Garth Brooks Isn’t Mad at Eric Church or His Fans After Onstage Slight
Garth Brooks admits his fans might have done the same thing Eric Church's fans did had he lost the CMA Entertainer of the Year award last week.
When pressed to respond to Church singing "And I know Garth didn't do it this way" during his show in Washington D.C. last Saturday, Brooks says he understands how Church was speaking to his people, and he understands why his fans brought signs to the concert hailing the "Monsters" singer as the "real" Entertainer of the Year.
"All I’ve heard from him," Brooks tells Broadway of Broadway's Electric Barnyard on NashFM 93.1 in Detroit, "I’ve heard from him that (not winning) doesn’t bother him. But the line, 'They pissed the wrong fans off,' that’s perfect. Because if our name hadn’t been called, then in Knoxville there would have been signs everywhere, 'You’re the entertainer of a lifetime!'"
Saving Country Music clarified that Church talked about angering the wrong fans during his Friday show in Washington D.C. The altered song lyric came on Saturday, the same night Brooks played in Knoxville, Tenn.
"It brings you closer to your team," the "Dive Bar" singer continues. Those guys will keep going, and the year that he wins it will be the sweetest year for him. So I guess I just don’t see what everybody else is seeing."
Fans of Church and Carrie Underwood were upset with the results of the Entertainer of the Year voting, and groups of both fan bases aimed their ire at Brooks on social media.
Additionally, some Underwood fans were upset Brooks did not mention her in his acceptance speech. The Hall of Famer says he didn't have a speech prepared — he recognized after the show that he thought she would win, too, and that they did share a nice moment after the show.
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