Garth Brooks Covers The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's ‘Fishin’ in the Dark’ on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Garth Brooks has taken to the Jimmy Kimmel Live stage to perform an energised cover of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's legendary 1987 hit, ‘Fishin’ in the Dark’, as well as stopping by the studio for a rare interview with the US talk-show personality.

The timing of Garth Brooks’ national television appearance has come as a surprise to some, given that he is currently embroiled in a high-profile sexual assault case, with the ‘Friends in Low Places’ hitmaker facing accusations of sexual battery and rape.

According to reports, Garth's performance as part of Jimmy Kimmel's outdoor concert series had initially been called off, with fans that had signed up for free tickets to the event receiving an email from organisers earlier in November apologising for the cancellation, “Unfortunately, the Garth Brooks outdoor mini-concert at Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday, November 25, has been canceled and will no longer proceed as scheduled. Television production decisions can fluctuate due to a variety of reasons. We hate delivering disappointing news, and we hope you will join us in the future for another exciting fan experience. Unfortunately, in the world of television, these things sometimes happen. This event will not be rescheduled”.

However, on Friday, November 22nd, ABC seemingly performed a volte-face, with the network confirming Garth Brooks’ concert would be going ahead on Monday, November 25th.

The recorded performance has now aired, with the country titan taking on a cover of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, rather than offering up a live rendition of one of his many chart-toppers. Famously, Garth Brooks has a unique deal with Amazon Music, with his discography not found on rival platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music, so perhaps Garth didn't want a live recording of one of his original tracks to be made available on YouTube, rather than on Amazon.

In addition to performing, Garth Brooks chatted to Jimmy Kimmel about a host of topics, including Thanksgiving, Christmas and his forthcoming Anthology IV: Going Home project.

The latest instalment in the Oklahoma native's much-loved Anthology series, which is set to be released on Friday, December 6th, features a collection of unseen photos, quotes and stories all pivoting around the 14 years Garth Brooks spent away from the spotlight as he temporarily retired to focus on raising his three daughters.

When getting onto the subject of Anthology Part IV: Going Home, Garth Brooks joked about the photo used for the cover of the project, quipping, “I'd like to thank my air-brusher”.

Alongside this, Garth Brooks discussed his love of Christmas with Jimmy Kimmel, with Garth getting emotional when delving into their festive routine, “For me, ornaments are cool, but they gotta have a meaning to them. [Trisha Yearwood and I] always decorate with the three girls. We've done that since we've known each other. So the three girls have three bells, and that's the first thing that has to go on the tree”.

The two-time Grammy Award winner expanded, “That means it's Christmas and that means it's time to love one another and drop all this silly shit and just have some fun together”.

Garth Brooks continues his popular Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in the lead-up to Christmas, with the final Vegas shows lined up throughout February and March.

For more on Garth Brooks, see below: