Hometown Crowd Scares Famed Native Son
Tuesday, June 17, 1997
Tulsa World.

---

::::: ALSO SEE :::::

Oklahoma, it seems, is much on the mind of native son Garth Brooks these days.



On the cusp of the first of his sold-out, five-concert series at Tulsa Drillers Stadium, Brooks took time at a Thursday press conference to return repeatedly to the subject of his love of the state.



In fact, he started by addressing the rumor that this would be the last major- arena tour of his career and phrased his answer in terms of Oklahoma. In other interviews, he's alluded to that notion, saying that he might want to go out with a more intimate, acoustic show, later on.



"We're just saying that Taylor (his oldest daughter) is getting older, school's starting, and we're looking at places back here in Oklahoma," he said. "I want to be able to raise my daughters like I was lucky enough to be raised.



"I'm among real people here."



Later, he voiced his oft-stated opinion that, of all the places he's played around the world, "Oklahoma is the toughest to do," and admitted that playing in front of a hometown crowd had him "scared to death."



On the other hand, he added, "You get here, and your shoulders drop. You're relaxed. After I got here, I slept a long time. I was back here, and it was one of those old dark, rainy days where nothing can go wrong."



Brooks, the biggest pop star of the '90s, was welcomed back to the city of his birth with gray weather and mayor proclamations.



He received a personalized Tulsa Drillers jersey (with a number 5 -- signifying the number of his concerts -- on the back, along with his name) from Drillers General Manager Chuck Lamson, and a Tulsa Centennial shirt from Mayor Susan Savage. Savage also read a proclamation that noted, among other things, "the dynamic spirit with which he represents Tulsa."



From the beginning of his career as a recording star, Garth has shown a disarming candidness about himself and his music, along with a willingness to discuss the emotional components of what he does, how he runs his life, and what continues to drive him. Thursday, as is usual with him, he answered all questions -- including one from a television cameraman who asked if Garth'd sing at his wedding next year -- with an equanimity that seemed at times almost preternatural.



He might just sing the wedding, he said.



His easygoing demeanor led one questioner to ask if he ever had a bad-hair day."



Garth laughed.



"Yeah," he said. "I was born with a bad-hair day."



"But . . . I love the fight. Even bad days are great days. As long as my girls are healthy and my wife's happy and healthy, I've got nothing to bitch about."