The Great Garth Cancellation Fiasco

[Glennsallnighter]

I thought we had a thread for concerts we are going to other than Eagles ones bit I can't seem to find it!
However I do remember posting that I would be going to Garth Brooks at the end of this month. Garth Brooks fever hit Ireland when he announced in January that he would play 2 concerts in Ireland at the end of July. The venue would be Croke Park, our premier sports stadium and headquarters of the GAA, the 'main' Irish sporting body.

Tickets went on sale and even though I logged in before 9am, two hours later a third date was announced and I still could not get tickets on ticketmaster. Stubhub were already doing resales.

About a week later 'due to unprecedented demand' a fourth night was added, to be followed by a fifth when it sold out. Thankfully I managed to get tickets for the fourth night, Monday 28th July......

Now, Croke Park is in the middle of a residential area, being about 2 miles from the city. Immediately the residents in the neighbourhood started to complain that these 5 concerts should not go ahead. Apparently there was an agreement in place that only 3 concerts per year could take place there. Those 3 have already happened with 1-direction last May.

The promotors offered €500,000 to the residential development fund, and it's also well known that these residents get comp tickets for any concrete that do take place.

They were still not happy and took their case to Dublin City Council last week. the city manager refused licences for the two later gigs, meaning only the original three can take place.

Now here's the twist....

Garth Brooks has now put an 'All or Nothing' statement out. he says he has been contracted to do 5 concerts and he will pull out of them all if he is only granted 3.

So we have
Possibility of 400,000 people being disappointed by not having a concert to go to.
Refunds having to be offered to all of us.
People who bought tickets through third parties possibly NOT being refunded
Local hotels have taken bookings from here and abroad now face massive charges in cancelled bookings and refunds
Staff working in those hotels will lose wages etc.
Pubs, restaurants etc in the locality losing out and again having made orders and provision for these gigs.
People have booked to come to these concerts from Ireland, Europe, the USA and as far away as Afghanistan I believe. They will not be refunded their flights.
Overall massive loss to our economy, just as we have started to recover
Massive loss of credibility to our nation.

Numerous petitions and representations have been made to the city council over the last few days, but the manager is adamant, he will not revoke the licence ban.

Now I know from travelling abroad to see Glenn :heart: and the Eagles that I DO take a risk, but IMHO this is ludicrous. A small group of people have held the whole city up to ransom, and the feeling is that they did it assuming they would be compensated financially for being put out!

Current situation is that no gigs will take place unless there is a massive u-turn by the city council on Monday .

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I wondered what the full story was, I've seen bits and pieces here and there. I can see both sides, I know I'd be upset if I paid $$ for a house and then a concert arena was built next door. On the other hand, to hold it all back is stupid. I can see Garth's side of it, he negotiated these in good faith and probably had no idea the approvals weren't there. I can also see why he'd not cancel two of them and leave three. What a mess.

[Glennsallnighter]

The stadium has been there long before the houses or their current owners. I do sympathise at a level. But people buy in that area so they can see the Dublin team games from their back bedroom!

I think in the long run the only acceptable solution in the future is that a license has to be obtained before concerts are advertised. The promotors too were saying today that they are not insured and face financial ruin if this collapses.

It seems that all 5 dates were always in the pipeline and released as needed

[VAisForEagleLovers]

If the stadium was there first, then I agree, people shouldn't complain!

It sounds like there was plenty of blame to go around, which is a real shame that so many will lose from this, and to be honest, I don't see anyone gaining anything.

[DJ]

What a huge disappointment to his fans. I am so glad to have heard Paul McCartney is going on with his touring, he'll be here in August. YAH! :thumbsup:

[zeldabjr]

omg I've heard none of this...what a mess...I agree with VA...if that arena was built before...the people have no right to complain...the city manager is already going against their policy by allowing any of Garth's concerts to go on, if I read you correctly...there have already been the allotted 3 concerts this year by One Direction...so how come it is ok to add 3 more but not 5 more?...don't get it...

[Freypower]

GA, for your information the Upcoming Shows thread is the Sticky thread at the top of this forum.

https://eaglesonlinecentral.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5109

[Glennsallnighter]

:brickwall:thanks FP! Sometimes you can miss the obvious! I was looking at the threads, not the stickies! Should we move this?

[Glennsallnighter]

Zelda this is Ireland! You pay a backhander, give some comps to the residents and it's sorted. Usually. That's the way it works here. Just not this time.

