Special interview with Garth Brooks before concert in Tiger Stadium

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Everyone will be Callin’ Baton Rouge on Saturday, April 30 as thousands of Garth Brooks fans from all over will pack Tiger Stadium to hear the country music superstar perform.

“This is going to be loud. This is going to be stupid, and it’s going to go all night long,” said Brooks.

Brooks took time before this weekend’s historic performance to talk about how much coming to Baton Rouge means to him.

According to Brooks, tomorrow’s show of 102,000 people will become the second-largest stadium concert in North American History.

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“I hope I see a lot of colors. I hope I see people wear face paint. I’m going to tell people to bring their helmet and their cup. That’s what kind of night it’s going to be. That’s what you encourage because the more this can be a sporting event, trust me, the more fun it’s going to be for all of us,” said Brooks.

In a one-on-one conversation with Brooks, we asked him how much it means for fans to have a personal connection with his music.

“It means the world to you. You go to the grocery store and some guys there saying, ‘I lost my son last summer and we played The Dance at his funeral,’ and it’s like if you don’t have time for that, what are you doing in this business?

”Brooks called it the greatest compliment an artist can ever receive.

”To get to do that, to get to be part of that, I think is better than any award they can give you,” said Brooks.

At a press conference, Brooks also gave us insight to how he thinks the crowd will react when he gets to play ‘Callin Baton Rouge’. He believes the best part won’t come from what he sees on stage.

“You can get a Grammy, they can put you in the Hall of Fame, but getting a text from your buddies that are in the stadium here when they do Calling Baton Rouge and you get to see it will make you cry and make you jump up. It’s the coolest thing,” said Brooks.

After a rough few years centered around COVID and civil unrest, Brooks feels music is the one thing that can bring us back together.

”I can be a dreamer here, but I think music is the voice of hope. I think it’s a unifier, it’s a healer, and at a time where we’re separated now more than ever, let’s bring that music up. Let’s get together, let’s all get in the same stadium together, and let’s all sing together,” said Brooks.

Gates for the concert open up at 5 p.m.

However, LSU Athletics wants folks to know that parking will be limited. Besides, the concert there will be an LSU baseball and softball game, along with track and field. Pre-paid parking is already sold out, but there will be other lots open on Saturday for the concert. Concert day parking will open up on Saturday at 7 a.m.

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