Garth Brooks Stadium Shows Cause Concern for Nearby Folk Fest
Upcoming Garth Brooks concerts have raised the ire of performers and attendees of the 50-year-old Regina Folk Festival in the Saskatchewan Province of Canada after Brooks booked consecutive shows in the city the same week as the 2019 Folk Fest. Set to take place on August 9th thru 11th at Victoria Park, the Regina Folk Festival is one of Canada’s many long-standing and nonprofit folk festivals supporting both local and international roots acts. Performers this year include Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, The Blind Boys of Alabama, and Saskatchewan native Colter Wall, who is one of numerous performers now speaking out about the Garth Brooks bookings at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium.
Celebrating its 50th year, the Regina Folk Festival announced its full lineup on May 24th, and had announced the dates for the 2019 festival long before. But that didn’t stop Garth Brooks from announcing an initial performance five days after the folk fest finalized its lineup, setting a date of Saturday, August 10th for his stadium tour. Garth Brooks is the first ever country music performer booked at Mosaic Stadium, and shattered the venue’s ticket record after seats went on sale. The initial Garth Brooks announcement drew the ire of some, but when his first show sold out in 59 minutes, a second performance was added for Friday, August 9th, further overshadowing the folk festival, and inspiring numerous artists to speak out.
But the anger is not all aimed at Garth. The second show was booked at the request of Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, and was also approved by the City of Regina. These officials have drawn the lion’s share of the heat for booking for two major music events just 12 blocks away from each other in Regina.
“I won’t get too heated about Garth Brooks but I will say the city of Regina is blatantly fucking over Folk Fest this year by having him play during the same weekend. Pretty damn disrespectful,” Colter Wall said June 12th on Twitter after the 2nd Garth Brooks show announcement. Colter Wall’s dad also happens to be the previous premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall.
“The fact that there’s a festival that brings amazing music to our Province, and so if someone comes in and takes a hit on that, it’s just upsetting,” said folk musician Poor Nameless Boy, who is also from Saskatchewan. “It’s a lineup that is curated for the country, alt-country, Americana kind of listener. I was disappointed because from that perspective, it’s taking a hit for the festival for sure.”
Poor Nameless Boy also responded to Premier Scott Moe’s Tweet about inviting Garth Brooks to a second show, “Nevermind that it’s the Regina Folk Fest weekend and it’s a massive part of the city and allows free music to people during the day and constantly champions bringing Canadian music to Regina throughout the year. Just nevermind that.”
Canadian string band The Dead South, who are also from Saskatchewan, responded, “It’s Great that Garth is coming to Regina but this definitely fucks over Regina Folk Fest.”
But not everyone is convinced the double booking is a bad thing. Some are hoping Garth Brooks will attract even more people to Regina over the weekend, and they will stay longer to take in the folk festival as well.
“When you live two hours from the city you like to make a day of it,” Megan Nash of the band Moose Jaw told CBC. “Hopefully people can make the most of their time and try something new.”
But others are not sure this will be the case. “It’s not easy to convince people to spend more money, stay longer, and do more things,” says Poor Nameless Boy. “I just hope that the people that are coming to see Garth will give the Folk Fest a chance as well.”
As for the festival itself, Regina Folk Festival CEO and Artistic Director Sandra Butel said when the initial Garth Brooks concert was announced, “We really have confidence that there will be enough people at our show, and there will be enough people at the Garth Brooks show, and it’ll just be a fantastic weekend of music in Regina.”
Garth Brooks is no stranger to controversy over concert bookings, and not always by his own hand. In 2014 amid his unretirement, a series of shows in Ireland were all cancelled last minute after local officials put their foot down about the amount of shows Garth was allowed to play. He decided if he couldn’t play all of them, he wouldn’t play any of them, and cancelled the performances, leaving promoters and fans in the lurch.
Competing performances and events are becoming an increasing problem in an overcrowded live music space. Old Settler’s Festival in Texas has dealt with competing booking issues the last two years, and LiveNation has been known for predatory practices of setting up rival festivals and events to attempt to undercut more established events, including events promoted by grassroots or nonprofit organizations.