The residents are now holding a march today to HAVE the concerts staged after all! They have suddenly decided they 'don't want to be killjoys'. Pity they didn't think about the repercussions last week!!!

In real terms they are a afraid of

Losing their comps
Being abused by certain sectors of society who feel it is ok to do this (I wouldn't )
Some have had threats of being burned out of their homes.

This is just crazy and our whole licensing policy needs to be looked at after this is sorted.

[VAisForEagleLovers]

I think it's enough of a topic to have the dedicated thread, because it's more than going to a concert (or not). JMO.

Wow, threats and everything. I'm not surprised the residents did a turn-around on this. After all, if the concerts go away, the comps for them go away. I wonder how much they make on reselling the comps?

I really hope that the licensing is looked at. Why have a stadium or arena if you are going to limit the amount of events in the first place? Sounds like a good way to lose money.

[Glennsallnighter]

They don't limit the sporting events and also have a GAA history museum and sky walk. When the stadium was redeveloped in 1993 (with plenty of government (taxpayers) money), apparently the deal was to do with 'outside' ie non sporting events only. And I would say some residents at least have made an art of reselling tickets. Well it looks like that will be renegotiated now.

[Freypower]

:brickwall:thanks FP! Sometimes you can miss the obvious! I was looking at the threads, not the stickies! Should we move this?

Perhaps, but Soda is the moderator of this forum.

[sodascouts]

Sorry I've been scarce, but I've had a quite busy holiday week with HB. I think this is fine where it is right now.

If I do change it, I will make it into a "Garth Brooks" thread, as I don't think we have one for him right now.

[Victim of Love]

CORRECTION!!!! The press conference is on THURSDAY at noon EST here in the States. Sorry for the error.

There is a big press conference schedule for just a little over 3 hours from now that will be live-streamed at http://garthbrooks.com/ and although there hasn't been any leaks about what is to be discussed, I suspect he is going to be making an announcement about U.S. tour dates. But in light of the 'all or nothing' issue in Dublin, I'll be hugely surprised if there aren't some questions and/or remarks about it.

I saw Garth live years ago when he was at the height of his success and his performance and interaction with the crowd is something I will never forget.

As for the folks who live in the vicinity of the stadium, they HAD to know the ramifications of buying/building in such close proximity. If they didn't, they are simply naïve! They need to visit and talk with the residents around the Brickyard in Indianapolis during the 500!

[Houston Baby]

Thanks for the update VOL! I would LOVE to see Garth again!

[Glennsallnighter]

The residents called the promotors bluff. They were hoping for significant compensation. Silly suggestions like a week in Spain were being suggested. That was never going to happen.

Our press conference is tomorrow. We should know by then one way or the other what is going to happen.

[Glennsallnighter]

Well it's official. All 5 concerts have been called off
http://m.independent.ie/entertainment/music/music-news/breaking-no-garth-brooks-concerts-to-take-place-30415548.html

[Brooke]

Ga, I'm so sorry! What a huge mess for everyone!

[GlennLover]

That's such a shame. I saw him a number of years ago & really enjoyed him.

[Victim of Love]

What a miserable outcome! I feel bad for everyone who laid out money for tickets/travel/hotel as well as all of the local merchants who would have realized huge profits. My heart goes out to everyone effected. I guess that means the press conference on Thursday will be to announce other show dates.

[tjh532]

That's too bad. I saw Garth before, and his concerts are unbelievable. We were on our feet the entire time. Sounds like the residents got a little greedy and have ruined it for everyone. Hopefully he will come back another time. When we saw him, he was on his farewell tour. He scheduled his concerts about a week apart and then told the promoters he would do as many shows in that time that they could sell out. Where we were, he sold out four. And his tickets were cheap. I only paid $25 for a lower bowl seat. He is really all about the fans. That being said, I guess I don't understand why he didn't to the original three shows.

[sodascouts]

What a delightful outcome. I hope those residents and their representative are happy now. They don't have to endure the horror of bad traffic and noise for five days. How selfish of the Irish fans to ask these residents to suffer so terribly in the first place. Starving children on the streets is nothing compared to the agonies suffered by those who have five big concerts in their neighborhood. No doubt their comfort and convenience is far more important than the needs of the entire Dublin area.

/sarcasm

[Ive always been a dreamer]

What a real shame this is. However, IMO, Garth made the right decision to cancel all of the shows under the circumstances.

