A modest Garth Brooks spoke to a small press gathering Thursday evening just hours before he was to take stage at Hilton Coliseum for the first of his three sold-out shows.

Brooks said that although sales of his latest album, Fresh Horses, are not where he’d like to see them, he is pleased with his sold-out concert tour.

“We’re dealing with a year old product,” he said of Horses. “The album is not doing exactly what we wanted, but I’m not going to bitch about $4 million.”

Brooks said his world tour includes not only hits off the current release, but the “old stuff” too.

“We’ve brought all of our old stuff with us,” he said. “The new stuff has a hard road to follow.”

The road he speaks of is paved with Brooks’ hits.

From his personal favorite, “The Dance,” to his latest preference, “The Change,” Brooks seems as if he can do no wrong. But, he sees it differently.

“I’m competitive,” he said. “Reba McEntire’s been doing this for 16 years. I just want to stay in the ring long enough and do as much damage as I can.”

Brooks added that Saturday’s game of Iowa State vs. Oklahoma State, his alma mater, should be a good match up. But Brooks offered no prediction on the winner.

Look for a review of Brooks’ opening night in Ames of his world tour in Monday’s Daily.