Garth Brooks faced strong criticism from some of his conservative-leaning fans who chimed in during his weekly interactive Facebook Live series on Monday (Jan. 16).
Responding to comments from those who said they were “very disappointed” that Brooks will not be performing at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration later this week, the country superstar clarified the series of events on his “Inside Studio G” show on his Facebook page.
Brooks said he never agreed to perform during Friday’s festivities because he was waiting to solidify his tour schedule for this weekend.
“We go up to do the Christmas tree lighting in D.C., and TMZ — they always stick a camera in your face — they go, ‘Hey man, what about the inauguration?’ And the response was, ‘It’s always an honor to serve.’ I wasn’t asked at that point,” Brooks shared on his live-stream.
When casino mogul Steve Wynn became part of the Trump inaugural team, he approached the singer. “Steve Wynn is my brother. I love him to death,” Brooks said.
Being in the middle of a two-year worldwide tour, he said, “We left it up to karma. If Cincinnati goes two weekends instead of one, then of course we are out.”
Strong ticket sales prompted three additional shows in the Ohio city, booking the country star on inauguration weekend.
“I’ll tell you with this whole presidential thing: We got one going out. Pray for him and his family. And for the president going in, pray for him and his family to guide this nation. Let’s stay together,” Brooks said. “Love, unity — that’s what it’s all about.”
The singer then shared his own words for both the outgoing and incoming administrations: “We can’t thank the Obamas enough for serving this country,” he said. “And may God hold Trump’s hand in the decisions that he makes in this country’s name as well.”
Noting that Monday was MLK Day, he continued, “In the immortal words of of Martin Luther King, the most durable power that we’ve known is love. It will always be that way.”
Watch Garth Brooks address questions about his rumored inauguration performance at the 4:30 mark here:
