Pull up a chair and grab the good biscuits, it's story time.
As Garth Brooks makes his triumphant return to Croker and hundreds of thousands of denim-clad, cowboy hat wearing super fans descend upon the streets of Dublin, we thought it as good a time as any to look back over the journey up to this point.
It all started back in 2014, in a series of events that are pretty much on the JC history curriculum at this stage, but just in case you need a refresher:
2014
When Garth Brooks announced his comeback tour for the summer of '14, Irish demand for tickets was so high that five nights were organised at Croke Park - the first five night run in the venues history.
Shortly after this, Dublin City Council announced they'd only grant a license for three performances, which displeased Garth. Maybe he didn't mean to cause a big scene but his refusal to play any less than five shows resulted no gigs at all going ahead, hundreds of thousands of tickets being refunded and a cowboy hat shaped chip on the shoulders of people across the country.
September 2021
It took our country 7 long years to recover emotionally from the infamous Five In A Row fiasco of 2014. Then, on September 13th of last year, we heard the first whisperings of Garth's potential return. It started with Twitter speculation, until later that evening it was confirmed that that
“negotiations are at an advanced stage” to bring Garth back for a series of 2022 gigs.
https://twitter.com/gavreilly/status/1437452861315633157?s=20&t=EFC2MR0Bs5nEGzL_y2ngNg
November 2021
On November 18th, it was confirmed. Garth Brooks would return to Ireland in September 2022. At that time just two gigs, Friday 9th and Saturday 10th were announced, but it was understood that
planning could allow for up to five concerts. The nation held its breath.
https://twitter.com/EoinKeane101/status/1461255837863845889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1461255837863845889%7Ctwgr%5E8811a8e96223510cd154cc8e1e8a3cbf711393ae%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-41299189803744777665.ampproject.net%2F2208242209000%2Fframe.html
November 2021
Now, the pièce de résistance. At about 9am on 25th November, Aiken announced one extra date (September 11th) had been added to GB's upcoming Croke Park run. "Saw it coming", most of us tutted over our tea and toast, not yet anticipating the chaos that would later unfold.
About 30 minutes later, a fourth date was added and we started to shift in our seats. "That's getting a bit close now", we thought to ourselves as we put the kettle on for a second time, and the 2015 episode of Reeling in the Years started playing in our heads.
Before 11am, two extra dates were added, bringing us up to a grand total of 5. Despite the additional dates, thousands of Garth fans remained in the queue hoping for tickets.
https://twitter.com/gavinocal/status/1463810380908609538?s=20&t=HNjgTSOOHNQL_Q1jG2VKSw
September 2022
Almost eight years in the making, the time has come for Garth to make his triumphant return to Irish soil. Dublin Airport shared a clip of
Garth arriving via private jet. Irish choirs welcomed him through the medium of song. It's been a whole thing.
https://twitter.com/RoRoSav/status/1567500736669310976?s=20&t=UOmIQP08tX0BPJtUdygO0g
Believe it or not, there are still some tickets left for the gigs although they are low in availability. You can purchase them on Ticketmaster
HERE.
There won't be a friend left in a low place for the next five nights.
Header image via Instagram/garthbrooks
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