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 Review:
Garth Brooks Double Live
Okay,
I'll admit it. I'm not the hippest guy on the Internet. I don't
have any pierced body parts, I don't spend all night staring at
porno, I actually find myself often with absolutely no motivation
to turn on my computer. So I suppose that it's no suprise that I'm
a bit of a closet country fan.
And like a lot of people, I became a country fan just about the
time that Garth Brooks released his first album. While I was forced
to listen to country music as a child, the twangy sounds of artists
like Bobby Bare, Jerry Reed and Tammy Wynette left me clutching
my head in agony. But Garth grew up on the same music that I did,
and so we ended up enjoying the same taste in country music.
I became a fan of his early on when I caught him at a show in Missouri
when he was the opening act for Holly Dunn. And over the years I've
found his albums and live performances to be honestly enjoyable
and very pop-like in its charm.
And
more so than any other country artist, Garth Brooks has managed
to transfer his charms to television. Besides his frequent appearances
on The Tonight Show, he's done a string of NBC specials, and they've
all done well in the ratings. But even more importantly, they were
all darn entertaining.
That's
why I find this latest special so disconcerting. It's not only not
much of a concert--it's not all that great of television.
If
you've been following the relentless NBC promo campaign, you might
be under the mistaken impression that the Garth dude was prepared
to perform live. Especially since the network promises the one-hour
program will be performed three times back-to-back, so it will air
live in all three time zones.
As
it turns out, that only means you'll be able to watch this informercial
live, which you'd be able to do if he were only appearing on the
Home Shopping Network.
The
special manages to turn Garth into little more than a Vee-Jay. He
sits with his guitar and introduces previously filmed clips from
his concerts. He answers a few questions from the audience, and
plays a few brief snippets on his guitar.
Now
I don't mind watching excerpts from his concert tour, but these
are the same clips that aired previously on the network during his
earlier specials. And even worse, Garth doesn't exactly light up
the stage with his sparkling banter and introductions. "Yeah,
this is one of our favorites....we've always enjoyed it. "
Um...thanks, Garth. Let me write that one down.
But
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by this play it safe approach.
Garth has increasingly become more obsessed with marketing than
with entertainment value. The double live CD the special is promoting
may be priced to move, but it doesn't include much a fan isn't familiar
with already. All of the tracks are recent, the arrangments aren't
substantially different than the radio versions, and he isn't even
adding any of the cover versions he frequently adds to his concert
mix. Those, he admits, he's saving for an upcoming CD of all cover
versions.
So
in the end, we're left with a live special with little live music,
and a double live CD that might as well be a studio greatest hits
package. And it's a shame, because Garth Brooks is a strong country
artist and an often captivating performer. It just goes to show
that even a marketing major can misread his audience.
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