Country star Garth Brooks returns to stage

NASHVILLE, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Country music superstar Garth Brooks announced Thursday he will return to the stage after nearly a decade in retirement.

Brooks is expected to perform in Las Vegas at the Wynn Encore Theatre, KLAS-TV, Las Vegas, reported. The number of shows he will do was not announced.

The Encore Theatre has been dark since the death of entertainer Danny Gans this year.

Brooks, 47, is the highest-selling artist in country music history, but retired in 2000 to spend more time with his family.

His last studio album, "Scarecrow," was released in 2001. He issued a greatest hits album in 2007, as well as some other compilations and box sets during his hiatus.

He told a Nashville news conference his new gig would enable him "to just go do whatever I want, and not have to worry about who I'm disappointing or what rules I'm sticking to."

The (Nashville) Tennessean reported Brooks planned to reveal more details at a Thursday afternoon appearance in Las Vegas; however, he indicated there were no immediate plans for a U.S. tour.