Garth’s hopes for five in row fading fast

Any prospect of Garth Brooks getting his wish to play five night-time concerts in a row appear to be fading.

Yesterday, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Christy Burke, said Brooks’ manager, Nashville-based Bob Doyle, was due to email Taoiseach Enda Kenny to ask him to intervene in the situation, but accepted it was unlikely to yield a solution.

The country music star shot down a compromise arrangement struck by Aiken Promotions and Dublin City Council CEO, Owen Keegan that would have seen him play the five concerts on three dates, including two matinee shows.

Just hours after a press conference in which Brooks appeared to indirectly ask the Taoiseach to overrule the city manager, saying he would be prepared to meet with Mr Kenny in person, Aiken Promotions confirmed that the matinee proposal was “not feasible”.

The three licensed shows are due to get under way on July 25 at Croke Park, while refunds for all five concerts are due to begin next Tuesday.

Cllr Burke said: “The ball is back in Mr Brooks’ management team’s court.”

He said he understood Mr Doyle would contact the Taoiseach via email, although Mr Kenny has not indicated at any stage that the initial planning decision on licensing the concerts can be interfered with.

“At the end of the day, I believe that if the two matinees are not entertained, that the three nights, most likely, will go ahead.”

However, he also told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland that “I don’t believe the Holy Ghost’s intervention at this stage would work.”

Gardaí had indicated that two matinee shows on the Saturday and Sunday could have been managed from a crowd-control point of view, but the idea has been dropped following Brooks’ rejection of the plan.

His spokesperson, Nancy Seltzer, had been quoted as saying: “He does not understand why it is once again put upon him to treat people less than they deserve to be treated, and he still returns to why did they allow five shows to be sold and all these people to be disappointed.” A spokesperson for the council said that no talks were taking place on the Croke Park concerts.

Brooks is due to give an update on his plans for a world tour on Monday, while today, some residents of the Croke Park area will hold a demonstration outside the GPO calling for the concerts to go ahead.