American country singer Garth Brooks is the latest musician to be drafted in for Joe Biden’s inauguration as President of the United States on Wednesday in Washington D.C.
Brooks is perhaps best known in Ireland for the 2014 fiasco which saw him initially announce five nights of concerts in Croke Park, before opposition from local residents’ committees saw all five gigs pulled from the schedule and ticketholders refunded less than a month before opening night.
The singer from Oklahoma has finally bounced back from his Croke Park disappointment, however, with the announcement that he will join an all-star cast including Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, Lin Manuel Miranda and Jennifer Lopez at the ceremony on Capitol Hill. Multiple Grammy Award-winner Lady Gaga is scheduled to sing the national anthem at the ceremony.
Brooks was quoted as saying that his performance was “a statement of unity” and he saw it as a way of serving his country. The inauguration comes at a time of deep political tension in the States, as Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump faces an impeachment trial in the Senate after a break-in at the US Capitol on January 6 saw five people killed.
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Biden has sought to spread a message of unity, and a 46-song playlist released by the 46th president-elect and his Vice President Kamala Harris features a wide range of artists, including all of those who are expected to perform in D.C. on Wednesday.
It’s set to be a spectacular event and we just hope that Brooks knows it’s a one-night-only kind of gig.