“Twitter feather ruffling … aside, I hope everyone has a good time regardless of what show they attend,” Colter Wall says. “I also hope to see a little more foresight with regards to double booking events in the future.”
June 17, 2019 @ 9:39 am
Que the “F*** Garth, I’d rather listen to_________” comments in 3…2…1…
June 17, 2019 @ 9:44 am
How many people attending the folk fest would change their plans to attend a Garth show? Does Colter think he is competing with Garth? Aren’t theses two different demographics.
Garth played here a month ago. It was the single biggest event ever at Hienz Field at 80,000 (bigger than Steelers’ games, Taylor Swift, Rolling Stones, Beyoncé, any Kenny Chesney show). A ticket for the show was sold in 50 different states and hotels were booked 40 miles away from the city. I never saw a final figure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if 1/2 the tickets were sold to out of towners. So there is some validity that the festival would gain tourists.
I’m not a Garth fan or defender, Colter and Co. need to quit their whining.
June 17, 2019 @ 9:49 am
My Folk Fest flyer would be on every windshield in that stadium parking lot.
June 17, 2019 @ 10:39 am
Maybe the folk-fest organizers are worried the city of Regina won’t have enough hotel rooms, restaurant tables, traffic control, ect. for both events to happen at once ?
Both events would draw people from far away… How large of a city is Regina ?
June 17, 2019 @ 11:01 am
I think it’s difficult to determine at this point just down damaging the Garth Brooks shows may or may not be to the Folk Fest, and perhaps we can determine that afterwards. But no doubt it’s going to cause a massive run on hotel rooms, uber’s, etc., in the area, especially with two shows instead of one, and only 12 blocks from each other in downtown. Regina is a decent size with 225,000 people. But as Nashville has been experiencing for years, you get two events going on at the same time, hotel rooms skyrocket to $300 a night, which will affect patrons for both the Garth shows and the folk fest.
June 17, 2019 @ 10:47 am
Most of the attendees of Brooks will be local.
For concerts and dramatic events, the primary seller can sell tickets only to people in Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba, the Northwest Territories, North Dakota and Montana (jurisdictions that share a border with Saskatchewan), until the end of the first hour where tickets are sold to the general public for the first time.
June 17, 2019 @ 11:49 am
I’d guess 40% of concert goers get their tickets on the secondary market (for large events). I only buy tickets for smaller shows ahead of time in fear the artists will cancel due to poor tickets sales. Large shows and festivals, I purchase day of or the night before on the secondary market. Why run the risk of bad weather or personal tragedies and losing your money? 8 times out of 10, I get some great deals!
June 17, 2019 @ 11:16 am
It was one third of tickets sold to people over 150 miles away.
June 23, 2019 @ 4:23 am
hoptowntiger94, Garth Brooks also set his stage up in the center of the stadium. So yes, he did outdraw all of those artists you mentioned. It did seem like, according to the local papers, a lot of hotels were accommodating out of towners. A LOT of out of towners. Garth was reported to only do 2 or three stadium shows per month so a lot of people figured they’d go to the closest stadium. There were no reports of massive amounts of garbage left behind, too. That’s a plus.
June 17, 2019 @ 9:47 am
Fuck Garth, I’d rather listen to _______________
June 17, 2019 @ 10:08 am
Wayne
June 17, 2019 @ 11:34 am
Excellent!
June 17, 2019 @ 12:30 pm
You mean me? Hey, thanks! Nashcrap, here I come!
June 17, 2019 @ 11:00 am
About a thousand other artists, but that doesn’t mean I blame him in any way, shape or form for this.
June 17, 2019 @ 9:52 am
Go away, Garth.TM
June 17, 2019 @ 10:04 am
Don’t they already have an open mic every Wednesday?
June 17, 2019 @ 10:08 am
Lol. I have an idea… go to the folk fest if you want and go to the Garth show if you want to. Disrespectful? My god.
June 17, 2019 @ 10:20 am
“It’s a lineup that is curated for the country, alt-country, Americana kind of listener.” I don’t see a significant overlap of the folk and Garth crowds. I doubt if many people attending to the festival will end up at the Garth show.
