Garth Brooks showed up on "Late Night With Jay Leno" Wednesday, a makeup date for last November, when the Hollywood writers strike began the same day he had planned to be on "Leno." Garth regularly appears on the show the night before one of his albums is released, one of several superstitions that he admits to.

"People think that superstition is a lack of faith," Garth said. "I don't think it hurts to have 'em both."

One of his superstitions dates back to 1991.

"There was a guy in Ohio that gave me three buckeyes," Garth explained, "and when he gave [the seeds] to me, I said 'Thank you.' He said, 'No, no, no, you don't understand. Keep 'em. These are lucky.' I said 'All right.' So I did. Next night we flew out [to Los Angeles] to the ACMs in the early '90s, and that night we were lucky enough to walk away with six [awards]."

The seeds? "I've kept them with me," Garth said.

Garth also reiterated his intention to remain officially retired while he raises his daughters. The youngest of them is 11.

"I'll watch my kids grow up," he said, "and after that we'll see what happens."