Garth Brooks surprises two millionth ticket buyers in Charleston
Monday, February 17, 1997. Press Release

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--Last night in Charleston, W.V., Garth Brooks surprised the two millionth ticket buyers on his current concert tour with a new car and a Caribbean vacation.

When Melinda and Ricky Huffman of Charleston arrived at Brooks' concert at the Charleston Coliseum, they had no idea they had purchased the magical ticket. The couple, who had tickets in the last row at the back of the arena, were shocked when two of Brooks' crew members asked them to come backstage so that Garth could thank them for their support. When they got there, they were surrounded and showered with gifts by Brooks' band and crew. The gifts, including beach towels, snorkels, and underwater goggles, hinted at one of the major gifts Brooks and his wife Sandy presented -- a 4-day, 3-night trip to either the U.S. Virgin Islands or the Cayman Islands.

"You are our two millionth customer," Brooks said. "What we're doing for you we'd love to do for the other 1,999,999 people who came out to see us on this tour."

Without allowing time for the initial shock to register, Brooks pulled back a curtain revealing two new vehicles -- a 1997 Chevrolet Tahoe and a 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix GT Coupe -- and asked the Huffmans which one they wanted. After the concert, they drove home in their new Tahoe utility vehicle, laden with gifts including a Sony video camera, an Olympus still camera, and piles of Garth Brooks merchandise.

Brooks said, "The thing I love about this one here in Charleston is that this was the coldest on-sale so far. The people waited in temperatures that were around 3 below, so it's poetic justice that the two millionth customer comes out of here."

Following the gift presentation Mrs. Huffman said, "We thought it was a joke. It's unbelievable. I'm still waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me up. He (her husband) got the Tahoe; I got to meet Garth Brooks."

In July Brooks surprised his one millionth ticket buyer in Denver with a Chevrolet Z28 Camaro convertible. His two millionth ticket was sold within one year of when tickets went on sale for the current tour.

Brooks performed for over 1.8 million people in 1996, earning the distinction of having the biggest-selling concert tour of the year. So far in 1997 he has performed for over 200,000 fans and sold 253,000 more tickets for forthcoming concerts, including three sold-out stadium shows at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland (120,000 tickets)