In order for Garth Brooks’ upcoming Tampa, Florida concerts to be affected by the National Hockey League (“NHL”) Stanley Cup Playoffs, the perfect storm had to hit. And it did.
In a best case scenario for Tampa Bay Lightning fans, they would face off against the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL Finals, giving them home ice advantage for the first two games of the series. However, for country fans who were holding golden tickets to Garth Brooks’ Florida shows, the scenario didn’t bode quite as well.
Currently, Garth has three shows scheduled for Amalie Arena, home to the Tampa Bay Lightning – one for Friday night, June 5th, and two for Saturday night, June 6th. June 6th marks Game 2 of the NHL Finals and is slated to take place on the same floor as the back-to-back concerts. The marketing manager for the arena said in a statement:
[We] are aware of a conflict presented by potential Stanley Cup Final game dates at Amalie Arena and we are presently working to address that conflict. We will release more information when it becomes available.
Hopefully the situation ends better for the Lightning than it likely will for Garth Brooks’ affected fans. It does appear they are very much pucked …
***UPDATE***
Garth Brooks’ Tampa, Florida shows are officially canceled, according to GarthBrooks.com. The following is a statement from Garth and Trisha Yearwood regarding the unfortunate situation:
First of all, we would all like to congratulate the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Chicago Blackhawks for reaching the Stanley Cup Final. As we now know, Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final is being played on Saturday, June 6th. All parties looked into moving Saturday’s two Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood shows to Sunday. The issue of getting the network crews and their gear out of the building and getting our crews and gear into the building late Saturday/early Sunday for two shows on Sunday raises serious safety concerns. It is because of those safety concerns that the choice is being made to refund all shows and reschedule depending on finding a date that works for both the arena and the tour.
This was a hard decision for everyone. We would like to thank Elmer Straub at Amalie Arena and Tod Leiweke with the Tampa Bay Lightning for working around the clock for the last 48 hours to find a remedy for the situation. We personally know Gary Bettman and are very familiar with the League and its players, coaches, and staff…they are all stand-up people. We are convinced everything that could have been done was done to try to remedy the situation. Congrats again to the City of Tampa, good luck, and we will be watching the series!!!
If you are a ticket-holder, click here for information about how to obtain a refund.
