis, a native of Bridger, Montana. The album featured three Top-10 country hits. Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B, Allmusic ranked it at 4 out of 5 stars while Rolling Stone’s review was an above-average 3.5 out of 5 stars.

answered Prayers | Same Old Story | Mr. Blue | Wolves Notes: This continues to be the best-selling album of Brooks’ career. It spent 41 weeks as the top-selling country album in America. It stayed on the charts for 240 weeks, second best to his solo album “Garth Brooks” which stayed on the Billboard’s Country Music Album charts for 299 weeks.

It was named the Country Music Association’s Album of the Release year: August, 1990 Year. Brooks bumped himself Peak Position: 1 on the off the No. 1 position when his next album, “Ropin’ The Country charts Wind” was released. Reviews of 3 on the Pop charts Tracks: The Thunder Rolls | this album were very positive, Release: September 1992 Release date: August 1993 New Way to Fly | Two of a Kind, including a five-star review by Peak Position: 1 on BillWorkin’ on a Full House | Vic- AllMusic, an “A” by Entertain- board’s Country Album Chart Peak position: 1 on Billtim of the Game | Friends in ment Weekly and Rolling Stone 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 board’s Top Country Album Low Places | Wild Horses | Un- giving 4 out of 5 stars.

(Pop) chart charts

Garth Brooks

Release year: May, 1989 Peak position: 2 Tracks:Not Counting You | I’ve Got a Good Thing Going | If Tomorrow Never Comes | Everytime That It Rains | Alabama Clay | Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) | Cowboy Bill | Nobody Gets Off in This Town | I Know One | The Dance Notes: Though Brooks is traditionally known as a 1990s country phenom, he actually released his fi rst album in the 1980s. His self-titled album produced his fi rst country hits, including “Much too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” which referenced a hero of Brooks’, Wyoming country cowboy and singer, Chris LeDoux. Brooks

No Fences

The Chase

ancy USIO

AN F

I ASI SUSH

For more information

Ropin’ The Wind

In Pieces

1 on Billboard’s Hot 200 album charts Tracks: Standing Outside the Fire | The Night I Called the Old Man Out | American Honky-Tonk Bar Association | One Night a Day | Kickin’ and Screamin’ | Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up) | The Red Strokes | Callin’ Baton Rouge” | The Night Will Only Know | The Cowboy Song Notes: The album features five Top 10 Country hits, including “Calling Baton Rouge” a remake of the 1987 New Grass Revival hit. Brooks used the band on his version of the song. Allmusic gave this album 4 out of 5 stars, while Entertainment Weekly said the album was worth a C+. Rolling Stone gave it 4 of 5 stars.

Fresh Horses

Released: November 1995 Peak position: 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.

2 on Billboard’s Top 200 (Pop) album chart.

Tracks: The Old Stuff | Cowboys and Angels | The Fever | That Ol’ Wind | Rollin’ | The Change | The Beaches of Cheyenne | It’s Midnight Cinderella | She’s Every Woman | Ireland Notes: For the first time in three albums, “Fresh Horses” didn’t score the top position on the pop album charts. It also marked the first time in Brooks’ career when he didn’t issue a

W have THAI ENTREES (such as Pad Thai & Thai Curry) We We have JAPANESE ENTREES (such as Teriyaki & Tempura) W and w wonderful CHINESE ENTREE selections too!

N

254-1882

Check out our new menu with new items at: www.fancysushius.com 1313 Grand Avenue, Suite 3 Billings, MT 59102 • 406.245.6888 Sunday-Thursday 11:00am-10:00pm Friday & Saturday 11:00 am-10:30pm

E16

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

404 N. 30th St. Billings, MT 59101

Commons1882.com

new studio album in more than a year. Though the trajectory in Brooks’ career had been moving toward pop, Brooks decided to return to a more traditional country approach. Though the album received mixed reviews, the fans still loved the album and sent it to the country album’s top slot, and it featured four Top 10 country songs. Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B-, Spin magazine gave him 8 of 10, while Allmusic returned a mediocre 2.5 out of 5 stars, and Rolling Stone was even less charitable, giving it 2 out of 5 stars.

