Garth Brooks Believes Country Music Audiences Deserve the Best Technology on the Road

When Garth Brooks launches his Blame It All on My Roots Tour with back-to-back shows Aug. 21-22 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, fans will see the return of some familiar production elements — along with a few that didn’t exist the first time around.

For Brooks, that's exactly the point.

"Country music is second to no other genre of music," Brooks says. "We have always claimed country music should be at the forefront of touring tech, as well.”

It's a conviction he's carried with him since his record-setting arena tours in the 1990s.

"I will put the country music audience up against any other genre's following," he says. "They are the most loyal listeners on the planet. So, when it comes to bringing those believers together for a concert, those people deserve the latest and greatest in entertainment technology.”

One of the most anticipated elements returning on this tour is the iconic Drum Pod, which debuted on Brooks' 1996-98 World Tour. Brad Wathne designed the original Drum Pod, which created a recording-quality environment around the drums. The Pod enabled Brooks and his team to capture the performances that became Double Live, the biggest-selling live album in history.

The new version has been redesigned for today's technology while serving the same purpose: preserving the celebrated, unbridled energy of a Garth Brooks concert.

"If you're going to do a retro tour, we all understand the goal is to make what was called 'cool stuff' then even more cool now," Brooks says. "But what we sometimes forget is there are things now we didn't have back then. One of those things just happens to be possibly the most important part to any concertgoer and has been for a while — video.”

The tour will introduce fans to what Brooks calls "The Halo" — a 360-degree video system with inward- and outward-facing screens designed to make every seat feel “like the best seat in the arena.”

Still, Brooks says no amount of technology can replace what matters most.

"Let's never forget, the music is the most important thing, and the experience the people have must be the best the artist can bring," he says. "With that said, entertainment technology, and the crew behind that technology, plays a big role in that. I hope you see things on this tour you haven't seen yet, and most of all, I hope you dig the %#^& out of them.”

Tickets for the first two shows of the Blame It All on My Roots Tour — Aug. 21-22 at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis — go on sale at 10 a.m. ET Friday, July 17, at Ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks or through the Ticketmaster app.