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Town paid Garth Brooks $1 million to open tour

CHICAGO — The town of Rosemont, Ill., paid country superstar Garth Brooks more than $1 million to launch his comeback tour last year at its Allstate Arena, records show, but officials say the village made twice that much.

According to an agreement between the municipality and the singer’s longtime promoter, Brooks received $1,050,000 as a “rebate” for holding 11 kickoff shows at the arena. The disclosure ended the village’s five-month legal battle to keep secret the financial details surrounding Brooks’ record-breaking concert stand, which sold more than 183,500 tickets.

Under the deal, Rosemont agreed to pay Brooks $100,000 per sold-out show and a prorated sum for shows that didn’t sell out. The village also slashed the arena’s rental fee in an effort to lure Brooks’ September 2014 performances.

The documents’ release comes nearly a month after the attorney general’s office ruled the village violated state open-records laws.

In a binding opinion Jan. 23, Attorney General Lisa Madigan also ruled Rosemont had overstepped its authority when it passed an ordinance giving officials the power to withhold documents if they believed their release would put village-owned entertainment venues at a competitive disadvantage.

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