| Concert byGarth Brooks | |
 Promotional poster | |
| Location | Central Park,New York City, New York, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Date | August 7, 1997 |
| No. of shows | 1 |
| Attendance | Over 1,000,000 |
Garth: Live from Central Park was a concert held by Americancountry pop musicianGarth Brooks on August 7, 1997 atCentral Park inNew York City. Dubbed "Garthstock" (paying homage toWoodstock), the concert was free of charge and became the largest concert ever held in the park, with an estimated audience of over 1,000,000. It was filmed and broadcast live onHBO, as well as later included in Brooks'The Entertainer DVD collection, released in 2006.
Brooks publicly announced a free concert in Central Park during his1996–98 world tour, and the only stop inNew York during its entire record-breaking duration. Initial reports of expected attendance from Brooks' promoter was 1 million, while New York City mayorRudy Giuliani's office estimated a modest 300,000.[1] Speculation about the area's acceptance ofcountry music, as well as anycross-genre special guests, filled the media days prior to the concert.[2] At the concert, it was revealed thatBilly Joel andDon McLean were the rumored special guests, joining Brooks separately onstage to perform a selection of their songs.[3]
The stage was of unseen proportions for an outdoor concert, consisting of a circular array lighting rig spanning 100 feet (30 m) atop a stage spanning 360 feet (110 m).[1] Situated on the park'sNorth Meadow,[4] the stage allowed more optimal viewing for fans within the fenced barricade. Having never expected a concert of such attendance in the area, many additional police officers and park rangers were prompted to add more patrol to the site. As space was limited, theNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation required fans to bring blankets no larger than for a king-size bed, allowing more room for attendees.[1]
Months following the concert, reports began showing total concert attendance being 750,000; however theNew York City Fire Department's official attendance record shows an estimation of approximately 1,000,000+.[5][6] Dubbed "Garthstock", the concert garnered comparison to theWoodstock concert festival due to its large, outdoor attendance.[7] It remains the largest concert ever held in the park, surpassing the previous record of approximately 600,000 (held byPaul Simon from his 1991 park concert).[3] Brooks paid tribute to this record by performing the first two verses of 'A Heart in New York' when taking the stage.
Garth: Live from Central Park was broadcast live onHBO. Directed byMarty Callner and produced by Jon Small with Brooks serving as executive producer, it received 14.6 million viewers, the most of any concert special that year.[7] It later received sixEmmy Award nominations, including for Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special, and Brooks received theAcademy of Country Music's Special Achievement Award for the special.[6]
Orion Home Video released the event to VHS in 1998. ForThe Entertainer video album, Pearl Records released the concert to DVD on November 1, 2006.
Brooks streamed highlights from the event to his TalkShopLive channel on August 4, 2022 for its 25th anniversary.[8]
A pre-recorded cover version ofPaul Simon's "A Heart in New York" opened the show.[9] The concert commenced with a performance of "Rodeo". Brooks' performance featured his band playing with guest singers and instrumentalists includingBilly Joel,Jim Horn andDon McLean.[9][10]
The running order and songs performed:
Encores