Sevens

Release date: November 1997 Peak position: 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 (Pop) Albums chart Tracks: Longneck Bottle | How You Ever Gonna Know | She’s Gonna Make It | I Don’t Have to Wonder | Two Piña Coladas | Cowboy Cadillac | Fit for a King | Do What You Gotta Do | You Move Me | In Another’s Eyes (duet with Trisha Yearwood) | When There’s No One Around |A Friend to Me | Take The Keys to My Heart | Belleau Wood Notes: This longer-thannormal album featured 14 tracks, continuing the “seven” theme, which also had a firstissue release of 777,777 gold CD and a gold stamp on the booklet issued with the CD. This was Brooks’ seventh studio album.

It received average reviews, despite strong sales and public reaction. It featured two Top 10 hits. Brooks debuted the album with a free public concert in New York City’s Central Park to 250,000 adoring fans.

Scarecrow

Release date: November 2001 Peak position: 1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart 1 on Billboard’s Hot 200 (Pop) album chart.

Tracks: Why Ain’t I Run-

ple Loving People | Send ‘em On Down the Road | Fish | You Wreck Me | Tacoma Notes: His first release in more than a decade demonstrated Brooks hadn’t missed a beat. Literally. The album did well on the charts, despite several technical hiccups. It was his first album released digitally, but not available on iTunes.

Reviews were generally positive, noting a familiar sound.

Other critics took a more exacting approach, noting that it was middle-of-the-road fare, having neither the explosive pop energy nor the charming country twang. Only one single from the album managed to crack Billboard’s Top 40 Country charts. Allmusic, Billboard and Rolling Stone each gave it a respective and respectable 3.5 out of 5 stars. Entertainment Weekly gave it a B+.

ning | Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?) duet with George Jones | Wrapped Up In You | The Storm | Thicker Than Blood | Big Money |Squeeze Me In (duet with Trisha Yearwood) | Mr. Midnight | Pushing Up Daisies | Rodeo or Mexico | Don’t Cross the River | When You Come Back to Me Again (theme from the movie “Frequency”) Notes: “Scarecrow” was and wasn’t the eighth studio album released by Brooks. It was the first non-Christmas release by Brooks in more than four years — an eternity for Brooks’ fan. However, in 1999 — in between “Sevens” and “Scarecrow” — Brooks’ created an alter ego, Chris Gaines — a pop artist who scored a few minor hits. Most critics panned the pop attempt. “Scarecrow” is Brooks’ return to country, and marked the last album he’d release in a 13-year period. It reprised several country standards and as Brooks’ said used Release date: November plenty of steel guitars. Reviews generally tended to be more fa- 2016 Peak position: 4 on Billvorable as Rolling Stone gave it 4 of 5 stars, as did Allmusic and board’s Top Album charts 25 on Billboard’s Top 200 Q magazine. Entertainment (Pop) charts Weekly gave it a B. Tracks: Honky-Tonk Somewhere | Weekend | Ask Me How I Know |Baby, Let’s Lay Down and Dance | He Really Loves You | Pure Adrenaline | Whiskey to Wine (featuring Trisha Yearwood) |BANG! BANG! | Cowboys and Friends | 8teen Notes: For the first time in Brooks’ career, a studio (nonChristmas) album charted at less than No. 2, peaking at No. 4. Only one single from the album, “Baby, Let’s Lay Down and Dance,” hit the country Release date: November Top 40, although since Brooks’ return from retirement, he’s 2014 Peak position: 1 on Bill- insisted that he’s less focused board’s Country Album charts on commercial success on the 4 on Billboard’s Top 200 charts and more on the sound.

Metacritic aggregate scores, (Pop) Album charts Tracks: Man Against Ma- which take more than 100 chine | She’s Tired of Boys | scores, gave the album a 65, Cold Like That | All-American meaning generally positive reKid | Mom | Wrong About You views. Allmusic gave it 4 out of | Rodeo and Juliet | Midnight 5 stars. Rolling Stone gave it a Train | Cowboys Forever |Peo- lackluster 2.5 out of 5 stars.

