'Everybody wants a ticket': What to expect at Garth Brooks' five nights in Croke Park
Garth Brooks who will play Croke Park, Dublin this month. Picture: Mark Stedman
Garth Brooks’ five shows at Croke Park is akin to “five All-Ireland finals coming together” and set to be the best musical event the country has ever seen.
So says Jim Clarke of Aiken Promotions, who was chatting to journalists this morning ahead of the Ain't Goin' Down singer's long-awaited return to Ireland.
Some 400,000 people will see the country superstar perform what is rumored to be his last stadium shows over the forthcoming two weekends. The shows have been eight years in the planning, after initial plans for five dates in 2014 were scuppered.
“Everybody wants a ticket,” Clarke said, in a press conference that was attended by journalists in cowboy hats and men in hardhats who were coming from the purpose-built stage which is still under construction.
The stage will itself be a spectacle according to event coordinator Eamon Boyle, who said he is yet to lay eyes on it due to hefty security rules he helped write.
It has been purpose-built for Brooks’ five shows over a ten-day period in September, with lots of equipment flown in from the States, though it was stressed much of the labour is local.
“There will be a tremendous lighting background,” Clarke said, “it’s going to be an extravaganza.”
Three separate documentary crews are set to film the event, with a security guard on the way in telling me one is a "major player."
“This will probably be the biggest cultural event in Ireland, in the history of music,” Clarke said.
“400,000 people over five days [will be in attendance] and that is just the tip of the iceberg. We could have sold so many more.”
Fans are travelling across countries and counties for the concerts, Clarke confirmed, with just 15% of attendees from the greater Dublin area.
“Every county is represented, 30 countries around the world are represented: 5% of people coming to these concerts are coming into Ireland."
The 60-year-old will take to the stage at 7:30pm each night, with no support acts on the bill.
While those in attendance couldn't be drawn on the exact length of the show, it's rumoured to be in excess of two hours. The curfew for the venue is 10:30pm.
Superintendent Martin Mooney was on hand to provide details of traffic control measures for the five days. For those in the vicinity, it will be five days of disruption rather than five nights, with soft cordons in place from 7am.
Beer may chase Brooks’ blues away, but for fans on the night, Supt Mooney stressed there would be a “zero tolerance” policy in place for anyone caught drinking on the streets on the way in to the concerts.
Patrons are also urged to only bring a bag if necessary to avoid security delays, and anyone bringing a bag should adhere to the A4 –size rule. It was also stressed that under 14-s will not be allowed in the standing pitch area.
Patrons should double-check tickets to make sure they arrive on the correct date, and they should also ensure phones are charged in advance and tickets have been downloaded from their Ticketmaster account and available to be scanned via the iPhone or Google Pay wallets. Screenshots or printouts of digital tickets will not be accepted.
Extra services will be put on by Irish Rail and Luas to help accommodate attendees. There is a dedicated section on the Transport for Ireland website which provides public transport details here.
