Five Garth Brooks concerts to go ahead but under certain conditions

After extensive talks, Dublin City Council has said it will allow five Garth Brooks concerts to go ahead, but only if two of those shows are performed during the day.

The DCC has proposed that two shows on Saturday and Sunday should be performed as matinee shows.

Aiken and Garth Brooks have yet to agree to these terms.

In response to this proposal Mr Brooks said “that to treat 160,000 people differently than all the rest and to see a show other than how it was meant and created is wrong.”

Garth Brooks held a press conference before the DCC made their decision. The singer said that he would “swim and crawl” to Enda Kenny to resolve the problems surrounding the Croke Park gigs.

The Dublin City Council released a statement about their decision this evening:

“Following a meeting this morning between Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions and Owen Keegan, Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, the City Council has agreed to a proposal from Aiken Promotions designed to break the impasse that has arisen. Under the proposal, 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. This will allow everybody who bought a ticket to see Garth Brooks.

The Council is satisfied that the event licensing procedure was applied correctly in this particular case by the City Council and that the decision reached was appropriate and balanced having regard to all the competing interests. However, in response to the disappointment of ticket holders who purchased tickets in good faith for the cancelled Monday and Tuesday concerts and in light of concerns that these ticket holders could turn up on the other days creating security and public safety concerns the Council has agreed, following consultation with An Garda Siochana, to consider a revised Event Management Plan prepared on the basis outlined above. It will be a matter for Aiken Promotions and Garth Brooks to decide if they wish to pursue this suggestion.”