Garth Mania.....

Last week’s press conference wasn’t even finished when you began to see the visible effects of the announcement that Garth was coming out of retirement. While members of the media sat inside the Encore Theater listening to Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn tell how their deal evolved, Wynn personnel updated the large lighted signs in the lobby with new signs proclaiming, simply, “garth” in white letters on a black background. Portable signs with posters announcing the start of ticket sales were placed in the middle of the theater lobby, in plain view of and just in time for the media representatives exiting the press conference. Garth’s picture was added to the Encore marquee; his image now looks out over Las Vegas Boulevard like those of hundreds of other perfomers who came to the Strip before him. The crowning touch came Thursday evening when the animatronic singing frog in Wynn’s Lake of Dreams donned a black cowboy hat for it's performance of “Friends in Low Places;" in previous performances, the frog had remained hatless.

Naturally, there’s been lots of excitement since Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn announced the terms of Garth’s 5-year deal to perform at Encore. The Las Vegas Review Journal reported that over 31 million people viewed various television news broadcasts of the October 15th press conference. If only one person out of every hundred who watched that press conference go to see Garth, the new Garth show will be sold out for every performance until almost the middle of its fourth year. And that’s if each of those people go by themselves, mind you.

Traffic to Wynn’s website has skyrocketed as a result of the announcement. Tickets for the first twenty shows go on sale Saturday morning at 8 a.m. That means 30,000 seats will be up for grabs. It’s difficult to predict how many people will be poised with computer or phone in hand come 8 a.m. Pacific Time on Saturday morning. Wynn’s Vice President of Public Relations and Advertising, Jennifer Dunne, told the LVRJ that they are gearing up to handle what will surely be “unprecedented call volume."

Norm Clarke speculated in his LVRJ column that this could be the beginning of “Garth mania.” There has been a lot of buzz on the internet. Some creative person with a sense of humor over at vegastripping.com posted this picture of Garth with a newly-shaped black cowboy hat that matches the swoop of the top of the Wynn and Encore buildings. Some internet observers express doubt that Garth will fit in at Wynn or that they have little interest in going to see Garth, but most comments come from loyal fans who are already making plans to see the new show.

It appears the stock market may not be as excited over the news as fans are. Thursday’s press conference was held after the markets had closed; Wynn’s stock had already closed that day at $64.98. Wynn’s stock price fell on Friday and has continued to slide down to $62.10 upon closing today. Steve Wynn has declined to comment on the cost of the deal with Garth Brooks, noting only that he had to buy Garth a jet plane to convince him (ka-ching!) and that the stockholders would probably fire him if he told what Garth is costing. So understandably, Mr. Wynn wants to keep the cost of the deal under his hat, so to speak. However, I hear that if the contract were large enough, Wynn might have to disclose some of those details in SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) filings. We’ll keep watching….

It's Official: Garth Brooks at Encore Wynn Las Vegas - Tickets on Sale Soon!

Today I attended my first press conference. I am an accountant by training, not a journalist. So I had no idea what to expect as I walked through the lobby of the Encore Theater just after lunch on an otherwise typical Thursday afternoon.

As I rounded the corner from the theater lobby and entered the long hall that leads to the Encore Theater, I was welcomed by a friendly staff of formally-dressed waiters, some with the proverbial white towel folded over their arms. Each one had a smile on their face and most of them nodded and smiled at me as I passed (like I was an important person). One of my favorite Garth Brooks’ songs, “The River,” played in the background as I made my way to the big announcement that was about to occur at the Encore Theater. I already knew it was a special day and it felt a little like I was walking the red carpet somewhere; it was pretty cool.

The setting on the stage was simple: just two stools with a red curtain for the backdrop along with a few artfully placed and spotlighted potted palms. And oh yeah, there was a huge bank of video cameras with t-shirt clad operators who kept pulling out light meters and punching buttons on their complicated-looking machines. But is was a press conference after all.

At the appointed hour, Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn took their places on the stage and told their story about how all this had come to pass. They talked about the two private performances, and in particular, the first one with just Garth and his guitar. I was at that performance and can tell you that it was amazing, a very unique once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. My full report of that first performance, written that same evening, can be found here. Today, Garth said that night was a magical evening to him. Steve Wynn echoed the same feelings and offered that Bette Midler, who had been sitting to him, said “Have ‘ya booked him yet?”

But back to today. Garth and Steve Wynn (somehow I feel its okay to call Garth by his first name but not so for Mr. Wynn), spelled out the specifics of the deal: a 5-year deal with 15 weeks a year, 4 shows a week (one on Friday, 2 on Saturday, and one on Sunday). Oh, and Mr. Wynn agreed to buy a "jet plane" for Garth so that he can go easily back and forth to his home and family in Oklahoma. It will be an intimate show; there will be no band, just Garth and his guitar, just like his first private performance at Wynn back in early June. Ticket prices are $125 and all seats in the theater have the same price. Garth and Steve Wynn both acknowledged that coming to an agreement on ticket price was the hardest part of the deal. I noticed that both men fidgeted a little when asked his question by one of the media representatives in attendance.