Gunslinger

�

�

� � ��

Man Against Machine

�� � Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E17

Down-to-earth star charms press

By JILL SUNDBY Of The Gazette Staff

Gazette file photo

Garth Brooks gives a press conference prior to a concert at the Metra in June 1992.

Despite constant attention and fame, Garth Brooks hasn’t lost his boy-next-door charm and candor.

“Sorry for bein’ late,” Brooks said as he entered a room in the Metra for a press conference before his concert Saturday.

Wearing a baseball jersey, baseball cap, shorts and tennis shoes, Brooks didn’t look or act like the top country singer in the United States.

But pretense isn’t Brooks’ style, even though this boyish blue-eyed Oklahoman has sold more than 16 million records.

Well-known in the country music scene, Garth Brooks has even attracted followers from the pop and rock crowds. His 1991 “Ropin’ The Wind” album was the fi rst country album ever to enter Billboard’s pop chart at No. 1.

What has shot him to stardom, he was asked.

“I just say my prayer at night,” said Brooks, adding that he hopes when he wakes up in the morning that he’s still popular.

He apologized for not answering the question better but as to what’s behind the Garth Brooks phenomenon, he said, “I just

About this article This article originally appeared June 28, 1992 after Garth Brooks came to Billings — this time as a headliner. It is reprinted here in this Garth Brooks special section.

don’t have a clue.”

Brooks said the best part about fame is being “spoiled to death” by fans and by his wife Sandy, who is expecting a baby girl next month. Brooks is confident that his daughter, already named Taylor will be a “daddy’s girl.”

Brooks said that being on the road is difficult when “the woman you’re supposed to spend your life with is 2,000 miles away.”

However, two months after the child is born, he hopes that Sandy and Taylor will also be able to join him on the road.

The drummer in Brooks’ band recently had a child, he said, and “We’re thinking about getting a baby bus for the mommas and the babies and a professional nurse.”

He has advised any up-andcoming singers to “be yourself.”

If you become a hit, great. If you don’t at least you were true to yourself, he said.

Brooks praised an up-andcoming songwriter from Bridger, Montana — Stephanie Davis.

Like Brooks and many others, “she gave up everything to move out there (Nashville),” he said.

Davis wrote the song “Wolves” on Brooks’ “No Fences” album and has also written two of the four or five singles off Brooks’ next album.

What would he be doing if he weren’t singing?

Brooks didn’t really know.

“I sucked at everything I tried to do,” he responded, in his characteristic straightforward style. “That sometimes scares me if I’m not prepared, if God takes this away from me.”

However, he said, if his musical relationship with his fans stops being the “passionate exchange” it is now, he will have his family — plus plenty of money to support him.

“When this thing is over for me, I’ll get my little girl and my wife,” he said. “The good Lord has given me more than I could spend 24 hours a day.”

Time’s up, Brooks’ managers said. The press conference was over Brooks left to prepare for his Billings concert with, “Again, I’m sorry I was late. Take care.”

2401 2nd Avenue North

119 N Broadway (406) 294-9119 Monday - Saturday 11AM Sundays 10AM E18

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Billings MT 59101 • 406-245-0389

Ham, Bacon, Sausage, Scrambled Egg, Cheese and Salsa Breakfast Burrito

BREAK AWAY FROM BORING AND JOIN US FOR BREAKFAST AT LOG CABIN BAKERY www.logcabinbakery.com

rebates

2,000

up to $

financing as low as

2.99

%

for

36

months

406-259-7777 • 1-800-407-2292 5179 Midland Road Billings, Montana 59101

www.yellowstonepolaris.com

Open Mon - Fri 8:30-5:30 • Sat 9:00-4:00

RestRictions: Offers vary by model. Valid on select 2013-2017 new and unregistered models purchased between 6/1/17- 6/30/17. See your authorized dealer for complete details. Rates as low as 2.99% APR for 36 months. Examples of monthly payments required over a 36-month term at a 2.99% APR rate: $29.08 per $1,000 financed; and at an 6.99% APR rate: $30.87 per $1,000 financed. An example of a monthly payment with $0 down, no rebate, an APR of 2.99% APR for 36 months at a MSRP of $9,999.00 is $290.74; total cost of borrowing of $467.60 with a total obligation of $10,466.60. Down payment may be required. Other financing offers may be available. See your local dealer for details. Minimum Amount Financed $1,500; Maximum Amount Financed $50,000. Other qualifications and restrictions may apply. Financing promotions void where prohibited. Tax, title, license, and registration are separate and may not be financed. Promotion may be modified or discontinued without notice at any time in Polaris’ sole discretion.

