Garth Brooks performed a free concert in New York City's Central Park. Attendance estimates in the supplied records range from more than 100,000 to one million people. Another 14.6 million viewers watched the concert live on HBO.
Garth Brooks released an album as “Chris Gaines,” a fictional character created for a planned film. The concept alienated some fans, and the album was Brooks's first since 1995 not to debut at No. 1; it ranked behind Creed's Human Clay.
A U.S. doctor filed a $35 million lawsuit against Southwest Bell. He claimed that his wife died because he was unable to get through to the 911 emergency line, as all telephone lines were overloaded by demand for tickets to a Garth Brooks concert.