Country music legend Garth Brooks returns to Atlanta after a long hiatus.

His performance Friday with wife, Georgia native Trisha Yearwood, is the first of seven upcoming shows in Atlanta —– the first in Atlanta in nearly 20 years.

GPB’s All Things Considered host Rickey Bevington sat down with Brooks to talk about his return to the city.

Interview Highlights:

Rickey Bevington (host, GPB’s All Things Considered): So, to begin, why return to a world tour after nearly 20 years?

Garth Brooks (country music singer/ songwriter): You know, when we went home to raise our babies, we said that if we felt there was a widow open for us when we were off in college, we would talk about firing up the tour again and making music again. Talking with Mrs. Yearwood, she gave me her blessing and it’s something that they wanted to do. So, I was very excited to get a chance to do it again. And here we are.

Rickey Bevington: So, you’re empty nesters on tour together, is that it?

Garth Brooks: Yeah, yeah. {You} thank God every night that your children are healthy. You thank God that they’re in college, on their way, and so me and Mrs. Yearwood were looking at each other going, ‘what do we want to do with the rest of our lives,’ and this is how we’d like to spend it.

Rickey Bevington: And you’ve chosen to reveal the performances of your world tour, one city at a time. Why this strategy?

Garth Brooks: I think from working with Mr. Wynn for four years out in Vegas about destination, making each city its own city so it doesn’t feel like it’s just a list of names in a long tour, where each city kind of gets its own time. It’s really cool, and its inspired a lot of mom and dad or a lot of mom and son or dad and daughter trips to come see the show. And we’re all for that. So it’s working out pretty well for us so far.

Rickey Bevington: I know that you’ve broken ticket record sales and I’m certainly proud to be an Atlantan and welcome you to such a popular reception. You are so big… you’re massive all over the planet. But, how do you stay authentic to country music while become a mainstream success?

Garth Brooks: Oh, you what? I think you just do what you do, and if you become a mainstream success, it’s up to the people. So, just do what you do. I will tell you that I’m not sure if I understand the reasoning of going on a world tour and leaving the steel and fiddle here, changing your music trying to fit in somewhere else. I think you just be who you are. Your music is there and the people who want to show up will show up and those who don’t, wont. And that’s kind of the hand you’re dealt and you say your prayers and you’re thankful from city to city.

Rickey Bevington: If you could play any other type of music, what would it be?

Garth Brooks: Oh my gosh. I don’t know. James Taylor. I’m a huge fan of his. So, I got to kind of do the solo guitar guy thing in Vegas and that would be the other thing that I like to do. And the truth is, if you’ve ever seen one of our shows, right in the middle of it. We go back to that, to kind of pay homage to the old times too, when it was just me and a guitar and honky-tonks going around. I get to kind of do the best of both worlds. So that would be my choice, even though I get to do it every night.

Rickey Bevington: Do you have a special message for your Georgia fans?

Garth Brooks: Yeah. I would love to say “thank you” because we’ve been lucky enough to perform and play a lot of county fairs and a lot of places in Georgia. And most of all, thank you for a young lady that was born here. She’s changed my life. And I don’t know about reincarnation and stuff, but if it is true, I’m sure I’ve found her in other lives, I’ll find her in the next one. That’s one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever had, and it came from this state.

Rickey Bevington: Garth Brooks, congratulations, welcome back to Atlanta, and we look forward to having you here for the next week.

Garth Brooks: Thank you.

Tags: Garth Brooks, country music, Rickey Bevington, trisha yearwood, Atlanta