Surprisingly, there were numerous sections of the venue that were noticeably bare in the upper levels. Thursday night, fans of all ages turned up ready to party during the full-on stage spectacle and basically attempt to drown out Brooks by roaring along to every last lyric, and at times, even singing the familiar bass lines and guitar parts to various tracks. But the multiple record-setting performer had mostly kept to his promise to stay retired until “at least 2014” after the release of his 2001 record, “Scarecrow.” Brooks has done a few benefit gigs, like playing five shows in just two days at Staples Center in Los Angeles for the Southern California 2008 Fire Relief Campaign, as well as serving out a three-year stint at the Wynn-owned Encore luxury resort, hotel and casino on the Strip in Las Vegas, which ended in 2012. This current world tour, which he’s on with his wife and fellow country music star, Trisha Yearwood, marks the first time the Country Music Hall of Fame inductee has embarked on a full-fledged outing in 13 years. Brooks hasn’t brought an official tour through Southern California in 19 years, a fact he noted after digging right in with “Rodeo.” During his first of five shows at the venue, the 53-year-old country music legend played it straight and delivered some of his biggest hits rapidly at the start of the set.

Garth Brooks gave fans exactly what they wanted Thursday night at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego.

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