But then one of my friends got a text from someone else, saying that Brooks was maybe going to be playing a surprise pop-up show at the Broken Spoke starting at 9. The guy said that the cover was only $12 and that no one was there. So we jumped into a fake-Uber and hauled ass out there. When we arrived, the vibe in the room was hilarious. 75% of the people there were just regular Broken Spoke Friday nighters, dancing to the house band, wearing western wear, and sipping on beers. Then the back half of the dance floor started filling up with hipster kids and other decidedly non-country types, and the room started to buzz a little bit.
I grabbed my friend's wife and started to teach her how to two-step when I saw some friends up by the stage, dancing in a funny little circle. We stopped to talk to them and the husband said they were just going to dance right there so that they could be in front row when the show started. Which was brilliant. As we were standing there (for literally all of 30 seconds) this gruff old bastard in a cowboy hat came up and yelled at us that there ain't no standing on the dance floor. "Either get her off or dance!" So we finished dancing to that song, and I went back out for another dance with one of her friends. At the end of that song, the house band packed up.
As soon as the house band left the stage, everyone who knew what was going on crowded immediately up to the stage, and most of the rest of the place then realized that something was going on so they joined in. I ended up about 5 people from the stage.
Garth Brooks at the Spoke. If you have the chance to see him, tomorrow in Austin, later on in Vegas or Tulsa or whatever. Do it. Excellent. pic.twitter.com/27zv5uim2n— Dull Jack (@dulljackmusic) March 18, 2017
I assume you'll be able to see that pic from my Twitter feed. If not, just go party on my Tweets.
He came out, just him and his acoustic guitar, no band and no fuss. He immediately broke right into "Friends in Low Places," which is, by far, the best way he could have ratcheted the crowd up from vaguely curious into a ravenously, devouringly, uncontrollably happy mob. He continued through a bunch of his hits (Two of a Kind, Thunder Rolls, Two Pina Coladas, Papa Loved Mama, The Dance, Rodeo, plus more) and a handful of classic covers. About an hour and a half later, he handed his guitar over to the owner of the joint and walked off-stage.
Obviously, it was cool to see him play a tiny venue like that with so few people there and just him and his guitar. But the best part, by far, of the performance was how genuinely thrilled he seemed to be up there. After each song, when the crowd would roar its approval and throw up their hands and start yelling for another song, he would just grin and back away from the mike with a look of pure joy. At one point he said something to the effect of "if honky tonks had been like this 20 years ago, I never would have left."
Seriously, a once in a lifetime show for me. Could not be happier that I made it in to this one. In the past, I've always heard afterwards how Metallica or Prince or Justin Timberlake of Kanye had done a surprise show, and I've been bummed that I missed out. I feel pretty good about it now.
He came out, just him and his acoustic guitar, no band and no fuss. He immediately broke right into "Friends in Low Places," which is, by far, the best way he could have ratcheted the crowd up from vaguely curious into a ravenously, devouringly, uncontrollably happy mob. He continued through a bunch of his hits (Two of a Kind, Thunder Rolls, Two Pina Coladas, Papa Loved Mama, The Dance, Rodeo, plus more) and a handful of classic covers. About an hour and a half later, he handed his guitar over to the owner of the joint and walked off-stage.
Obviously, it was cool to see him play a tiny venue like that with so few people there and just him and his guitar. But the best part, by far, of the performance was how genuinely thrilled he seemed to be up there. After each song, when the crowd would roar its approval and throw up their hands and start yelling for another song, he would just grin and back away from the mike with a look of pure joy. At one point he said something to the effect of "if honky tonks had been like this 20 years ago, I never would have left."
Seriously, a once in a lifetime show for me. Could not be happier that I made it in to this one. In the past, I've always heard afterwards how Metallica or Prince or Justin Timberlake of Kanye had done a surprise show, and I've been bummed that I missed out. I feel pretty good about it now.
1 comment:
i'm still soooooo sad.....
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