Garth Brooks’ Complete Tracklist for ‘Plus One’ Opening Night in Las Vegas – Billboard

There’s a reason Garth Brooks has won Artist of the Year a record seven times from the CMA Awards. Simply because he has few peers when it comes to live performance.

Brooks proved it again Thursday night (May 18) for the opening night of his Garth Brooks/Plus ONE residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The two-and-a-half-hour performance spanned 33 songs and incorporated the best of his previous solo show at The Wynn — which ended in 2014 after a five-year run — and a three-year full-band stadium tour he completed last year that drew more than three million people. .

Brooks began backing himself up on an acoustic guitar solo, under the guise of saying he needed to check out the sound that sounded in the room full of people. He opened with Bob Seger’s “Against the Wind”, sung in part a cappella. While it’s understandable to focus on his overall talents as a charismatic artist and his almost uncanny ability to connect with his audience, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that his voice is so resilient and powerful, which he proves excessively and — all night. He followed it up with “Don’t Close Your Eyes” from Keith Whitley, another of his musical heroes, and his own 1995 hit, “She’s Every Woman”, before bringing his 11-piece band in for a hardcore, full-bodied “Rodeo”.

For the rest of the evening, he nimbly shuffled back and forth between solo and band performances in what appeared to be an automatic set list. While his band was on good terms throughout, they particularly shone on “The Thunder Rolls.” He’s also joined by his lifelong wife, Trisha Yearwood, for four songs, showcasing her unparalleled vocals throughout, but especially on “Shallow.”

Unlike The Wynn Show where he told a version of his life from the perspective of his youth with a sense of awe at the musical marks his early influences made on him, this time when he made references to George Strait, James Taylor and Seger, it was as often as peers. This includes an animated clip where he recounts how amazing it was for him to hear his holy trio sing his own songs when he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. It also proved a nifty device for performing three of his biggest hits: “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)”, “The River” and “That Summer”.

Audience members had to turn off their phones upon entry, which meant no photos or video, and definitely no registration. The simple move kept everyone entertained for the moment, but also allowed Brooks to release an amazing new song, a dark ballad about finding pleasure in pain, without worrying about it popping up online in a matter of minutes.

But the moments of darkness were few (and included a soulful, stripped-down version of “Wolves” from the ’90s No fences) Because, as Brooks has said for decades, there’s no one more fun in his shows than he is. His excitement at getting back on stage, embraced by the adoring fans who gave him a long standing ovation for just walking out before he sang a tune, was evident at every turn. Brooks joked earlier in the day that the night would be the worst of the 27 shows in his 2023 residency; On Friday morning (May 19), he added 18 more for 2024 that will go on sale later this month. If that’s the case, then fans who attend upcoming concerts have a lot to look forward to as opening night will be hard to beat.

See below for a full list of opening night residencies.