In 2018, Garth Brooks played two sold-out shows at the Grand Ole Opry. While it may come as no surprise that Brooks easily packed the 4,400 seat theater for both shows, in a truly unprecedented act, he came back on stage after the red curtain was brought down to perform several more tunes including a cover of George Strait's "The Fireman."
"Let's be honest with each other...if we're here for longer than we want, remember you asked for it," Brooks joked with the crowd before launching into "That Summer," the first song of what many are saying is the first ever encore at the Opry. Then, Brooks took a moment to set up a tribute to one of his favorite artists — George Strait.
Admitting that the band didn't expect to play "The Fireman" that night, he wanted to give the song a shot, anyway. Of course, with such a talented band, what transpired was an expertly performed, amusing rendition of the song with an enthusiastic fiddle solo and the crowd singing along to every word.
Hear Brooks' cover of "The Fireman" below.
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Written by Mack Vickery and Wayne Kemp, "The Fireman" was released in May 1985 as the third single off of Strait's Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind. The lyrics are tongue-in-cheek, with the "fireman" not actually tending to fires, but rather women who are angry after a breakup. In true Garth fashion, the country icon made the most of the song.
Brooks chose to end the night with "The Dance," leaving the crowd with a historic experience to remember.
This article was originally posted in 2018.
Lyrics to George Strait's "The Fireman":
Well, they call me the fireman, that's my name
Making my rounds all over town, putting out old flames
Well everybody'd like to have a what I got
I can cool 'em down when they're smoldering hot
I'm the fireman, that's my name
Last night they had a bad one a mile or two down the road
Well my buddy walked out and left his woman burnin' out of control
Well I was down there in about an hour or so
With a little mouth to mouth she was ready to go
I'm the fireman, that's my name
They call me the fireman, that's my name
Making my rounds all over town, putting out old flames
Well everybody'd like to have a what I got
I can cool 'em down when they're smoldering hot
I'm the fireman, that's my name
Burn 'em up
Got a fire engine red T-bird automobile
In a minute or less I can be dressed fit to kill
I work 24 on, 24 off
When they get too hot, they just give me a call
I'm the fireman, that's my name
They call me the fireman, that's my name
Making my rounds all over town, putting out old flames
Well everybody'd like to have a what I got
I can cool 'em down when they're smoldering hot
I'm the fireman, that's my name
They call me the fireman, that's my name
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