There have been a few themes for the summer of 2026: Nostalgia and trees.
My trip down memory lane continued this month when I saw Garth Brooks in concert for the first time in 28 years. That's right. I was 22 years old the last time I saw Garth in concert.
When I last saw Garth, he was in residence - well what we would now call it today - at the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. His mother was being treated for cancer at Mayo, so he stayed in MSP for nearly two weeks. Fun fact, I was an intern at Mayo and I firmly believe it was that internship alone that got me my first paying job after college.
Anyway, what I remember about that night 28 years ago was that (1) the couple sitting in front of me could not stop singing to each other. In fact, if I didn't know any better, you would have thought the woman was Celine Dion with the way she hit her chest and the high notes during the most dramatic parts of any given song. And, that (2) Trisha Yearwood joined him onstage to sing "In Another's Eyes" (a favorite of mine). Years later, she would become his wife.
But I digress.
Garth, now 65 years old still sounds like the Garth that very day in October 1998. In fact, many of his original band members were with him on this tour as well. He sang the hits. He took requests. I didn't sit down for the entire concert and sang at the top of my lungs to every song. Because yes, I knew every song by heart. It certainly brought me back to high school, where he first blew up as an artist when I was a Freshman. And I considered my night complete when he sang "That Summer," which is my all-time favorite Garth Brooks song.
But things looked a little different at this concert this time around. I'd say the average age of the audience was 58. There was much more of a generational feel to the night, meaning the 58 year-old brought their daughter and their grand daughter to the event. Also, the merch line ran several loops around the arena, so I was able to order mine online via a QR code (as long as I didn't care I wouldn't get it for a few weeks), Uber was my form a transportation (not fighting the parking lot crowds of old, and he played for LESS time than he did in 1998. That was the only downside to the night. Because lord knows, he had so many more hits to sing.
The following evening, I attended the Yacht Rock Review at the Salt Shed. Some of you might remember, that is how I celebrated my birthday in 2025. My friend Nella loves the Yacht Rock genre, so when this band is in town, we go.
This time, we noticed the band played more outside the Yacht Rock genre. My philosophy: just because Kenny Logins sang the song does not mean it is Yacht Rock (Danger Zone).
Also, it was about 30 degrees cooler this year, even though we all worked up a pretty good sweat. dancing and singing at the top of our lungs.
We also had to buy new merch this year (I couldn't find my captain's hat from last year), but that gave Linda an excuse to by stuff that lit up!
And just like the night before, the band played for roughly 2 hours. Odd that the concert wrapped up by 9:30, but maybe that is the new trend for a crowd that averages 58 years old.
Good night, Chicago.
I got up early after a night of Yacht Rock to go meet my sister to finish a few trees. She needed help completing the Candy Tree and a tree for a local business. I arrived - amazingly enough - before shop hours. Just in time to wish my brother-in-law a Happy Birthday.
Now, my sister doesn't love the Candy Tree because she said the one we made at the Casino last year was perfection. Well, honestly just looking at this tree is bound to give anyone a sweet tooth. So, I think it will be just fine.
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