WaRning: Polaris® off-road vehicles can be hazardous to operate and are not intended for on-road use. Driver must be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license to operate. Passengers, if permitted, must be at least 12 years old. All riders should always wear helmets, eye protection, and protective clothing. Always use seat belts and cab nets or doors (as equipped). Never engage in stunt driving, and avoid excessive speeds and sharp turns. Riding and alcohol/drugs don’t mix. All riders should take a safety training course.

Call 800-342-3764 for additional information. Check local laws before riding on trails. ©2017 Polaris Industries Inc.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E19

The King of Country Fans clamor to get glimpse of country music’s greatest showman

By JOE KUSEK Of The Gazette Staff Garth Brooks remembers Billings.

“This airport is very infamous for us,” Brooks said during a preconcert press conference Thursday. “It’s the only place where you land and you’re still 3,000 feet up. You’ve still got to come down the road.”

Brooks, wearing a black flight suit and a baseball cap, charmed the room with playful banter, straight answers and a tear during the 40-minute session.

He was joined early by Trisha Yearwood, who had to leave midway to complete her sound check.

Brooks and Yearwood began a series of four sold-out shows at Metra Thursday night.

It’s the final leg of a three-year tour. Billings is just one of 25 cities in the United States to host a Brooks show.

This is the country musician’s third trip to Billings. He also played the Metra in 1991 and 1992.

And, he has specific goals for every high-energy show.

“We have a tour book,”Brooks said. “Open the first page and it says, ‘Each night has to be an event.’ There is no such thing as an off-night or somebody getting sick.

“Each night has to be the best show you’ve ever done. You know in reality, you hit that great show maybe once every six months.

But as long as those people walk out and think that was the best show they have ever seen and had a blast, that’s what is important.”

Brooks, who has sold almost 70 million albums since 1989 is touring in support of his latest effort, “Sevens.”

He and Yearwood, friends for

E20

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Gazette file photo

Garth Brooks performs in front of a sold-out audience at the Billings Metra July 2, 1998, as part of a four night concert series. 10,600 fans attended each of the four shows.

a decade, also sang their duet, About this article “In Another’s Eyes,” during the show. Yearwood toured with This article appeared the day Brooks in 1991 and will release after Garth Brooks began a series “Where Your Road Leads,” later of four shows in Billings, July 2 this month. through 5, 1998. It is reprinted “I couldn’t get an opportunity here as part of our Garth Brooks like this on my own,” said Yearspecial section. wood of opening for sold-out Brooks’ shows. “It’s an opportunity to present more music to my played, our record sales go up affans. We’ve found in places we’ve ter we leave. I hope to look at this

as an opportunity to sell more records. It was the was the wise thing to do.”

Brooks doesn’t view Yearwood as the traditional opening act.

“She is not an opening act, per se,” said the 36-year-old Brooks.

“She has a totally different stage from ours and makes her own entrance. Everything is different.

“It’s more like a Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks show

rather than her being an opening act.”

Following the four nights in Billings, Brooks and Yearwood will take their show to Salt Lake City for four sold-out shows.

“Our philosophy, and it’s only us, we don’t choose our schedule,” he said.

“We choose where to play. The reason for four shows? Because we couldn’t sell five.”

Currywurst

Sauerkraut

Red Cabbage

3839 Grand Ave. Billings, MT

German food so good you’ll think your Oma is in the kitchen!

Spätzle

Frankfurters

y s a O w l k A t o s ber ’ t I e f r es e h t !

W

Apple Strudel

For Reservations Call (406) 894-2337

Sauerbraten

When you purchase 2 entrées Dine-in only. Cannot combine with other offers.

