Standing outside the fire? More like standing inside Commonwealth Stadium as Garth Brooks announced he’ll be returning to Edmonton as part of his 2022 tour.
The seven-time recipient of the Country Music Association’s Entertainer of the Year award announced Wednesday morning he’ll be performing on June 25 at the home of the Edmonton Elks.
According to the director of Commonwealth Stadium, Brooks and his team are making the most of the venue.
“Garth Brooks is really maximizing the number of people that can come to the stadium,” said Heather Seutter. “Because the stage is in the centre of the field, that makes more of the seats available for people to be able to see the show.
She said Commonwealth will accommodate about 60,000 country music fans for this show.
“It’s a really unique show for us because the concert will be in-the-round seating. So all of the seats will be excellent opportunities for people to enjoy Garth Brooks.
“The stage is in the middle of the field and so there’ll be a 360-view of the stadium,” Seutter explained.
“We’re really excited about some of these unique events that have not been at Commonwealth Stadium before… He is just such a great entertainer.”
This will be the country music star’s first appearance at the stadium, though he’s no stranger to Alberta.
He previously made a stop in Edmonton in 2017 which had 160,000 fans attend. A City of Edmonton report regarding the nine sold-out shows outlined they generated $42 million for the local economy.
“Garth Brooks is a great friend of Edmonton,” said Dan St. Pierre with Explore Edmonton. “He went on a run there at Rogers Place and it was phenomenal for the city.
“This is the guy who decided to extend his engagement to what 12 shows? Eleven shows? And built houses for Habitat for Humanity in our city. So I mean, I think there’s probably some affinity for Edmonton with Garth and crew.”
Explore Edmonton is thrilled Brooks is returning to Edmonton but the organization is also excited he’s using Commonwealth Stadium.
“There’s so much opportunity… beyond the Edmonton Elks and Garth is just a great example of that. And this is in addition to other stadium tours that we’re going to start to see trickling into the city,” St. Pierre said.
It’s shaping up to be a busy and fun-filled summer in Edmonton, he added.
“Between business events, cultural events, the summer season and festivals coming back, it’s going to be a massive summer for Edmonton.”
St. Pierre said Edmonton has about 35 sports and cultural events lined up for the rest of the year.
“We’re on a bit of a roll.. The FIFA qualifiers in November, which created this iconic Canadian sports moment with Alfonso on his home pitch. You’ve got Garth Brooks now activating as part of the stadium tour… You’ve got the Edmonton Oilers going off on a playoff year, right? Which is just going to explode downtown in the most positive way possible.
“It all brings positive awareness of Edmonton as a place. It drives new money into our community. It gets Edmontonians out and about in the city going to concerts and shows and you know, having a meal and having a beer.”
St. Pierre said this is a great example of how events drive visitation and spending in the local economy.
“It’s going to boost bars, restaurants, hotels. It’s going to boost local retailers. So I mean, I think all of that stuff is positive for us.”
Tickets, which are pegged at $104.05, will go on sale on May 6 at 10 a.m. with an eight-ticket purchase limit. All tickets will have to be purchased online, through the Ticketmaster App or by phone as the venue box office will be closed that day.