By Jane Cohen and Bob Grossweiner
Fans who missed out on landing tickets to country music superstar Garth Brooks’ nine out-of-retirement concerts Nov. 5-12 and Nov. 14 at the new 18,500-seat Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO will now have another opportunity to see him. In a move that recalls how many people used to watch old Muhammad Ali fights in the 1970s, the man with friends in low places will broadcast his final performance of the residency live on the big screen via a simulcast to more than 300 movie theaters nationwide on Nov. 14. An encore presentation of the concert will be rebroadcast in theaters on Nov. 15. The concert is in association with National CineMedia’s FATHOM Events.
Only one show was originally scheduled, but after tickets sold out quickly, eight more were added to meet the demand; 159,779 tickets sold out in one hour and 58 minutes, tying Brooks’ own record for selling the most tickets in any city in North America, according to a press release.
“It’s things like this that make me praise technology,” Brooks said in a statement. “The gift that [concert promoter] AEG and NCM FATHOM participating theatres have given me is to be able to go on a virtual tour without leaving home. How does it get any better than that?”
Tickets for the simulcast go on sale Friday, Oct. 19, and are priced at $10 with a 10-ticket limit per person.
The initial concert was a thank you to Wal-Mart, with whom he recently completed a two-year exclusive marketing deal. The final show is being presented by Sprint, and captured and distributed by Horse of Troy Productions Inc., Jon Small/Picture Vision and AEG Network LIVE.
Brooks, who has not toured since 1998, saw his new single, “More Than a Memory,” debut at Number One on Billboard’s Country Singles chart. Garth Brooks “The Ultimate Hits” will be available in all stores on Nov. 6.