Expires 7/1/17

Bratwurst

Pretzels

Knackwurst

Jägerschnitzel

German Beer

Schweinehaxen

Weisswurst Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E21

REVIEW

Garth Brooks, fans have fun at Metra

By JILL SUNDBY Of The Gazette Staff Country mega-star Garth Brooks played to a packed house of enthusiastic but well mannered fans Saturday night at the MetraPark arena.

It was his second time performing in Billings. One year ago, he opened here for the Judds; this year, Martina McBride opened for Brooks.

The crowd responded warmly to McBride, a newcomer whose fi rst hit is “The Time Has Come.” Classy and poised on stage, the Kansas native sang with a full voice and a touch of gospel sound.

But the crowd came to see Brooks, and he didn’t disappoint them.

Amid smoke and flashing lights, Brooks’ band rose onto the stage from an opening in the floor. In a dramatic entrance, Brooks moved into the sultry, almost funky “Rodeo,” a hit song with sharp images: “It’s bulls and blood/It’s dust and mud/It’s the roar of a Sunday crowd.”

Fans love Brooks’ vocal variations, from high half-yodels to low growls, and the quavers and wavers in between. They also feel they can relate to him — he tells stories of love and heartache, of truck drivers and farmers, and of basic life philosophies, such as living life to its fullest in his recent cut “The River.”

Most of all, Brooks has fun on stage, plain and simple, so the

About this article This article appeared after the second time Garth Brooks appeared in Billings on June 27, 1992. A newcomer and relatively unknown artist at the time, Martina McBride, opened for him. She would become a country superstar in her own right. This article is reprinted as part of the Garth Brooks special section.

Gazette file photo

Martina McBride first visited Billings as an opening act for George Strait in 1991. It would be nearly 15 years before she would return as a headline act at the Rimrock Auto Arena at MetraPark in July of 2006.

crowd has fun. On “Papa Love Mama” (“Papa loved Mama/ Mama loved men/Mama’s in the graveyard/Papa’s in the pen”) Brooks ran to and fro across the stage. On other upbeat tunes, such as the happy-go-lucky honky-tonk “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House,” he sauntered across the stage.

Known for his rapport with the audience, Brooks sat on the stage dangling his feet off the

edge as fans came forth bearing gifts — banners, T-shirts, hat bands. He held their hands, put his arm around some, waved, smiled, and gave friendly punches in the air at others.

Brooks played a number of tunes that aren’t well-known, such as “Alabama Clay,” “Wild Horses” and “We Bury the Hatchet (But Leave the Handle Stickin’ Out),” during which he took the crowd on a wild roller

2719 1st Ave N. Billings Mt

Bring this in for 25% Off Retail Bags E22

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

coaster ride on his voice.

Another song that didn’t get radio play, called “Wolves,” was written by Stephanie Davis, a woman from Bridger, Mont.

Brooks said that Davis is “a wonderful representative of the state of Montana” and that the song is one of his favorites.

“This song probably says the most of any song I’ve ever done,” he said and proceeded to sing “Wolves” with the back-

Where The Locals Eat! Get Your Day Dancing with Some Goats & Oats!

M-F: 7am-3pm • SAT: 8am-3pm SUN: 8am-2pm (Breakfast Only) FREE PARKING - FREE WIFI 255-9555 • 2419 MONTANA AVE

ground vocals and guitar accompaniment by Davis. The song speaks of heifers the wolves pull down, and then people the “wolves” pull down — families who lose their farms. One family “Stopped today to say goodbye/ Said the bank was takin’ over/ The last two years were just too dry.”

He tried a new song on the crowd called “We Shall Be Free,” a gospel tune from his next album which will be released in September.

But everything seemed to build to the emotionally intense “Shameless,” written by Billy Joel, and followed by the goodtime, sing-along “Friends in Low Places.””Shameless” brought two standing ovations from the thousands who fi lled every seat, and people sang, swayed and clapped along on the popular “Friends in Low Places.”

Brooks closed with his favorite, the reflective, dream-like song “The Dance,” also written

by Stephanie Davis.

