Garth Brooks concerts canceled after Lightning make Stanley Cup Final

Garth Brooks may only have friends in low places, so perhaps that’s why he won’t be sharing a stage with the Stanley Cup Final.

To the disappointment of “Garth-o-holics” in Florida, the country music star canceled his three upcoming concerts at Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay on Sunday because of a conflict with the Stanley Cup Final between the Chicago Blackhawks and Tampa Bay Lightning, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

Before the Lightning struck down the New York Rangers and thunderously rolled into the Final, Brooks was scheduled to perform in consecutive shows at Amalie Arena on Saturday. However, the Lightning and Blackhawks are scheduled to play Game 2 of their series Saturday.

In a statement issued by Brooks and his wife-tourmate Trisha Yearwood, the couple said they worked “around the clock for the last 48 hours” with officials at Amalie Arena to try to formulate a solution, which included the possibility of moving two Saturday shows to Sunday.

However, safety concerns regarding the movement of equipment and gear in the arena led them to err on the side of caution.

“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,” the statement read.

As for Brooks, he isn’t in pieces over the Lightning and Blackhawks taking over his gig. An avid hockey fan, Brooks congratulated Tampa Bay on the Lightning’s march to their second Stanley Cup Final.

“We are convinced everything that could have been done was done to try to remedy the situation,” Brooks said in the statement. “Congrats again to the City of Tampa, good luck, and we will be watching the series!!!”