NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Garth Brooks’ fans packed Nissan Stadium Friday night for the first of two Nashville shows this Easter weekend. The shows come after a chaotic turn of weather events last July that led to its cancellation. 

Strong storms first forced the event into a weather delay. Viewers at the concert shared videos from the event, several capturing the lightning striking in the area. Garth fans also shared images of people taking cover and others waiting out the storm. Garth added two shows in Nashville to make sure those fans had the opportunity for good seats. 

“What we were finding on socials was, I had a great ticket for the original night and now I can’t even get a ticket for this, or I’m up in the tall seats and so people weren’t happy,” Garth explained saying that’s why he added a second night. 

He says he owes Cincinnati and Foxboro another show as well, “For those people who were sweet enough to get that ticket for the original show that got either canceled from the pandemic or got rained out like this one.” 

Garth got emotional backstage before Friday’s show, tearing up as he talked about seeing those drenched fans in Nashville last year as he drove away from the stadium. 

“It breaks my heart because those people take care of you, they do everything right? So what you would rather see is you would rather see them smiling, laughing, dancing, right? That kind of stuff but to see them with everything soaked on them and anything they’ve got shielding their head is soaked, right and it just hurts. It hurts really bad,” he explained, adding that no one compares to Garth fans.

Those at the show Friday recognized his efforts. 

“He is definitely humble cause he didn’t have to do this and it paid off, you know better seats. I’d still like to get up front, but I’ll take where I’m at,” said Mark Davis. 

A fan since 1989, Davis was at last year’s show, but is not worried about the weather expected to move in. 

“What’s a little rain? I know it’s not going to be a monsoon like it was last time. We will just dance in the rain and have fun,” he told News 2.

Garth said the show was starting promptly at 7 p.m. without an opener so that they could squeeze the show in, without the weather interfering. 

Just in time for the shows, Garth opened a retail shop on Broadway on the bottom level of his soon-to-be honky-tonk “Friends in Low Places.”

“I want the Chick Filet of honky-tonks. I want a place where you go, where you feel good, feel safe, everybody’s got good manners. I hope that there’s, right when you walk in, it’s a love everybody,” he said adding that he wants it to be a classic honky-tonk.

Construction in the new bar continues, but the store is open.