Garth Brooks opened his Blame It All On My Roots tour in Indianapolis’s Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday (Aug. 20) night, taking fans back to his ‘90s heyday.
Announced in July, the trek is a recreation of Brooks’ 1996-1998 massive world tour, down to the set design, lighting rig and famous spinning drum pod. On opening night, he even kept to a retro setlist, playing no songs that came out after 1997.
Brooks took the stage slightly before 8 p.m. A grand piano came up through the floor with pianist Dave Gant playing the opening strains of, appropriately enough, “The Old Stuff,” as Brooks then rose up through the grand piano, singing the first lines from the 1995’s Fresh Horses cut: “Whoa, I said a little prayer tonight/’fore I came on stage/as I came walking past the drivers and the locals on the union wage.”
In addition to Gant, Brooks’ band includes many players who have been playing with him since at least the ‘90s, including drummer Mike Palmer, fiddle player Jimmy Mattingly, pedal steel guitarist Bruce Bouton bassist Mark Greenwood. The only facet not replicated from the ‘90s tours was the colorful Mo Betta western wear shirts Brooks sported each night: for opening night, he wore a simple black shirt with his blue Wranglers.
Brooks took to social media to thank the audience shortly after the show’s end, posting on Instagram and X, “THIS is how you start a tour!!! INDY… night one of four, and you absolutely blew the roof off this place! If this is the beginning, we’re in for one hell of a ride!!!!!!! love, g”
Brooks, who is recording each night’s performance for later release, has three more shows in Indianapolis before heading to Denver’s Ball Arenas (Sept. 4-6), Rosemont, Illinois’s Allstate Arena (Sept. 10-13) and Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena (Sept. 18-19). As he has throughout his career, Brooks is announcing one tour stop at a time. All tickets are priced at $154.
Below is the set list from the opening night.
