Garth Brooks is headed back to Chicago for two nights at Allstate Arena on September 11 and 12, and the city carries a weight for him that goes far beyond a typical tour stop.
The dates are part of Brooks’ newly announced Blame It All on My Roots Tour, with tickets going on sale Friday, August 7. For Brooks and his team, the return to Allstate Arena is deeply personal — rooted in a moment nearly a decade ago when the city stepped in and rescued one of country music’s most anticipated comebacks.
A Comeback That Almost Wasn’t
In 2014, Brooks was poised to end a lengthy touring hiatus with five concerts in Dublin, Ireland. The shows lost their event licenses before a single note was played, and all five were canceled — leaving more than 400,000 ticket holders with refunds and Brooks without a launchpad. Trisha Yearwood, his wife, described the fallout on GarthBrooks.com in stark terms: “It was like a death in the family. He took that hard… everyone did.”
With the comeback suddenly derailed, Brooks and his team moved quickly to find a replacement. Chicago answered the call.
‘Chicago Saved Garth’
Rather than limping into his return, Brooks opened the tour with 11 consecutive sold-out nights at Allstate Arena — a run that fundamentally shifted the momentum. Yearwood credited the city directly: “That was when the life came back into our house. Call me dramatic, but Chicago saved Garth and that tour.”
Those shows helped launch what became one of the largest tours in country music history, and Brooks has never stopped acknowledging the debt. He currently holds the Allstate Arena record for most performances by a single artist, with 23 shows to his name. The two upcoming dates will push that total even higher.
Brooks has been equally direct about what the city means to him. “I owe that city; we all do on this team,” he said. “I can’t wait to get there to show the people of Chicago our gratitude and how much we love them.”
With the Blame It All on My Roots Tour now underway, Chicago fans will have the chance to see Brooks extend his own arena record while the singer gets to repay, in some small measure, the city he credits with saving everything.
