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ALBANY — Garth Brooks, 2016 Country Music Awards Entertainer of the Year and the number one selling solo artist in U.S. history, will appear at the Times Union Center for three nights this weekend — marking the first time he has performed in Albany in 20 years.
Brooks’ integration of rock and roll elements into the country genre has earned him immense popularity; he is the only artist in music history to have released seven albums that achieved diamond status in the United States.
Following two successful world tours in the 90s, Brooks took a 13-year hiatus from touring and recording after he and his college sweetheart, songwriter Sandy Mahl filed for divorce in 2000.
After getting remarried to country singer Trisha Yearwood in 2005, Brooks gradually came out of retirement and, in December 2013, he announced plans for a third world tour with his new wife. Beginning in September 2014 in Illinois, it launched in support of his 2014 studio album, Man Against Machine.
As of this month, the tour is on its seventh leg, having covered cities throughout the United States and Canada, and has shattered records for the most concerts in a single tour. High demand has prompted multiple concerts to be added in each city, with Brooks performing two shows per night in some cases.
Jon Bream of the Star Tribune described the concert as, “all about Garth being Garth, being humble and hammy, sincere and silly, romantic and rowdy — and making the fans believe that he’s having as much fun as they are.”
After an eight-concert run in Houston, Chris Gray of the Houston Press summarized the concert, saying, “Combine raw adrenaline, effortless showmanship, grade-A musical smarts, flawless execution, and enough heart to power the CenterPoint substation.”
Don’t miss the dance, Brooks fans. This weekend will be your last chance to catch The Garth Brooks World Tour with Trisha Yearwood in New York. Concerts will take place at the Times-Union Center at 51 S. Pearl St. in Albany on March 10, 11 and 12 at 7 p.m.; tickets are available on ticketmaster for $65.73.
DAY
TROY — A comic jam is a collaborative workshop. A bunch of artists of all ages and skills get together and draw comics!
It’s a drop-in event and you can contribute to an existing project or develop your own. It is about using your imagination with other creative people. It’s fun for artists of all ages and no previous experience is necessary! Drop in for a few minutes or stay for the whole time, it’s up to you.
Ira Marcks is a Troy-based cartoonist and author. For a time he was a regular contributor to Hugo Award Winning sci-fi/fantasy magazine,Weird Tales. Ira’s work has earned him a collaboration with 
Vimeo founder, Jake Lodwick, an interview in the PBS series ‘A House for Arts’ and a thoughtful blog post from comic theorist and Understanding Comics author, Scott McCloud. Ira self-published two books; Witch Knots, and The Aquarium Drift. In 2012 he shared his teaching work at the National Art Education Convention. For more infomation, go to http://iramarcks.com/workshops/.
Comic Jam with Ira Marcks will take place at the Troy Public Library, at 100 2nd St. in Troy, from 1 to 4 p.m. and admission is free. Please make reservations by calling the library at 274-7071 or register online.
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