June 17, 2019 @ 10:20 am
“He decided if he couldn’t play all of them, he wouldn’t play any of them, and cancelled the performances, leaving promoters and fans in the lurch.”
A man of the people, that Garth.
June 17, 2019 @ 11:43 am
Counter take: fuck the Dead South. I don’t particularly like Garth, but I’d rather support him than their Amish-Halloween-costume faux-folk flat-picking banjo white trash minstrel show.
June 17, 2019 @ 12:59 pm
Two very different crowds. Folk fest crowd: aging hippie and Public Radio listener types and some assorted hipsters and young political activist types. Garth Crowd: working class folks, soccer mom’s and grandmoms, fans of radio country and pop concert scenesters.
But i do agree, it will wreck the hotel rates, and overfill area restaraunts and way over tax Uber and other resources. Should be interesting.
By way of comparison, I was in Memphis this February for the Ameripolitan Weekend and there was a KISS concert also happening. The juxtaposition was humorous. Two polar opposite fan bases, generally speaking.
June 17, 2019 @ 5:47 pm
Kiss AND Dale? I would have gone to both…!!!!
July 2, 2019 @ 10:01 am
As a young political activist who happens to be an avid Public Radio listener, I’ve happily travelled hundreds of miles to see Garth before and I’d do so again. However, I’d also plan to attend whichever day of the folk festival that wasn’t on the day I had my Garth tickets. It’s a double draw for someone like me.
June 17, 2019 @ 1:14 pm
It seems to me that this sort of thing just happens from time to time. It sucks but I don’t know that there’s much you can do.
I remember going into Washington D.C. for a show and the place was practically empty even though it was a Saturday night…but it was during the Washington Capitals Stanley Cup run and there was a home playoff game that night.
June 17, 2019 @ 5:05 pm
Look, this isn’t that hard to figure out. Garth should be Chris Gaines for those shoes. There, you’re welcome.
June 18, 2019 @ 7:17 am
Wouldn’t pay to go to a Garth concert but these folk people need to buck up. This is just an attention grab.
June 18, 2019 @ 7:39 am
As has been stated more than a few times here, these two audiences by and large are not cut from the same cloth. love your music Colter, but you gotta learn to pick your battles in life ,and this ain’t one of em. if anything turn this to your advantage & (if your schedule permits) get out there and busk for the Garth crowd in the parking lot with a crate full of product (shirts, cd’s posters etc) and an open guitar case, might win over some new fans and have a good time of it.
June 18, 2019 @ 6:37 pm
This would be the thing to do, Dylan. Good post.
June 18, 2019 @ 4:08 pm
I’m not a huge Garth fan but I’ve seen Garth multiple times from the very top of the arenas he was in and he was super entertaining. I saw Colter Wall a month ago and left halfway through because he was putting me to sleep. Then he went on twitter and complained people were talking over his belong at a Lillith Fair concert opening act Canadian pals. If Colter Wall was playing at the end of my driveway right now, I wouldn’t walk out my front door.
June 18, 2019 @ 5:15 pm
Quit whining, folk people.
It is called capitalism. Deal with it. You are just upset because Garth might cut into your profits.
They are just as much about the money as Garth is. At least, Brooks is honest about it.
June 19, 2019 @ 4:07 pm
I can’t imagine that Brooks has no say in the booking of his shows. Surely he could’ve shown some respect to the festival and it’s performers and rescheduled his shows.
June 24, 2019 @ 12:21 pm
I live in YQR and you can hear the stadium crowd from downtown where the Folk Festival is. And that is a problem for Colter Wall and Jason Isbell.
September 23, 2019 @ 4:46 am
Ok, so here’s my problem with this website. Love him or hate him, you have one of the biggest country music performers come into town, and you guys are complaining that he’s going to ruin a festival for a genre that’s not country? There’s all this ranting on here that folk music is “closer to country’s roots” than anything heard on actual country radio today. If you have a differing opinion, that’s fine, but I don’t see how Conway, Jones, Cash, Hank, or Strait sound like folk music more than they do Garth Brooks. Just my opinion.