Blog: City Blog

Garth Brooks Loves Knoxville. We Do Too.

Country music celebrity Garth Brooks’ Nov. 16 concert broke a Neyland Stadium record for concert sales with nearly 84,000 tickets sold.

The seven-time CMA Entertainer of the Year was the first to perform a concert at Neyland in 16 years. Fans came from all over the world.

In addition to packing the stadium, Brooks’ fans also filled downtown Knoxville hotels, eateries, bars and public parking garages.

By Saturday evening there were 4,500 garage parkers and about 500 vehicles in the City’s surface parking lots.

State Street, Promenade, Locust Street and Market Square garages were full – a first for State Street. While Brooks’ Stadium Tour concert drew the biggest numbers, the Tennessee and Bijou theaters were also busy with concerts.

And then there was downtown Knoxville’s regular Saturday night vibe that always brings people of all ages to enjoy activities, dining and concerts, or a stroll down Gay Street, Market Square or The Old City.

The City’s welcoming charm offers a music-filled downtown scene Knoxville is used to.

Many fans opted out of parking altogether and chose Knoxville Area Transit to see Garth Brooks at Neyland.

Passengers planned ahead and purchased passes from Knoxville Station in the days leading up to the concert. Through KAT’s regular bus route service, many fans arrived within two blocks of the stadium.

After the concert, KAT buses transported more passengers back to their car or destination.

“We even had people who planned on using Uber or Lyft to get home, but because those services were booked, we were able to provide them with transportation,” said Savannah Kilday KAT Marketing Manager.

KAT operations staff provided people with information to help get to and from the stadium, and drivers worked hard to navigate the heavy traffic getting passengers where they needed to go safely.

“The Garth Brooks concert created such an exciting atmosphere downtown and not only for the day of the concert but also for several days,” said Rick Emmett, Knoxville Downtown Coordinator. “The economic impact was huge for all of our businesses. By all accounts it was a great success for our City. This shows how well Knoxville can be a host to many events on a Saturday night.”

‪Perhaps Garth Brooks’ Facebook post said it best about Knoxville’s epic night:‬

“BEST night of the BEST week! ALL my love and gratitude!!!! love, g #GARTHinKNOXVILLE" ‬
facebook.com/GarthBrooks/

Posted by On 18 November, 2019 at 4:31 PM