Garth Brooks’ second compilation album, released in 1994, ranked #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. The physical record is actually out of print because Brooks requested that it only be available for a certain amount of time in his push to sell his records as whole works. However, the record still sold over 10 million copies. Some of the iconic Brooks songs on the record include “Friends in Low Places,” “Ain’t Goin’ Down,” and “Unanswered Prayers.” Several of the album’s songs made Billboard’s list of Brooks’ 10 best songs.
CHEYENNE, Wyoming — Cheyenne Frontier Days™ (CFD) announced the 2021 Frontier Nights® entertainment series. The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) will return with its exclusive Last Cowboy Standing series and the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) Rodeo will return to the arena in 2021.
The entertainers announced and added to the 2021 lineup are Garth Brooks with Ned LeDoux; Cody Johnson with Aaron Watson; Maren Morris with TBA; and Kane Brown with Restless Road. Blake Shelton with John King; Eric Church with Ashely McBryde; and Thomas Rhett with Rhett Akins were rescheduled from 2020.
“We are so glad to be sharing this lineup for 2021 tonight,” Contract Acts Chairman Randy Krafft said. “It has been a long year for all of us and we can’t wait to welcome our fans back to Frontier Park.”
The 125th Cheyenne Frontier Days™ celebration is dedicated to the legendary Chris LeDoux. A press release said CFD officials are proud to honor Chris LeDoux and his ties to the rodeo and music worlds and his place in Cheyenne Frontier Days™ history. A bronze statue will be added to the sculpture collection on Frontier Park and a dedication will take place on July 23.
Tickets will go on sale Thursday, April 15 at 9 a.m. MDT at www.cfdrodeo.com, and by calling 307-778-7222. The Cheyenne Frontier Days Ticket Office will not be open for in-person sales at this time.
Additionally, the 125th annual “Daddy of ‘em All®” will feature nine days of PRCA professional rodeo that will culminate in Championship Sunday where champions are crowned and legends are made.
For two nights, the Top-40 stars of the PBR will return to attempt to conquer the sport’s rankest bulls on the historic Wyoming Dirt at Cheyenne Frontier Days, strapping in for their shot to make the buzzer. A rider must stay on his bull for 8 seconds to advance. If he gets bucked off, he is out of the competition. The grueling match between Man and Beast continues until one prevails and is crowned the Last Cowboy Standing.
There will be hundreds of vendors, a full carnival, artists, food and music that celebrate the history and culture of the American West.
Concert ticket prices range from $49 – $94, rooftop starts at $150. Daily rodeo tickets range from $18 – $35. A $3 discount is offered on rodeo tickets and $5 discount on concert tickets purchased before July 1. PBR tickets range from $25 – $105 with special Elite Seating and V.I.P. tickets also available at various prices.
Fans can upgrade to a Frontier Nights® Fast Pass for early admission to the Party Zone, a voucher for best-available same-day rodeo tickets and a souvenir rodeo program. For a full events schedule and profiles of musical acts, go to www.cfdrodeo.com.
A definitive ranking of Garth Brooks' 10 albums
Ten albums. One hundred thirteen songs. But which are the best?
Garth Brooks has a long list. He has produced a popular set-of-songs catalog second only to The Beatles.
But they’re not all winners.
For weeks, I’ve been relistening (and listening again) to the country superstar’s catalog to craft this definitive ranking of his 10 studio albums.
(We’re not counting Chris Gaines. I think everyone’s OK with that.)
Tell us your favorite album and weigh in on these rankings in the comments below. – Kevin Coffey
10. “Man Against Machine” (2014)
That year, the country superstar announced his return to the stage and the recording studio. Brooks’ turn on stages across North America were well-received, and he’s been selling out multiple nights in cities for three years now. But his new material wasn’t quite there. It’s more of a rock record than a country album, and even though “People Loving People” was a decent addition to his live set, the rest aren’t really worth remembering.
9. “Scarecrow” (2001)
An amusing duet with George Jones in “Beer Run” can’t save this record. Some of Brooks’ absolute worst material — have you ever heard “Mr. Midnight?” — graced this record. If that wasn’t enough, they even tacked on “When You Come Back to Me Again,” the forgettable theme to the even more forgettable film “Frequency.”
8. “Fresh Horses” (1995)
“She’s Every Woman” is a top 10 Brooks song, and “Ireland” may not be country, but it’s classic Brooks. The rest of the album suffers with the inclusion of an Aerosmith cover (the really lame “The Fever”), a bad attempt at romance (“That Ol’ Wind”) and Brooks sincerely singing “bippity boppity boo” (“It’s Midnight Cinderella”).
7. “The Chase” (1992)
His first real shot at something that crossed country with popular rock, “The Chase” has the gospel of “We Shall Be Free,” the swinging cover of “Walking After Midnight” and the cheeseball May-December romance of “That Summer.” It’s a decent record, but it ranks the lowest of Brooks’ early material.
6. “Gunslinger” (2016)
Brooks’ return to music, 2014’s “Man Against Machine,” was so forgettable that it begged the question whether Brooks’ days of recording good new music were far, far behind him. But then he arrived last year with “Gunslinger,” a 10-song record with the type of fun-loving, toe-tapping honky tonk tunes (“Honky-Tonk Somewhere”), romantic country rock (“Baby, Let’s Lay Down and Dance”) and slow-dancing ballads (“He Really Loves You”) we know him for. There are a few clunkers (“Weekend” doesn’t sound like it was finished), but it’s a solid album.
5. “Sevens” (1997)
On his seventh album, Brooks threw a lot at the wall, and a decent amount stuck. “Longneck Bottle” is one of his best honky tonks. Brooks channeled Jimmy Buffett for the excellent “Two Pina Coladas.” And “Belleau Wood” is one of his finest heartfelt deep cuts. (Those types of tunes rank among his very best material.) Then there’s the wonderful duet “In Another’s Eyes” with Trisha Yearwood, who wasn’t yet romantically involved with her future husband.
4. “Ropin’ the Wind” (1991)
Every time I hear “Rodeo,” a slow motion film of a rodeo cowboy pulling his hat down over his eyes to block out the arena light just before he hops on a bull plays out in my head. It’s one of Brooks’ best tunes, and the album contains several more including his excellent cover of Billy Joel’s “Shameless,” the wild murder ballad of “Papa Loves Mama” and the surprisingly vivid detail of “In Lonesome Dove.”
3. “In Pieces” (1993)
Brooks did two interesting things on his fifth album: His steps toward a hybrid of country and arena rock became more overt and more frequent while at the same time rooting himself firmly in old-school country. That’s how you have foot-stomping tunes like “Standing Outside the Fire,” “American Honky-Tonk Bar Association,” “Ain’t Goin’ Down (’Til the Sun Comes Up)” and “Callin’ Baton Rouge” on the same record as “The Night I Called the Old Man Out” and “The Cowboy Song,” one of his very best.
2. “Garth Brooks” (1989)
Most musicians can’t live up to their debut. The freshness of the singer’s sound. The energy they bring to their debut. All the years spent focused on that one project when subsequent releases never get the same attention. Brooks’ first is one of his best, largely on the strength of songs such as “The Dance,” “Cowboy Bill” and “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old),” which is truly the perfect country and western song.
1. “No Fences” (1990)
A good chunk of any of Brooks’ greatest hits comes straight from this record: “The Thunder Rolls,” “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House,” “Wild Horses,” “Unanswered Prayers” and, the mother of all drunken anthems, “Friends in Low Places.” This is the album that established his career, and about half of its tracks are featured in his nightly concerts for good reason. They’re great.
