TAMPA – The Tampa Bay Lightning will play Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals in front of 20,000 screaming fans inside Amalie Arena on Saturday night. Tampa Bay has come down with a strong case of hockey fever, but many Tampa Bay citizens aren’t as excited about the Lightning’s advancement after it caused the cancellation of the Garth Brooks concert that was scheduled to take place Saturday night.
Tampa Sports Authority has received several complaints, and even threats, from disgruntled Garth Brooks fans that have waited many years to see the iconic singer perform in Tampa Bay.
To appease the angry country music fans, Amalie Arena officials have decided to play Garth Brooks’ hit classic “The Thunder Rolls” on repeat during Saturday’s Lightning game.
“We think this is a great way to bring the two sides together on this topic. We get to honor Garth, and ‘The Thunder Rolls’ is a great song for Lightning games because our fans’ motto this year is #WeAreThunder. I think I can speak for everyone in the arena when I say we can’t wait to hear that song at least 40 or 50 times on Saturday. Garth is such a legend,” Amalie Arena Official Chim Richalds said Friday.
The puck drops at Amalie Arena at 7:15 on Saturday night as the Tampa Bay Lightning take on the Chicago Blackhawks.