Garth Brooks Is Coming Back To Oklahoma, But Some Fans Say ‘No Thanks’

I saw the announcement that Garth Brooks is coming back to Oklahoma, and my first thought was, that's a pretty big deal. He's from Oklahoma, done a million concerts here over the years, and I don't think he's ever not sold out an arena anywhere he goes.

The Sooner State loves Garth.

Garth Brooks Tulsa Concerts 2026

He's bringing his Blame It All On My Roots Arena Tour to the BOK Center in Tulsa for three shows, October 23, 24, and 25. Three nights of Garth Brooks in Oklahoma ought to be an easy sell, especially when you consider what Garth meant to country music and how proud Oklahoma was of him at some point in time... But then I read the comments.

Whether you're looking at TikTok or Facebook, there's a noticeable number of people saying they aren't going. Some of them used to be big Garth fans. Now they're saying they'll keep their money in their pockets, and they're pretty clear about why.

Garth's politics.

I get raised eyebrows when I tell people this, but I'll admit it. I don't care about the politics behind good music. I'll listen to just about anything if it jams, even if the artists themselves are insufferably political on the far reaches of that spectrum, preaching to the world as if their fame makes their opinion more valuable.

As if I'm going to take civics advice from a junkie?

I don't care who rockstars campaign for, what they believe, or whether their politics line up with mine. I don't even look for meaning in the lyrics. If it grooves, I'm listening to it.

In the comments section, that whole "good is good enough" belief isn't good enough for the political landscape in 2026.

Garth Brooks And The Bud Light Controversy

Garth got himself into a pretty big mess with some of his longtime fans a few years ago after he said his Nashville bar, Friends in Low Places, would continue to serve Bud Light during that whole backlash that could have bankrupted the brand... But even as he spoke about peace and tolerance, Garth also called the people boycotting Bud Light "a**holes," and a lot of those people were his longtime fans, and the internet never forgets.

Oklahoma is about as red as states get, so it probably shouldn't be surprising that old controversy is drawing a line in the red dirt.

You can see people talking about being done with him, people saying they won't spend a dime on one of his shows, and a smaller number of people who seem genuinely surprised that anybody would let politics get between them and a Garth Brooks concert.

Garth Brooks Fans In Oklahoma Are Divided

I can't even get away from this debate. It's happening to some extent in my family group text.

Here's the context... I had a chance to see Garth Brooks on his massive world tour in the late '90s, but I wasn't able to go. I got dropped off at Camp Lujo down in Faxon that week before the OKC show.

The family went without me. They're Garth super-fans. Mom even saw him at that Stillwater country bar back when he was a nobody. They remember that show still as "amazing," but the overall consensus now is "He's not Garth anymore. We're not going."

His controversy is still very much alive across Oklahoma. It has clearly changed the way some people look at Garth Brooks, and judging by the comments surrounding these Tulsa shows, there are people who have already made up their minds.

The ticket sales will be the final indicator of whether Oklahoma still loves its abandoned son. The last time he played Tulsa, it was seven back-to-back sold-out shows at the BOK.

There are only three on the schedule this time around, but that's pretty normal for Garth. When he went to Ireland a few years ago, they ended up adding a few extra shows by the time the first tickets were out online. Five shows in total.

I wouldn't consider this debacle high stakes, but it'll be a clear indicator of consequences or forgiveness in Oklahoma.