The Garth Brooks World Tour is a jukebox musical waiting to happen. I'd call it Unanswered Prayers, not because there were prayers left unanswered for the fervid fans at the Sunday night concert at American Airlines Center. It's just a great song, with a great title, that could set up a narrative that could spin the Brooks legend from concert to stage.
Just a few miles away, at the Wyly Theatre, two up-and-coming country music stars, Grammy Award-winner Shane McAnally and Grammy nominee Brandy Clark, have poured their talents into crafting new songs for the Dallas Theater Center world premiere of Moonshine: That Hee Haw Musical, which continues through Oct. 11.
Brooks, however, is a country star with a widely known repertoire, evidenced by the 18,000 at AAC that sang along at this sixth of seven sold-out concerts in Dallas. I'd recommend a biopic style, inspired by the Broadway hit Beautiful The Carole King Musical which follows in the footsteps of The Jersey Boys and Buddy—The Buddy Holly Story. As with King, the Four Seasons and Buddy Holly, Brooks already has an incredible following.
As it is, the concert reflects a canny theatrical mind and I'm not just talking about the confetti and streamers, fog, intriguing molecule-like cage encircling the percussionist and surprises I won't reveal from the sets and lights. From the moment Brooks entered, he welcomed fans like a host to his home, happy and wide-eyed as if he couldn't believe his luck that each and every member of the sold-out crowd came to visit.
A ribbon of screen encircled the arena like a virtual hug, sending the message that the crammed crowd was all within his circle of caring. He bounded around the stage, playing to every angle in the arena, waving, winking, blowing kisses and pointing fingers at the crowd in a way that made nearly everyone think they were being singled out.
One camera projected his image on the giant screen overhead, so he never seemed far away even when he was reaching out to another side. Another camera was trained at the audience, so people could catch images of themselves, too.
After a solo set by Trisha Yearwood, Brooks' superstar wife, Yearwood grinned as she warned anyone sitting next to someone they shouldn't be sitting next to that a kiss cam was coming. It panned around and the crowd roared for each smooch, with the loudest for the final kiss by Brooks and Yearwood, their embrace encircled by a heart.
Brooks was confessional, admitting that most of the time he was wearing his guitar not to play it, but to "hide my gut." He was vulnerable, asking everyone to help out his tired voice by singing along. He patted his heart and blessed the crowd for "taking care of me" by playing his music during the 17 years he took off from touring "to raise my babies." He was conspiratorial as the sweat poured down, asking everyone to give all they've got, so he could give them everything he had.
The main thing the tour needs to be transformed into theater is the conflict that propels a journey. The concert was a shower of love that also encircled the musicians, each of whom received an adoring introduction, spotlight and video.
There's a compelling peg for a biopic, starting with Brooks as a high school athlete who received a track scholarship to Oklahoma State University where he graduated with a degree in advertising. What if entertainment attorney Rod Phelps had never driven from Dallas to hear him play in an Oklahoma club or if Brooks had stuck with one of his pre-music dreams?
Maybe we should all thank God for unanswered prayers.
Follow Nancy Churnin on Twitter at @nchurnin.
