Garth Brooks sold a record 400,000 tickets, 10% of the population, for the five-night event in Ireland as part of a most eagerly-awaited comeback tour. Now it seems that two of American country singer Garth Brooks five sold-out comeback concerts at Dublin’s Croke Park stadium this month will be cancelled after objections were raised by local residents. Brooks, is one of the biggest names in country but retired from recording new music and touring in 2001. He had choses Dublin for his five-night “comeback special event”, ahead of a wider tour later in 2014. Residents of the densely populated surrounding area of the stadium have objected to the holding of five successive shows and the local council has refused permission for the concerts scheduled for July 28 and July 29. “The cumulative effect on residents and on some businesses would lead to an unacceptable level of disruption to their lives and livelihoods,” Dublin city council said in a statement. Brooks, has sold more than 125m albums and is best known for hits such as ‘The Thunder Rolls’ and ‘Friends in Low Places,’ has played the occasional one-city run of shows and benefit concerts during his retirement but has never toured. No act, including Ireland’s U2, has ever played five shows in a row at Croke Park, the country’s largest venue, and concert promoters had said some 70,000 of the 400,000 tickets sold were bought by people living abroad. Ticket holders are using social media and the national airwaves to voice their disappointment. Garth Brooks has released a statement saying that for him the tour will feature “five shows or not at all†but he still has faith that “Dublin City Council will make the best decision for the people of Ireland†He added: “To choose which shows to do and which shows not to do, would be like asking to choose one child over another. However this plays out, Ireland has my heart and always will.†It remains uncertain as to how many, if any, shows Garth Brooks will play in Ireland, but we will keep our readers updated as soon as more information is available.
