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GARTH'S THE WYNN SHOW REVIEW BY JAE
Hello, guys.
I'm Jae from South Korea. I promised to you all that I would leave a message including a concert review after the show a few months ago, and I'm here to keep that promise! I have just gotten back from the trip to the U.S., and that's why I'm a little bit late for this.
This review could be so long. It is an advance warning, guys, before you continue to read.
So, I went to Wynn for the concert on July 22. I have the best friend from Canada. He knows that I'm a huge Garth fan. When I told him that I really wanted to go to a Garth show in Vegas but didn't want to go alone, he suggested going there with him, and there we were!!! The concert experience was part of celebrating our 8th friendship anniversary, so the concert was meaningful to me in another way.
Anyway, I chose the 10:30 P.M. show. After I arrived in Vegas and checked into the hotel room with my friend, I wanted to check out where Wynn was, so I went out to walk along the strip. I was surprised that the big sign board in front of the Wynn-Encore hotel was saying that the tickets were still available, but I found out that it was kind of a gimmick. As I went to the ticket counter, the lady told me that the tickets were actually all sold out. When I went back to the Wynn Will Call ticket counter to pick up my reserved tickets the next day, which was July 22, I saw some people waiting aside at the counter for cancelled tickets, and it was around noon. I sure had wished that they would have gotten the tix after all!
Trying to hold down my nervousness, I arrived in front of the Encore Theater in Wynn at around 9:50 P.M., and I saw some people waiting in line already. They advised us to arrive 30 minutes prior to the show, but at that time, there were about 30 people ahead of me in line. In a few minutes, a bunch of folks who watched the 8 P.M. show flooded out of the theater, asking us to sell our tickets, and I found it cute.
As I was entering the concert hall, I was surprised at how small it was. You guys were right. It was a perfect place to hold an intimate show, and I was so excited to see Garth in it. I have to tell you that it was a little bit annoying to see people going around back and forth to get popcorns and liquor and to see people arriving at the venue late, and thanks to that, the show was about 15 minutes delayed.
However, at about 10:45 P.M., here Garth came! He saluted his audience with his cap off, and it was my very first time to see Garth in person, and I was almost crying. I have been his fan since 1996, and I just couldn't believe that I was right there in the same room as he was standing. I really wanted to run up to the stage and hug him, but surely I couldn't become a party crasher!
He started his greetings with this line - "Welcome to... ummm... whatever this is." I kind of liked his opening comment because - let's face it - I felt that he disliked some parts of the show, especially the huge ticket price.
The show consisted of mostly his life stories meshed with his family and influences for music. He performed some songs along the line. I know I probably shouldn't say this, but if I have to be honest with you guys, I was a bit disappointed by the early part of the show as it was just too much of talks but not enough music. Yes, it is a Vegas show, and some people say that it must include some jokes and all that, but I was there to listen to this music, not too much talk.
However, here is my real thought. I think the talking part also should be taken as a meaningful moment. I mean, how often would you hear him talk that intimately about his life and even some silly jokes? I know his music is the most that I like, but thinking more about the show, Garth made much more effort to make everyone happy. It seemed that most people there liked to listen to his talk. Considering that his talking about his family, music experiences, and all that could help me understand much more about his music, I should appreciate his time to put that into another major part of the show.
He sang some songs by other artists that have influenced him musicwise. I was happily amused to hear him sing an Elton John song because my Canadian friend was a very big fan of Elton. Also, it made me laugh when he said something as he looked back at the first time he met James Talyor. He said he was so excited when he met James Taylor, adding, "You know I'm not gay, but it was so exciting!"
The later part of the show was my favorite as he sang many wonderful songs of his to his guitar playing. He really sang well live. He sang more early songs from Garth Brooks, No Fences, and Ropin' The Wind.
He was very nice to chat with a few fans among the crowd, and he even sang some request and answered questions. He sang a Chris Gaines' song, "Driftin' Away," and that blew me away as I love every Chris Gaines song, and it was even so romantic and emotional. He also answered a question by a fan regarding why he wouldn't release his singles to iTunes. Guys, he would NOT put his songs as a single on iTunes. That's all I can say, and to my understanding, his reason for his choice is reasonable enough. He might be a good businessman, but still I have a feeling that he really cares about this music business, and I agree with him.
It was so funny that a lady kept yelling, "Can I come down and talk to you?" as Garth was trying to accept requests from other fans. He sadly didn't say anything to the lady's inquiry. :-) I think he got around requests and questions from five or six fans. A guy asked Garth to sing one of his most successful hit songs, and we all stood up to sing along as we put our hands to one another's shoulders, and it was so cool.
He sang a very beautiful song whose title was not heard clearly as he explained it (it was an unreleased song, even on a bootleg as I know - I might be wrong, though). He didn't mind his fans putting the song to YouTube or something like that, but he obviously wanted it to be between him and the crowd for the night, and I believe fans would listen.
He refused to get behind the curtains and come back to sing some encores in order to sing more and more. Yes, he kept singing and singing until I realized that he did a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute gig. It was just fantastic. I would never think that he would sing for that long length of time, solo, with a guitar alone, and drinking only two gulps of water! He is the man and a true entertainer!
As many of you agree, yes, the ticket price is outrageous. I paid US$ 253.00 (including tax and all the stupid fees for Ticketmaster) x 2 for myself and my friend, but for some reason, I never thought I wasted my big money on the concert. My friend was not a Garth fan, but he has now become a fan, sort of. For some people, he is a silly but funny talker. For some people like me, he is a true music lover and an unbelievable performer. Overall, he has still got it going on, and he knows what we want and what He wants. I really would like to appreciate his work, and I have become a bigger fan now. If you think you're a die-hard fan of Garth's, I assure you that you should pack and leave for Vegas for him. I'm sure you would enjoy the show. Yes, I recommend the show rather strongly.
Oh, before I close, I sat at the row U in the orchestra section, and it was okay. For my show, Garth accepted requests from fans sitting way back in the orchestra section and even from fans sitting in the mezzanine section. Furthermore, you really can see Garth from the seat even behind the row U, so I think any seats would be okay to choose. I will enclose a picture of Garth at the show, but it is not a good picture. It's just to show you the approximate dimension of the theater.
Well, I hope you all enjoyed my review. If you have any questions about my concert experience or if I have anything else to say, I would get back to post more.
Take care, all, and have a great one!
Cheers from Jae
The above concert review for the July 22, 2011 Show, GARTH BROOKS AT WYNN LAS VEGAS was originally posted on www.planetgarth.com.