Garth Brooks said he wasn’t sure fans would welcome him back after he took several years off to focus on family.
The country superstar said he was “scared to death” but “the people were so sweet.”
In an interview with CBS This Morning, Brooks said: “Country is the best place to be. Because, one, you have the most loyal audience there could possibly be, and they will wait for you.”
Brooks announced in October 2000 that he was stepping away from the spotlight, at least until his youngest daughter completed high school.
Over the next few years, he released some music, performed a number of special shows and married country star Trisha Yearwood. In 2009, he launched a Vegas residency and, five years later, kicked off a world tour.
“Your kids are all out of high school…You're with the love of your life, and this is the rest of your life, as far as you can see? What gets better than that?" said Brooks.
The star said he has never taken his fans for granted because “when you don't know why they show up, you don't know if they'll show up again.”