10 things we learned at Garth Brooks' first night at Croke Park
Garth Brooks finally returned to Dublin for the first of five dates at the stadium – a history-making run that will see him perform to an audience of around 400,000. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
He came, he saw, he cried. Eight years after the saga of his on/off Croke Park gigs transfixed the nation, Garth Brooks finally returned to Dublin for the first of five dates at the stadium – a history-making run that will see him perform to an audience of around 400,000.
This means that even if you aren’t going to see Brooks, you almost certainly know someone who is.
And as fans remove their stetsons and take off their cowboy boots this morning, here are our takeaways from the first concert– and pointers for those planning to catch one – or maybe all – of his remaining shows.
Over his two-hour set, the singer spent almost as long declaring how great a time he was having as he did singing.
“Do you know when you want something to be great and it’s never as good as you think…this is even better!” he said.
As he spoke tears gushed freely. His backing band was astonished: they’d never seen him well up like this before.
One of the biggest singalongs came as Brooks, seated on his stepped stage, sang Billy Joel’s Piano Man.
In a moment that brought out goosebumps, the house lights went up and 80,000 voices joined as one on the chorus (the song is also melancholia bottled, which added to the emotion).
And for his final number of the performed Don McLean’s American Pie – a hackneyed old ballad that Brooks managed to make new and invigorating.
Thunder Rolls, Friends In Low Places, If Tomorrow Never Comes… Brooks played them all. And he even threw in those famous “extra” verses on Low Place – sending Croke Park into paroxysms as he did so.
Everyone was on their feet cheering, singing, and having an out-of-body experience.
Outside of Bruce Springsteen singing Dancing In The Dark in this same stadium, Croke Park had never witnessed anything like it.
One or two people may have theoretically gained entry to Croke Park without an obligatory stetsons hat – but if so, they kept a low profile.
Otherwise, it was Wild West headgear as far as the eye could see.
A special mention must meanwhile go to the gentleman who turned up wearing the same black and blue striped shirt that Brooks sports on the cover of Ropin’ The Wind (either that or he was an Athlone Town fan gone badly off course).
Curfew at Croke Park was 10.30 pm, but Brooks was over and done with 30 minutes to spare.
He’d gone on at 8pm and played for just over two hours – the same length as the shows he played in America through the summer.
This was fine: not every artist has to put in a three-hour-plus Springsteen-type marathon.
Two hours of Garth Brooks playing the hits sent everyone home satisfied. He is not an artist who needs to share new songs or b-sides with us.
Garth Brooks and his wife Trisha Yearwood signing Shallow last night (I edited out me screaming)! #GarthBrooks #GarthInIreland pic.twitter.com/DR8jNyI8eR
— Liam De Brún (@liamdeb) September 10, 2022
Brooks’ country superstar wife Trisha Yearwood joined her husband for a cover of Shallow – as originally performed by Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born.
She then sang one of her tunes in response to a “request” from a fan up the front – i.e. her husband.
A ramp stretching into the audience suggested Brooks was going to get to know his fans a little better. And that’s what happened as he plunged into the crowd and was propelled by a sea of hugs.
Brooks is known for flying around arenas on wires, and for performing with pyrotechnics and other special effects. But at Croke Park, the show was lean and mean.
That giant ‘g’ hanging from the stage was as high-concept as it got. Not that the audience seemed to care.
They were here for Brooks – not for bells and whistles. Brooks didn’t even use that “ego ramp” stretching into the crowd that much.
Instead, he kept it simple by standing tall and singing his lungs out.
That huge ‘g’ on stage was echoed by signage around Croke Park.
He even had a ‘g’ on his custom-built guitar. For Brooks, there’s no business like ‘g’ business.
Brook’s super-sincere brand of country music has received a rough reception from purists. But Brooks’ enthusiasm is impossible to resist.
“Ireland, I just came here to raise some hell and have some fun,” he shouted a few minutes in.
He had by then already won over any agnostics in the house.
