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It’s no secret that Garth Brooks is in town.
Many folks who follow MinnesotaCountry.com have attended or are planning to attend one of the 11 shows Brooks is performing – some coming from a considerable distance away. As we attend and run into people who have attended shows, we have put together this basic “Guide to Garth.” First things first, Garth is back at the same venue where he sold-out nine shows at back in 1998 – the Target Center (GPS address: 600 First Avenue North, Minneapolis, MN 55403). Boasting a capacity of just over 19,000, Target Center is conveniently located in downtown Minneapolis in the heart of the Warehouse and Entertainment district of Minneapolis and is accessible via car, bus, bike or train. Target Center is on the northwest side of downtown Minneapolis between 6th and 7th Streets. Any easy guide to getting to the Target Center can be found HERE. Come early and grab dinner at one of the many establishments in the nearby area. * Doors are scheduled to open 1.5 hours prior to start time for all performances except the 10:30 p.m. shows when the doors will open at 9:30 p.m. Door times could be delayed for the 10:30 p.m. shows due to the number of guests exiting from a previous performance, and the tour asks for your patience in this process. * The majority of concert goers will have “traditional” paper tickets or “print-at-home” tickets; however, a limited number of seats sold for each show are considered “ticketless” – those guests have been notified directly about specific entry procedures. A MinnesotaCountry.com representative had a “paperless” ticket for the first show of the tour. A valid identification and the credit card used to place the ticket order must be presented. The ticket holder’s credit card is scanned and a handheld device prints a small “stub” that has the date of the show and the seat(s) purchased by the credit card. * Buy a poster. The tour is selling limited edition posters for $10 that note the show dates and venue exclusive to the Twin Cities. The tour also offers a variety of other merchandise in several locations, with the main merchandise are in the Skyway area. * At the Thursday, Nov. 6 show, Brooks had an opening act in Karyn Rochelle, who also serves as one of Brooks’ backup singers. While unknown if Rochelle will perform on the nights Brooks is doing doubleheaders, it was a welcome surprise and also bought time for everyone to get into the arena before Brooks started. Rochelle has written or co-written a number of hits over the years (“Red High Heels,” “Georgia Rain”) and recently released her new album, available at the Target Center for $10. Rochelle also did a meet and greet following the show in the Skyway level. * Sandy Sweetser, senior director of marketing and event services for Target Center. told KARE11 if concertgoers of the 10:30 p.m. show are stuck in traffic or have trouble getting downtown in a timely fashion, they shouldn’t sweat it. Sweetser said the show won’t start until the fans are ready. “Garth will not start the second show until the fans are in the arena. He personally gets counts of how many tickets have been scanned at the doors so he makes sure the fans who want to see the start of the show get in to see the start of the show,” she told KARE11. * After the Thursday, Nov. 6 show, Brooks hopped on a plane and made an appearance on Good Morning America Friday, Nov. 7. Back in Minnesota later that day, he dedicated the new Child Life Zone area at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul. Brooks is the co-founder of the Teammates for Kid Foundation, which focuses on helping children in the areas of health, education, and inner-city outreach. Like it did in St. Paul, the foundation funds Child Life Zones for pediatric hospital patients, along with raising money for youth sports leagues, and paying for complicated facial and dental surgeries. Teammates for Kids was started in 1999 by Bo Mitchell and Brooks with the goal of giving all kids all around the world an even start. For more information or to contribute, click HERE. * K102 is hosting pre-show parties at Brother’s Bar and Grill, Cowboy Jack’s Downtown, and Hubert’s. Tickets to K102’s Fan Jam featuring Lee Brice, as well as other prizes, are being given out at these events. BUZ’N 102.9 will be hosting Garth pre-parties before each show at Kieran’s Irish Pub. * TICKETS are still available for some of the remaining shows online HERE. Check for availability, head downtown, and take advantage of this opportunity to see Garth in Minnesota Country! * An exclusive message from Brooks to fans of MinnesotaCountry.com may be found by checking out the featured video on the side of this post. By Ryan Gueningsman Watch the full press conference from 11-06-14 HERE. To see some great images of the first show from Adam’s Travel Photography, click HERE.