“When you can pick where you play, you pick Edmonton,” says Garth Brooks of Commonwealth Stadium concerts

Hours before he was set to hit the stage at Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium for the first of two sold-out shows, country megastar Garth Brooks sang the praises of the city, the fans and the facility where it will all come together. 

“Try to remember that I’ve been doing this for 150 years,” Brooks said at a news conference at Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre. “You’re at that place where you get to pick where you want to be, right? So, you pick Edmonton.” 

Brooks said the Commonwealth Stadium concerts aren’t just about music.

“Love is the word, that’s it,” he said. “Our job is to make these people walk out of here loving each other more than they came in. The bottom line is I want Garth Brooks music to be all about inclusion, not exclusion. We cannot make it on our own.”

Big crowds 

Some 122,000 tickets were sold for two shows, June 24 and June 25, setting two records in the process: fastest sellout for a Brooks concert (Saturday concert tickets were gone in 45 minutes) and most tickets sold for a two-day event in the history of Commonwealth Stadium.

Heather Seutter, who is the director of Commonwealth Stadium for the City of Edmonton, said the facility and the people behind the scenes who make it go are ready for the history-making shows. 

“On nights like these, Commonwealth Stadium is a place that continues to make memories,” said Seutter. “We are glad that people from near and far will gather with friends and family in one of the best outdoor stadiums in Canada.”

Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium is home to sold-out Garth Brooks concerts June 24 and June 25.

The Commonwealth Stadium concerts start at 7 p.m. each night. Doors open at 5 p.m. The shows go on rain or shine. Small, pocket-sized and collapsible umbrellas without a point are permitted. Large umbrellas will not be allowed in the stadium. 

Accessibility entrances are located at Gates 2, 6 and 9. If you require elevator access, please use Gate 11.

Workers ready Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, June 24, 2022, for two, sold out Garth Brooks concerts.

Park & Ride

There is no parking on-site at Commonwealth Stadium or in the nearby neighbourhoods. Public transportation is the best way there and back. 

Park & Ride buses between Commonwealth Stadium and a variety of sites across the city start running two hours before the concerts and run every 10 minutes, approximately. 

For a regular transit fare ($6 round trip), Edmonton Transit Service (ETS) will get you to and from the concert, safely and quickly.

LRT

ETS offers LRT service to Commonwealth Stadium from 15 locations in Edmonton. Fares are $3.50 one-way or $7 round-trip. The Capital Line stops at Stadium Station, a short walk to Commonwealth.  

Transit

Bus routes 2 and 101 travel near Stadium Transit Centre. Please note that bus route 3 will be on detour during these events. From 5 p.m. until 11 p.m. on event days, this route will use temporary bus stops on 86 Street and 112 Avenue. 

For more information on getting to Commonwealth Stadium on time, visit takeETS.com.

Clear bags

Commonwealth Stadium has a clear bag policy. Only clear bags measuring 12”x6”x12” or non-clear bags 4.5”x6.5” will be allowed into the stadium.

Garth Brooks talks to a reporter at Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre on June 24, 2022, before the first of his two stadium shows in Edmonton.

By the numbers 

Brooks is the main attraction, of course, but here, according to Commonwealth Stadium’s Seutter, are some of the other ingredients that have gone into a safe and enjoyable night out at the concert for his fans.

160: portable washrooms

10,000: floor seats 

1,200: concession staff

100: merchandise staff

100: ushers

160: ETS buses and operators for Park & Ride

200: Stadium security

“We started loading out after the Edmonton Elks game last Saturday,” said Seutter. “It has been a great team effort, including peace officers, bylaw officers and security guards, too.”

Pizza!

The Commonwealth Stadium concerts are the only stops in Canada for Brooks’ current Stadium Tour. This is his second visit to Edmonton in five years. He performed nine sold-out shows at Rogers Place in 2017. A banner with his name now hangs from the rafters of the arena.

While he’s in Edmonton this time around, Brooks said he’ll be on the hunt for pizza at Edmonton restaurants.

“We’re food guys, so we’re gonna try every kind of pizza there is, because it’s the only perfect food on the planet,” he said.

Editor’s notes: the pic at the top of the post shows Garth Brooks answering a reporter’s question at Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre on June 24, 2022. For fans, here’s the setlist from the 36-song, double-encore Garth Brooks concert on June 18, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Edmonton Elks are back in action at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday, July 7. On Tuesday, July 26, Pope Francis celebrates an open-air mass at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton. This post has been updated with the correct one-way and round-trip LRT fares: $3.50 and $7.