Garth Brooks Prepares to Unveil The Anthology Part VI: The Comeback, Promising Five Years of Unseen Hits.LC
Artist: Garth Brooks Album/Set: The Anthology Part VI: The Comeback: The Next Five Years Format: Hardcover Book, 6 CDs, 60 Songs, 150+ Photos Release Focus: The Stadium Tour, The Dive Bars, Croke Park (Dublin), and the Caesars Palace Residency (2018–2025)
Garth Brooks is not just a musician; he is an industry, a phenomenon, and a master storyteller, even when the story is his own. The release of The Anthology Part VI: The Comeback: The Next Five Years isn’t merely another compilation; it is the definitive document of the most recent, and perhaps most resilient, phase of his unparalleled career. Spanning the period from his massive North American Stadium Tour through the innovative ‘Dive Bar’ series and culminating in his groundbreaking Plus ONE residency at Caesars Palace, this six-CD, sixty-song multimedia set chronicles how the biggest solo artist in American history navigated the world, and a global pandemic, by continually seeking new, authentic ways to connect with his audience.
The Architect of Connection
To understand the weight of this collection, one must first recognize the artist. Born Troyal Garth Brooks, he emerged in the late 1980s and fundamentally reshaped country music, integrating rock arena production and showmanship with traditional Nashville themes. By the time he retired (or rather, took a pause) in the early 2000s, he held records for sales and attendance previously unthinkable in the genre. This “Comeback” era, which began in earnest around 2018, wasn’t about recapturing past glory; it was about proving the continued, almost mythical, power of live performance.
The Anthology Part VI captures the dizzying duality of this period. On one hand, you have the Stadium Tour, a logistical marvel featuring a stage the size of a football field and record-shattering crowds. On the other, the Dive Bar Tour series, sponsored by Seagram’s and launched in support of his single with Blake Shelton, “Dive Bar.” This latter movement represents a conscious grounding, a return to the sawdust floors and sticky counters where every legend starts. This box set juxtaposes the epic scope of 100,000-person singalongs with the sweaty, immediate intimacy of a few hundred fans pressed against a stage, demonstrating Brooks’ unique ability to shrink and expand the musical experience at will.
The Sound of Resilience: 60 Songs Across Six Discs
The musical core of this volume is spread across six CDs, offering 60 tracks that blend studio material with a wealth of live recordings. The set anchors itself with tracks from his latest studio efforts, Fun! (2020) and Time Traveler (2023), albums that served as the soundtrack to his touring years. However, the true gems are the live cuts.
Brooks has always maintained that his music is a collaborative experience, and the inclusion of live covers and collaborations validates this ethos. The energy of the Dive Bar shows, often featuring raw, stripped-down versions of hits and covers, injects a palpable grit into the collection. But the undisputed highlight is the exclusive live record from Ireland, which captures his historic five-night run at Croke Park in Dublin. This monumental achievement, fulfilling a long-standing promise to the Irish fans, is memorialized by an exclusive live recording of the iconic anthem, “Friends in Low Places.” This single track is more than music; it’s a moment of cultural completion, a loud, communal roar that encapsulates the spirit of his entire return.
The Las Vegas Chronicle: Plus ONE
The final, defining chapter of this “Next Five Years” is the Caesars Palace Residency. Unlike the traditional, highly scripted Las Vegas show, Brooks conceived Garth Brooks/Plus ONE, where no two performances are the same. He promised a rotating cast of musicians and special guests—a fiddle player one night, his whole band the next, or simply him and an acoustic guitar—hence the “Plus ONE” moniker.
This residency section of the anthology likely features the most diverse and intimate live recordings. It captures Brooks operating without a safety net, showcasing his musicianship and his uncanny connection to the audience. It’s here, in the stories and potentially unique renditions found within the CD tracks and the accompanying book, that we hear the artist reflecting not just on his songs, but on the very act of sharing music. This era is a meta-commentary on his career: a deliberate stripping away of the stadium spectacle to focus on the raw, human element of songcraft.
Beyond the Music: Liner Notes on Steroids
As with all previous volumes of The Anthology, the hardbound book component is indispensable. With over 150 behind-the-scenes photos and deeply personal stories, Brooks and his closest collaborators—including band members, road crew, and, of course, Trisha Yearwood—provide what he famously calls “liner notes on steroids.”
This narrative element offers vital context to the musical journey. Readers will gain insight into the logistical nightmares of mounting a stadium tour, the spontaneity of the secret Dive Bar shows, and the emotional weight of standing before 400,000 screaming fans in Dublin. It documents how the entire operation, from the sound engineers to the family members, navigated the severe disruptions of the early 2020s, transforming drive-in concerts and Zoom sessions into new forms of fan engagement.
The Anthology Part VI is more than a retrospective; it is a meticulously preserved artifact of an unprecedented period. It’s a testament to the enduring power of a single artist to command the largest stages in the world while never losing sight of the smallest—the intimacy of a dive bar, a hotel residency, or a personal reflection captured in 150+ candid photographs. For fans, it’s a front-row seat to the final, triumphant run of a legend.
