Garth Fights For Firefighters

Country Legend Doing Five Fundraiser Concerts For Those Who Battled SoCal Wildfires, And Victims

(CBS)  Country superstar Garth Brooks is coming out of semi-retirement this weekend.

He's headlining five Los Angeles concerts in just two days in an effort to raise $10 million for a good cause.

As Early Show national correspondent Hattie Kauffman reports, "More Than a Memory" isn't only the title of Brooks' latest chart-topping single. It also describes how thousands of Southern Californians feel about last year's devastating wildfires.

Says Brooks, "I have never seen anything like what I saw on TV. I've never seen flames that high. I've never seen wind that hard."

So, he's doing the concerts hoping to raise the money for local firefighters and fire victims. And all five concerts sold out in just an hour.

"It's gonna be great," Brooks told Kauffman,"just the chance to play. I don't get to play that much anymore. So, just the chance to play is what I'm looking forward to. And then the fact that it's going to do some GOOD. That's the cherry on top."

Kauffman says firefighters are extraordinarily grateful.

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If you want to contribute, log on to mccormicktribune.org/2008firerelief.

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Capt. Julie Hutchinson of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says, "More than anything, I thank him for taking time out of HIS life, to come and make a difference for people. As fire service professionals, that's what we do a lot. We are here for the people."

Brooks couldn't agree more, saying,"The love that these guys have for people they don't even know, KILLS me. ... And they don't have any hesitation. Their first thing is to GO. My first thing is to get the hell out!"

Brooks concedes he'll be a bit nervous at the shows, "And I carry my 'TV weight' with me!" he said, patting his belly and laughing. "You always want to represent yourself the best you can.

"It's our job to make it different. So, we're bringing in a new stage, we're bringing in a new light rig, and playing new music we've never played before, with some special guests. We're excited -- c'mon, you've gotta keep reinventing yourself. Or, you know, nobody's going to tune in just to see the same old, grey haired, balding fat guy play his music! So, it's just have fun, and do your thing!"

Brooks might be semi-retired but, Kaufmann, he's definitely NOT the "retiring" type: He's working with children's charities, selling "special edition" CDs to fight breast cancer, and now, raising millions for fire relief.

"I'm just happy that under this umbrella of 'retirement,' you can pick and choose what you do," Brooks observes. "And this weekend is going to be nothing but a labor of love for nothing but a great cause.

"So," he smiled, "how do you lose?!"

[stddating]

I agree that NONE of the money actually comes back to the victims. Maybe, Garth Brooks knows, he is just ignoring it because he can not change it.


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[francibob]

It''s a joke. Where does the money go--to the firefighters. You know the guys that make 100k/yr for doing their part time jobs. The only job in the world that you get paid while you sleep. That is, when your not watching TV, surfing the internet, cooking, running errands, etc. Oh yeah, they do actual work sometimes.

These guys have every benefit imagineable. All courtesy of their union who uses funds from any number of sources to bribe public officials. The wildfires we had last summer just show you how inept the fire service continues to be. Only when things get out of control do they bring in the 747 and/or DC10. How about the Weyerhauser GPS fire fighting system. When are the firefighters ever going to realize that wildfires have to be fought from the air and not by having ineffective fire engines going up winding roads. Also, their unions have all but eliminated volunteers and trained prison inmates from fighting forest fires--cuts into their boys OT too much, I guess. Let''s face it our firefighters are grossly overpaid in salaries, benefits, and pensions. Unions are becoming extinct in the private sector due to their outlandish demands which make companies uncompetitive--ever hear of GM? So they have moved onto the public sector where there is no need to be efficient, competitive, accountable, etc. Want what you need? Bribe someone. Need more money? Raise taxes--the sky''s the limit. When are people going to catch onto these "heroes"?

[mauer16-2009]

I believe Garth Brooks believes that he is doing a great thing for fire victims, but he should really know that NONE of the money actually comes back to the victims. I lost my home in the recent Lake Arrowhead fires. I was not at home when the fires startsd, so I lost everything. I didn''t even have a toothbrush. I have seen so many agencies raising money for the "fire victims" but I''m not sure where any of this money is going. I have asked many questions, but have received no answers. Garth Brooks is making news about his wonderful concert, but the fire victims have been long forgotten. I am still living in a small apartment trying to figure out how to put my life back together.