Garth Brooks has an innate ability for turning an arena into a dive bar or backyard, transforming his concert into a small group of friends watching a talented musician have some fun on stage.
Between every song at his Friday night show at the Bryce Jordan Center — his first State College performance in 18 years — Brooks seemed overcome with shock as applause and cheer rained down on him.
“Is this what it’s going to be like all night?” Brooks asked early in the show. “I’m like 104 years old now, so I’m going to need some help to get through six shows here. Who knows the words to the old stuff?”
When fans made it clear they did, Brooks went into “The River”, a 1992 single that topped the country charts over two decades ago. After the song ended, the crowd engagement continued, with Brooks leading a “We Are” chant.
“And you should be damn proud of it,” Brooks said, finishing the chant before joking with one of his own. “I am… old.”
Brooks told the crowd how much he loves coming to State College because the fans have a knack for making every song feel like its their favorite. For Lois Cheatle, it wasn’t hard to make “The Dance” seem like her favorite. Late in the show, Brooks spotted Cheatle’s sign, which asked him to play the iconic song for her two sons who passed away from cancer.
“Every once in a while, I see a sign like this,” Brooks said, tearing up as he spoke to the emotional fan. “I would trade places with your boys in a second, both of them. I know you still talk to your boys, so you tell them I say hi.”
Cheatle was just one of a few fans to earn Brooks’ attention in the final half hour of the show. When he saw Kelly Rooney, whose sign read “You’re my James Taylor,” Brooks couldn’t help but bring the woman on stage.
Taylor is his idol, his inspiration, and he was touched by the sign. Brooks serenaded Rooney with “She’s Every Woman” before handing her his acoustic guitar as she bawled her eyes out with tears of joy.
It was moments like these that made Brooks’ performance a memorable one. The music was brilliant, but the legendary artist’s rapport with his fans, his genuine love for his craft, is what stood out.
Just hours before taking the stage, Brooks addressed the media, discussing his history with Penn State and more.
After the show, a number of fans stayed in their seats, soaking in the two-hour concert. Frank and Carrie Skutt had just seen their first Brooks show.
“It was an awesome concert,” Frank Skutt says. “That moment with the women who lost her children and then the woman he brought up on stage, it shows he’s a real people person and cares about his fans.”
Carrie Skutt agreed with her husband, adding that Brooks is an “outstanding entertainer.”
Another couple, Debbie and Dave Baker, were similarly awestruck by the show. While Debbie was at her seventh Brooks concert, Dave was seeing the country star for the first time.
“It’s the best show anyone does,” Debbie Baker says. “His enthusiasm and his will to entertain everyone really make it. I saw him in 1989 at a small fair and he was talking to the audience and all that back then too.”
Dave Baker adds that the end of the show was touching. “Brooks really puts his heart into it,” he says.
