Garth Brooks lights it up in record-breaking Pittsburgh show

A Pirates jersey-clad Garth Brooks performed for a record-breaking audience Saturday night at Heinz Field on Pittsburgh’s North Shore.

The concert was delayed slightly because of weather concerns, but the crowd — expected to top 75,000 for a Heinz Field record — was allowed to resume entering the stadium shortly before 8:30 p.m.

JUST IN: Because of an “inclement weather delay” — which a security worker tells me refers to lightning ? observed nearby — @heinzfield has STOPPED letting anyone into the stadium who has a seat on the floor.

The #GARTHinPittsburgh concert’s start time has been delayed. pic.twitter.com/Orobi1b9HC

— Natasha Lindstrom (@NewsNatasha) May 18, 2019

Crowd is being withheld from the field due to a rain delay that could put Garth Brooks on stage much later tonight. They pass the time singing their own version of "Friends in Low Places" @TribLive #GARTHinPITTSBURGH pic.twitter.com/PStTWsq5Kg

— Shane Dunlap (@shanedunlap) May 19, 2019

?GOOD NEWS ALERT?

...the threat of weather has passed, and now it is time to rock! Please head back to your seats and get ready for an awesome show!

— Heinz Field (@heinzfield) May 19, 2019

Brooks and his band took the stage about 9:25 p.m. and played a roughly two-hour set.

When the country superstar played, “The River,” the stadium’s lights came down and fans lit up the dark with the glimmering lights of tens of thousands of phones.

He let fans “do the work,” as he puts it, for hit such as, “Unanswered Prayers,” “The Dance,” and of course, “Friends in Low Places.”

Sometimes I just stop during the show, look around, & think...wow. Look at how much magic this man creates when he’s on stage. I can’t put into words how proud I am of @garthbrooks & how lucky I feel to get to live these moments with him. We are truly blessed. #GarthinPittsburgh

— Cassie (@CassandrasTweet) May 19, 2019

Never heard #HeinzField so loud. #GARTHinPITTSBURGH pic.twitter.com/9jhdB7lgdz

— Frederick (@Jungleland412) May 19, 2019

#SteelerNation you showed me tonight that you ARE #PittsburghStrong FOREVER! Thank YOU for the LOVE and the UNITY!! love, g #GARTHinPITTSBURGH pic.twitter.com/B0OvyOhbAM

— Garth Brooks (@garthbrooks) May 19, 2019

Pittsburgh police, firefighters and emergency services workers were on standby during the concert and several hours of tailgating that preceded it, but there were no arrests or citations issued, Mayor Bill Peduto confirmed shortly after 1 a.m.

Medics treated about 75 people and took 22 people by ambulance to a nearby hospital, Peduto said. The vast majority of cases were related to heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Long “Garth Brooks Day” in Pittsburgh. Thanks Public Safety/Public Works crews that worked 24hrs. Thanks @garthbrooks for your love of our region. Thanks fans!

Final numbers:
0 arrests
0 citations
22 EMS transports
75 EMS treated on scene
(Nearly all EMS were heat-related.)

— bill peduto (@billpeduto) May 19, 2019

Brooks played 25 songs, starting with “All Day Long” and ending with “Standing Outside the Fire.”

• All Day Long
• Rodeo
• Two of a Kind
• Two Piña Coladas
• The Beaches of Cheyenne
• The River
• Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)
• Fishin’ in the Dark (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover)
• The Thunder Rolls
• We Shall Be Free
• Unanswered Prayers
• If Tomorrow Never Comes
• That Summer
• Ask Me How I Know
• Callin’ Baton Rouge (The Oak Ridge Boys cover)
• Play Video (Billy Joel cover)
• Friends in Low Places
• The Dance
• Every Now and Then
• The Cowboy Song
• Tacoma
• Night Moves (Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band cover)
• Love, Ten Feet Away (Keith Whitley & Ricky Skaggs cover)
• Amarillo by Morning (George Strait cover)
• Standing Outside the Fire

RELATED: Garth Brooks fans swarm North Shore prior to Heinz Field concert