BILLINGS ITALIAN PUB Full liquor license

Thurs-saT: 4:30pm – Close FREE PARKING - FREE WIFI 869-9700 2417 MONTANA AVE

Garth Brooks’ Top 40 Hits Garth Brooks has had 48+ Country Top 40 hits, according to the charts of Billboard magazine. His career spans 28 years.

Highest Chart

Position Weeks Date (No. of Weeks in the (Month/Year) at the Peak) Top 40 Song May 1989 8 14 Much Too Young

(To Feel This Damn Old) Sept. 1989 1 (1) 23 If Tomorrow Never Comes Feb. 1990 2 (1) 17 Not Counting You May 1990 1 (3) 18 The Dance Aug. 1990 1 (4) 19 Friends in Low Places Nov. 1990 1(2) 19 Unanswered Prayers Feb. 1991 1 (1) 19 Two of A Kind,

Workin’ On A Full House May 1991 1 (2) 16 The Thunder Rolls Aug. 1991 3 13 Rodeo Oct. 1991 1 (2) 20 Shameless Jan. 1992 1 (4) 19 What She’s Doing Now March 1992 3 14 Papa Loved Mama June 1992 1 (1) 14 The River Sept. 1992 12 10 We Shall Be Free Nov. 1992 1 (1) 14 Somewhere Other

Than The Night Feb. 1993 2 (1) 14 Learning To Live Again May 1993 1 (1) 16 That Summer Aug. 1993 1 (2) 17 Ain’t Going Down

(Til The Sun Comes Up) Oct. 1993 1 (1) 14 American Honky-Tonk Bar

Association Jan. 1994 3 14 Standing Outside The Fire May 1994 7 12 One Night A Day Aug. 1994 2 (1) 13 Callin’ Baton Rouge Sept. 1995 1 (1) 16 She’s Every Woman Nov. 1995 23 6 The Fever Jan. 1996 1 (1) 15 The Beaches of Cheyenne

April 1996 19 9 July 1996 5 10 Oct. 1996 4 17 Aug. 1997 2 (2) 19

Nov. 1997 1 (3) 20 Jan. 1998 2 (1) 18 March 1998 1 (1) 15 May 1998 1 (1) 18 Aug. 1998 26 8

Sept. 1998 3 17 Oct. 1998 18 8

Nov. 1998 9 10 Aug. 1999 24 11

Jan. 2000 13 11 May 2000 21 15

Aug. 2000 22 14

Dec. 2000 7 19 Oct. 2001 24 13 Oct. 2001 5 20 Feb. 2002 16 13 June 2002 18 17 March 2003 24 12 Oct. 2005 3 15 May 2006 34 14 Sept. 2007 1 (1) 20 April 2008 36 11 Sept. 2014 25 7 Oct. 2016 29 21

The Change It’s Midnight Cinderella That Ol’ Wind In Another’s Eyes (duet with Trisha Yearwood) Longneck Bottle She’s Gonna Make It Two Pina Coladas To Make You Feel My Love Burnin’ The Roadhouse Down (duet w/ Steve Wariner) You Move Me Where Your Road Leads (duet w/ Trisha Yearwood) It’s Your Song It Don’t Matter To The Sun (as Chris Gaines) Do What You Gotta Do When You Come Back to Me Again Katie Wants a Fast One (duet w/ Steve Wariner) Wild Horses Beer Run (duet w/ George Jones) Wrapped Up In You Squeeze Me In Thicker Than Blood Why Ain’t I Running Good Ride Cowboy That Girl is a Cowboy More Than A Memory Midnight Sun People Loving People Baby, Let’s Lay Down and Dance

Featuring:

• Strawberry Lemonade • Strawberry S Sundae • Strawberry Pie • Strawberry Malts & Shakes • Rhubarb & Strawberry Pie • Strawberry Cream Muffins •C Chocolate Covered Strawberries • Strawberry Cream Cake SuMMeR HouRS: Mon-Sat. 5:30am-5pm.....Sunday 6:30am - 1pm Mon-S Patio Open, Weather Permitting

2525 1st Ave. N. • 248-3060 Wednesday, June 7, 2017

E23

E24

Wednesday, June 7, 2017