By .
Garth Brooks is speaking out about why he’s choosing to play dive bars after cancelling his stadium tour amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The country crooner was blown away as he explained how there’s been a competition on country radio to win tickets to his October 11 show in Oklahoma City, with over half a million people entering to win one of the 700 tickets.
Brooks told fans during Monday’s episode of his Facebook series “Inside Studio G”, “Stadiums are officially out for this year.”
He went on to say of why he’s playing dive bars instead, “The dive bars are vaccinated! That’s how you get to do it.”
Fans can also provide proof of a negative PCR COVID-19 test within 72 hours prior to the event, or proof of a negative antigen test within six hours prior to the event, according to Yahoo!
“I know that people are saying they’re doing this at the NFL games,” Brooks added of other stadium events. “Great for them. I just can’t imagine how you pull all that together.”
RELATED: Only 35 Garth Brooks Fans Get Vaccines Before Concert
He continued, “Like we said a month ago, we’ll watch — watch how college football is doing, professional football. We’ll learn from [companies with vaccine passes].
“And also watch the numbers. What’s going on out there with our children in our schools. With people out and about. Seeing what’s going on.”
It was revealed in August that Brooks was cancelling his remaining stadium tour dates due to rising COVID-19 cases after pausing the shows in early 2020 before picking it up again in July 2021.
“The thing that scares me that you have to look it is: I never saw the second wave coming, right,” he said. “I didn’t know there was going to be such a thing. Well, is there a third wave? So you just watch this.”
He continued, “What you want to do is what’s best for the people. Man, I want to play music. I want to get out there and laugh. I’m telling you the look in people’s eyes from the stage — from getting together singing again — brought so much hope and so much joy. It killed me to have to shut it down again. But you want to do what is best for the people that are sweet enough to come and see you.
“That’s why dive bars instead of stadiums.”
Brooks confirmed that more shows at small venues would be added to the calendar in upcoming weeks.
He said of playing such intimate shows, “All I know is [my directive is]: ‘G, show up, play, have a fun time.’ The dive bars are crazy. You remember showing up [but] I don’t remember anything during the dive bar [shows]. It’s just nuts — and it never slows down… It’s just foot to the pedal. Just all the way to the floor. From when you start to when you finish. So much fun. I’m so looking forward to this.”