Brooks rules out ‘half-assed’ matinee shows

At 6.30pm yesterday, Garth Brooks had the five concerts he wanted and that 400,000 people paid to see — but by 9pm both the singer and his promoters had rejected the proposed new schedule and all five shows were thrown into doubt once more.

Just a couple of hours after the country superstar told a press conference he would “drop on my knees and beg” Taoiseach Enda Kenny to be allowed play five straight nights at Croke Park, a statement emerged from Dublin City Council in which it said it had agreed to a compromise proposal from Aiken Promotions, arrived at during talks between Peter Aiken and council chief executive Owen Keegan.

“The city council will consider an updated event management plan, to be submitted in accordance with the licence, whereby the three concerts will proceed but the Saturday and Sunday concerts will start earlier to facilitate separate matinee audiences on these two days,” the council statement said. “This will allow everybody who bought a ticket to see Garth Brooks.”