RodeoHouston 2018

Garth Brooks and surprise guest close out RodeoHouston 2018 with raucous, record-breaking show

Garth Brooks Rodeo Houston closing show approved shot

The sold-out crowd was treated to a surprise cameo, and a vow by Brooks to return.

Courtesy photo

The best person to open the 2018 RodeoHouston season was also the best one to close it out.

The biggest country artist ever, Garth Brooks, set an all-time attendance record March 18 with 75,577 paid to see his second show. For the fans that scored one of the hardest tickets in town to find, they got a 14-song barnburner that met the energy of the opening show and then some, featuring the biggest ovations and loudest crowds of the last three weeks.

One of the biggest questions coming into the early-evening performance was how different would the setlist be from the first show? Many of the same people who had saw him way back on February 22 would be there, so while an exact same setlist would still be welcomed by a demographic that simply love the Oklahoma-based star, it would have been a little bit of a downer if Brooks didn’t bring at least a few new songs to enjoy.

For half the set, it looked like it might be that way. Not that anyone was complaining. A rousing “Rodeo” started things off, the song feeling like it was written solely for the purpose of opening a RodeoHouston set. “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House,” showcased the country rock that Brooks ushered into the mainstream in the early '90s. “The River,” a powerhouse ballad, had NRG awash in lights from everyone’s cell phones.

“Two Pina Coladas” turned the stadium into Brooks’ very own version of Margaritaville, followed by a fantastic “That Summer,” every one of his 10 backing band members being heard through the hundreds of speakers hung from the stadium ceiling.

“How many times does lightning strike twice in the same place?” Brooks asked, before launching into the country version of “November Rain,” replete with thunderous sound effects and rainstorm visuals.

Then, Brooks had a few surprises up his sleeve. A blazing pure honky tonk of “Ain’t Going Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)” saw him run from one side of the stadium to the other to serenade fans from the seat railings. That preceded a special guest appearance by none other than Brooks’ wife, Trisha Yearwood, a huge country star in her own right.

Yearwood received a huge roar of approval as she took to the Stars Over Texas stage before the king and queen of modern country broke into sweetly sung, 1997 No. 2 country hit, husband/wife duet, “In Another’s Eyes.” Brooks then stepped back and let his partner take the spotlight for her No. 1 country hit, “She’s in Love with the Boy,” her pipes just as good as ever. If anyone is at the top of the list for performers to book in 2019, it’s Yearwood.

After she made her way off stage into a waiting pick-up truck, Brooks covered Texas music legend George Strait for the second show in a row, this time playing a near-note perfect rendition of “Amarillo by Morning,” eliciting the biggest singalong of the night. Brooks might be the people’s champ when it comes to country music, but it was pretty clear that Strait was still Texas’ favorite son.

Brooks saved his biggest hits, “Friends In Low Places,” and “The Dance,” for last, the former getting everyone out of their seats and the both of them being belted out by the 75,000-plus in the stands.

Even if most of the setlist stayed the same, there was enough added to the show, not to mention the tremendous energy from the performers and crowd, there was little to dislike. It was like having to eat your favorite dessert two nights in a row with a few ingredients switched up but still with one delicious result.

Near the end of the performance, Brooks mentioned that RodeoHouston was over 85 years old — 86 years to be exact — and forecasted a future return date for him and his band.

“I’m a lot older than the last time I was at RodeoHouston,” he said. “I made a handshake deal with board ... If I could still walk, I would love to come back and do the 100th anniversary.”

Let’s hope it doesn’t take that long to get him back.

Garth Brooks Setlist

“Rodeo”
“Two of a Kind, Workin’ On A Full House”
“The River”
“Two Pina Coladas”
“That Summer”
“The Thunder Rolls”
“Ain’t Going Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)”
“In Another’s Eyes” (Trisha Yearwood/Garth Brooks duet)
“She’s in Love with the Boy” (Trisha Yearwood solo song)
“Amarillo By Morning” (George Strait cover)
“Callin’ Baton Rouge”
“Ask Me How I Know”
“Friends in Low Places”
“The Dance”

concerts music rodeo

Movie Review

Chris Pratt fights for his innocence in popcorn thriller Mercy

Photo courtesy Amazon Content Services

Chris Pratt in Mercy.

It seems like every other movie set in modern times being released these days includes either a reference to or a plot revolving around artificial intelligence. In the real world, the benefits of the technology compete with its downsides, but when it comes to movies A.I. is almost always seen as a threat, including in the new film Mercy.

The audience is thrown headlong into the slightly futuristic story involving LAPD Detective Chris Raven (Chris Pratt), who finds himself strapped in a chair in a sparse room, being told that he is on trial for killing his wife. Turns out he’s in a court dubbed “Mercy,” which is overseen by an AI judge named Maddox (Rebecca Ferguson). By the rules of the court, Raven has 90 minutes to provide reasonable doubt of his guilt, or he will be executed on the spot.

Raven is in a multi-pronged quandary: Not only does he believe he’s innocent despite a trove of evidence pointing to his guilt, but he’s also the poster boy for the law enforcement side of the equation, having arrested the first man who went to Mercy. Anger and disbelief for Raven turn into acceptance, which then turns into him tapping into his detective skills, scrutinizing every shred of evidence the court provides him in a desperate attempt to save his own life.

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and written by Marco van Belle, the film is a relatively propulsive thriller despite having a so-so story and even worse acting. The film is told in real time (with a few fudges here and there), so the concept alone of a man trying to prove his innocence in a short amount of time provides good intrigue. Bekmambetov’s use of digital elements as Raven scrolls through files or calls potentially exculpatory witnesses like his partner, Jaq Diallo (Kali Reis), keeps the film visually interesting.

On the other hand, the swift viewing of videos and documents by Raven, not to mention the high degree of cooperation by Judge Maddox, opens up more than a few plot holes. The filmmakers try to explain away a few leaps in logic by having Raven falling off the sobriety wagon the night before, but they can only use that excuse for so long. They also have the AI judge experience technical glitches along the way, errors that seem to point toward a wider conspiracy until they’re completely forgotten.

More than anything, it’s difficult to get over the wooden acting of Pratt and the misuse of other usually reliable actors. Pratt has no real presence, especially when he’s confined to a chair, so any emotion he tries to conjure up comes off as contrived. Ferguson is done no favors by a role that shows only her upper body and has her alternating between robotic and oddly sympathetic. Reis earned an Emmy nomination for True Detective: Night Country, but has little to do here, a fate that also takes out Chris Sullivan as Raven’s AA sponsor.

If you’re okay with turning off your brain for a little while, Mercy can be an enjoyable watch. But if you find yourself scrutinizing why characters make the odd decisions they do, or the wishy-washy way the film approaches AI in general, then you’re likely to find the whole thing lacking.

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Mercy is now playing in theaters.

movies film chris pratt rebecca ferguson movie review