In 1985, when Garth Brooks was getting his first taste of the Oklahoma dive bar scene, the rookie singer-songwriter emulated George Strait.

The vaunted King of Country was Brooks’ hero, he says, and as he played Wild Willie’s Saloon in Stillwater and elsewhere — solo sets, just him and his guitar — he wondered how far his music could take him.

Sounds a little too quaint now, doesn’t it? Brooks is by far the best-selling country artist of all time — 150 million albums sold in the U.S. alone — and he’s broken just about every album and touring record there is. Heck, he’s the only artist to notch seven diamond-certified LPs (10 million copies sold, The Beatles only had six).

But as fate and promotional tour scheduling would have it, Brooks was back in a wood-paneled bar Monday night, jamming for an elated crowd at Prospectors Steakhouse and Saloon in Mount Laurel.

About 200 fans, almost all of whom scored tickets to the event via local country radio contests, rode Cloud Nine as Brooks and his six-piece band crammed onto the Prospectors stage and played the hits for 80 minutes.

Despite snow blanketing other parts of the state, the South Jersey show went off without a hitch. Brooks did have to reschedule his Massachusetts dive bar show, however, which was supposed to take place later Monday night — yes, two shows, in different states, in one night.

Brooks, with his fist-pumps, finger-points and unwavering charisma did his best to morph the room — sloganed as “the best damn country club in the whole tri-state area” — into a stadium event, but there was certainly a down-home atmosphere this night, with fans able to call out to the icon whenever they pleased.

One man bolder than most even got Brooks to sign his prosthetic foot.

“Even if you’re in a wheelchair, you’re probably still a better dancer than I am,” Brooks joked.

The onus for this whole Dive Bar Tour, which has spanned seven cities over the last five months, was to promote Brooks’ latest single with Blake Shelton, called — you guessed it — “Dive Bar.”

But never did this show feel cheap, especially since Brooks, 57, played nearly a full set, and unloaded all the fan favorites, from uptempo twangers “All Day Long” and “Ain’t Goin’ Down (Til The Sun Comes Up)” to the more emotional “The Thunder Rolls” and “The Dance.”

Garth Brooks performs at Prospectors Steakhouse and Saloon in Mount Laurel on his Dive Bar Tour, Monday, Dec. 2, 2019.8 Ten Inc.

Much like his epic performances in Newark in 2017 — his first proper Jersey shows in 25 years — Brooks was boosted mightily by his impeccable supporting cast, all of whom have touring with him since at least 1995. The raucous fiddle player Jimmy Mattingly and pounding drummer Mike Palmer were clear highlights, but to a man, it’s a solid, solid band.

That’s how Brooks still plays stadiums 30 years later, with a few monster gigs already booked next year (none near New Jersey). Much like Springsteen, you’ll never understand the artist’s full appeal until you see him live, because the full force of the music comes not only from him. It is instead a titanic group effort.

With all of this, fans who have spent lifetimes watching Brooks from afar in arenas and stadiums were surely given the little show of their lives Monday, well worth the slick roads it took to get them there.

It was a loose, exciting night that might have felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity if not for the fact that Brooks said he’d be playing more dive bar shows next year.

Start calling your local country radio stations now.

Garth Brooks’ setlist

Dec. 2, 2019 — Prospector’s Steakhouse and Saloon, Mount Laurel, N.J.

“All Day Long”

“Rodeo”

“Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” (Dennis Robbins cover)

“Two Piña Coladas”

“The River”

“Dive Bar”

“Ain’t Goin’ Down” ('Til the Sun Comes Up)

“Unanswered Prayers”

“What She’s Doing Now”

“To Make You Feel My Love”

“That Summer”

“Fishin’ in the Dark” (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cover)

“Standing Outside the Fire”

“Amarillo By Morning” (George Straight cover)

“Callin’ Baton Rouge” (The Oak Ridge Boys cover)

“The Thunder Rolls”

“American Pie” / “Piano Man” (Don McLean and Billy Joel covers, snippets)

“Friends in Low Places”

“The Dance”

Bobby Olivier may be reached at bolivier@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BobbyOlivier and Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.