Whoever started that vicious rumor that Garth Brooks was closing in on retirement, obviously hasn’t seen him on his latest tour.

If anything, Brooks proved this weekend, in three sold out Hilton Coliseum performances, that he’s got more life in him now than ever before.

Whether it was his instant rushes of adrenaline or his puppy dog smile, Brooks’ kid-at-heart attitude was as entertaining as the music he put it to.

From his entrance rising out of the center of a grand piano, to his near closing hurdles off the 10 foot high drum cage, Brooks constantly left his loyal fans in awe.

The futuristic theme of the show, complete with Brooks sprinting around the space-aged looking stage, seemed a possible foreshadow that Brooks plans to be around well into the next century.

The world famous singer/songwriter got off to a fun start with a subtle salute to the cowboys in the audience with “Rodeo.” After dancing his way through “Beaches of Cheyenne” and “Two of a Kind,” Brooks brought the house down with the loveable “Shameless.”

One could only guess if the unbelievably loud following cheers were a reaction to the beautifully sung tune or to the amount of energy he was putting out.

Either way, Brooks made a promise of an even higher energy level and he quickly fulfilled it in songs like “Papa Loved Mama” and “The Thunder Rolls.”

Working his way through classics such as “Callin’ Baton Rouge,” Brooks took time between each song to let out screams of excitement. Decked out in his cowboy boots and hat, with each seam he looked as though he had just won the rodeo he was singing about.

And each time the always on their feet crowd gave a “hats off” salute to him. At one point, Brooks’ attempt to calm the crowd was almost successful, but going into “American Honky-Tonk Bar Association” quickly changed that.

Jimmy Mattingly’s fiddle solo on “The Fever” stole a big part of the show and Brooks played along with that like a natural comedian. Answering the crowd’s “Jimmy” chant, he asked very proudly who’s name was on the ticket.

Brooks took advantage of the pause in music to “be totally honest” with his crowd and let them in on the big secret that they were recording all of his shows for a live album.

In perfect timing, Brooks went into back to back extended versions of “Friends In Low Places” and “The Dance.” He then gathered the bouquet of roses he had collected throughout the evening and left the stage.

“I don’t remember Iowa being this good,” he said to goose-bumped Hilton.

A first encore of “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Till the Sun Comes Up)” came shorty after, but was soon forgotten with an amazing second trip back.

Alone on stage for the first time, Brooks handled Bob Seger’s “Night Moves” like it was something he wrote from the bottom of his heart. His changing of vocal styles during parts of that song alone, were enough to feel good about calling Garth Brooks a superstar.

Brooks’ band rejoined him for a special country treat of “Midnight Cinderella” and “Much Too Young (to Feel This Damn Old),” but it was a courageous cover of Don McClean’s “American Pie” that put a final end to show.

When the music died, Brooks gathered his band he described as “some of the best people he had ever met” at center stage and took a final bow.

In one of the sweeter moments of the evening, Brooks and his band thanked the opening night crowd and gave them a wave that spoke the words Hilton wanted to hear, “we’ll be back.”