As I anticipated, Garth’s opening will coincide with the National Finals Rodeo. Steve Wynn, when questioned about bringing country artists to Las Vegas, reminded the audience that he brought Willie Nelson and others to the Golden Nugget, and then added that at one point he had a PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association) card (who knew??).

Garth talked about his long-standing commitment to be with his family until his youngest daughter, now 13, goes off to college. He talked about how Steve Wynn did something that nobody else has done: he didn’t just throw money at him - he found a way to allow Garth to be able to keep his commitment to his family and perform at the same time. Garth apparently takes his three daughters to school everyday and is there, he said, for soccer games, practices, etc. He said that his deal with Wynn will give him the opportunity to be with his family and still get to enjoy what he says is “easier than breathing.”

Garth’s wife, Trisha Yearwood, was at the press conference and he introduced her, always calling her “Miss Yearwood.” At the end, a reporter asked if his wife might perform with him occasionally. Garth prefaced his answer with the statement that she can sing better than he can and that she is better looking and then continued by saying “No” to the question while nodding his head “Yes.” It was about this time that Garth announced, “there are no rules” with regard to his performances. There is no set time length for the show. He said he will perform as long as he thinks the audience is up for it. He has always had this philosophy and noted that his shortest concert was one hour and five minutes and that his longest was three hours and 15 minutes, and that those two extremes were on back to back nights in San Diego.

In the news conference today, Steve Wynn did a good job of capturing the feeling that was in the theater during those private performances. The shows were intimate and one-of-a kind; Garth talked randomly about his musical influences and asked the audience for requests. It was like sitting in a room with a good friend who just happens to be Garth Brooks.

Having been to both of Garth’s private shows here in Las Vegas, I can concur with what both Garth and Steve Wynn said were magical evenings. Even my husband, a decidedly non-fan of country music, said that that Garth’s performances here in June were some of the best shows he’d ever seen. It was that special and unexpected and fun. Garth says that when he realizes the audience is singing louder than he is, he knows he’s got it right.

The setting in the Encore Theater is intimate and cozy. There are approximately 1,500 seats and as Steve Wynn noted today, the farthest seat is only 71 feet from the stage. Garth says that each performance will be unique, that he doesn’t know what he’s going to do or how long it will last until he goes out and meets the audience.

I think that Garth’s show is going to be a huge success. He has a talent and a passion for what he does. And he is a class act: a deeply-involved father, a devoted husband, and a gentleman. You notice it when you hear him talk. He not only is a great performer, he has a great sense of humor. I have to say that each time I’ve seen him, I grow to like and respect him more and more.

Welcome to Las Vegas, Garth!

Garth Brooks and Steve Wynn Plan Press Conference

Tomorrow we finally find out about Garth Brooks’ plans to headline in Las Vegas. This is the news that has been in the works since June when Garth held his surprise performances at Encore (at Wynn Las Vegas) which started the buzz that Garth was coming out of retirement.

Norm Clarke reported today in the LVRJ that there will be two news conferences tomorrow, one in Nashville and one here in Las Vegas. Norm says that Garth has a “surprise up his sleeve” for the news conference. Other sources say that the news conference will be “exciting” and “fun.”

I hear that the press conference with be at the Encore Theater from 1:00 – 2:00 pm and that it will be broadcast live on Wynn Las Vegas’ website, wynnlasvegas.com. They apparently are anticipating a healthy media turnout. (I wonder if they’ll let unknown, unemployed bloggers in as media representatives?)

I don’t have any scoop about what will be announced tomorrow but it’s safe to assume a few things. First, it sounds like Mr. Brooks himself will be at the news conference. Garth is an showman and he always like to leave audiences happy. Besides, I don’t think he’d have some PR spokesperson stand up in front of the microphone in Las Vegas and announce that Garth is coming out of retirement after these many years; this news is too big to not do it in person.

Secondly, there’s a reason they’re holding this press conference now and not two months ago or two months from now. My guess is that Garth will be performing by the start of the National Finals Rodeo which is always held in early December. If not, I’m sure he’ll be here by New Year’s Eve, one of the busiest times in Las Vegas. Then there’s the three-day weekend in January for Martin Luther King Day, and then Super Bowl Weekend (which always turn Las Vegas into a party town regardless of where the actual game is or who is in it), followed by Valentine’s Day, President’s Day, etc.

Lastly, I think Garth will be here for more than just 16 weeks as has been previously speculated. I sense that he’s doing more than just dipping his toe in to test the waters; I think he’s jumping in big time. After all, the singing frog in the Lake of Dreams at Wynn Las Vegas now occasionally sings one of Garth's songs, "Friends in Low Places." Someone kindly posted this video, complete with a bouncing ball so you can follow along with the lyrics (as if anyone didn’t already know the words…)

Anyway, this time tomorrow we’ll know for sure and Garth fans everywhere can start checking flight schedules.