Peter Aiken, the promoter of Garth Brooks's so-called "Comeback Special Event" shows in Croke Park this summer, sounds more tired than shell-shocked.
With the time difference between here and the US, there have been late nights and early mornings for some weeks planning, perhaps even plotting. Nothing, however, in his years as a concert promoter could have prepared him for the response to the ticket sales for the shows on July 25th, 26th and 27th.
"You have to remember," says Aiken, "that the last time we put on shows for Garth Brooks, in the summer of 1997, Croke Park was underdeveloped as a venue for music concerts. He played three nights there with a capacity crowd of 40,000 for each gig.
"So when we announced the initial two shows for Friday, July 25th, and Saturday, July 26th, we knew the response would be good but not as incredible as it has turned out to be. The fact that he has sold out three shows is just
amazing."
Virtual recluse
It is even more amazing when you consider that Brooks has been, by superstar standards, a virtual recluse for most of the noughties – he retired in 2001 to become a house-husband/father.
Brooks returned to the performance arena in 2009 with a series of weekend-only shows at the Encore hotel, Las Vegas, but this contract recently expired. He has also, apparently, retired from recording new material – his last studio record of new material was 2001's Scarecrow.
Add lack of new material to the paucity of his live performances, and you have a tailor-made supply and demand scenario that has clearly slammed into fifth gear and beyond.
“It’s important to look at the demographic of the people buying tickets,” says Aiken.
Age profile
"We've noticed that the age profile is quite young – many people, we have determined, were teenagers back in 1997, who might not have been into Garth's music, so clearly musical tastes have broadened out. And some of the people buying tickets weren't even out of nappies."
Whatever way it’s sliced, you can guarantee that Aiken and his team will be spending quite a few more weeks driving home after midnight, the dollar signs competing with road signs. The possibility of a fourth concert being announced shortly is not being discounted.
“It’s all about logistics at this point,” says Aiken. “The very reasonable entry point of the tickets, €65, has certainly made sense to everyone. So we’ll see.”