[Glennsallnighter]

Well it's not over yet believe it or not. Yesterday Garth wrote to the promotors asking if there was any way this could be saved. There are 12 containers en route to Ireland and basically things can progeria until they are sent back. Now the more senior politicians have become aware of what a loss to the economy and this city will be. As well as the damage to out international reputation in terms of other big events we might pitch for in the future. Our prime minister who last week felt he could not interfere in a'private' matter is now prepared to meet all sides. The Croke Park residents have withdrawn all objections.

The biggest ticket refund plan in the history of the state has been organised to start next week. Why delay it?

And it's thought the City Manager might lose his job over this.

Never say never......



It's not over yet

[DivineDon]

I don't know GA, there's more to this than is coming out. To quote Don (as I usually do!), 'there's three sides to every story...yours and mine and the cold hard truth..'

And personally, I think Garth Brooks has to take some of the blame. If he was orignally willing to do 2 concerts and then 3, why then declare he'd be losing money by not having all five?

I do agree that the promotors and corporation should have come together a lot sooner to sort it out. And as for the GAA - don't get me started!!! Money, money, money is their theme tune.

Apparently, now the Taoiseach is looking into it...talk about a mess.

That's good old Ireland for you :-(

[Victim of Love]

This has been an interesting and disheartening situation all around. As GA says, never say never. Garth's press conference is today at noon Eastern Standard Time (about 2 hours from now) and is being streamed live on his website. Given the most recent posts here, I'm REALLY interested now to hear what might be said about this entire ordeal. Maybe there IS still a chance.

As I said in an earlier post, the folks who live in the area of Croke Park HAD to know the ramifications of being in such close proximity to the stadium and the inconveniences associated with events at the facility. The revenues generated surely bolster the local economy. As I understand it, the location has been used for events for over 100 years. People need to think of the greater good and get over it!

[Victim of Love]

From Rolling Stone Magazine:

The press conference doubled as a forum for Brooks to talk at length about the cancellation of his five sold-out concerts in Ireland (http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/garth-brooks-not-giving-up-on-ireland-20140709), originally slated for July 25-29 at Dublin's Croke Park. A government permit snafu with two of the five shows forced the promoter to cancel the entire run. With reporters from Ireland in the audience, the Oklahoma native addressed them directly and fielded their questions about the ordeal.

"Ireland’s people should never be embarrassed. Most loving people on earth," Brooks said. "If the prime minister himself wants to talk to me, I will craw, I will swim… I will drop on my knees and beg for those 400,000 people to have fun and come sing.

"If anyone on the planet is sad about [the cancellations], you're not one-billionth as sad as I am."


Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/garth-brooks-confirms-new-album-world-tour-20140710#ixzz375ka1mLv

[Glennsallnighter]

I don't know GA, there's more to this than is coming out. To quote Don (as I usually do!), 'there's three sides to every story...yours and mine and the cold hard truth..'

And personally, I think Garth Brooks has to take some of the blame. If he was orignally willing to do 2 concerts and then 3, why then declare he'd be losing money by not having all five?


The deal was never 2 then 3 then 5. It was always 5. It's just the way the promotors drip feed the dates to the public. Remember, the day before the tickets went on sale for supposedly 1 concert I saw on eaglesband.com that the Eagles had released 3 nights in Dublin. Then the second two nights were taken down. Once night 1 sold out night 2 went 'live'. Then about a week later night 3 was released 'due to unprecedented demand'.

Brooks claims he would not break even on 3 nights so it's unlikely he ever agreed initially to do 2! We just didn't know it at the time.

Ok still no idea what's happening. I really want to know one way or another. What a fiasco!

[DivineDon]

Okay, I get what you're saying GA but it isn't looking promising at the moment :worried:

[Glennsallnighter]

You're right, it doesn't. And I had promised to take my parents away for a few days that week after the Monday night gig. Now I'm afraid to book anything as there may be a compromise to schedule in a 'break' between the weekend and weekday concerts. What a mess. At this stage I just want to know what's happening one way or another.

[Victim of Love]

From Rolling Stone Magazine:

"Ireland’s people should never be embarrassed. Most loving people on earth," Brooks said. "If the prime minister himself wants to talk to me, I will craw, I will swim… I will drop on my knees and beg for those 400,000 people to have fun and come sing.

"If anyone on the planet is sad about [the cancellations], you're not one-billionth as sad as I am."


To me, this is the key statement Brooks has made regarding this mess. It sounds like HE is more than willing to see these shows come to fruition but I wonder where his promoters/handlers stand. I don't dispute that revenues factor in for anyone who takes a big production on the road, especially to another country, but I believe he IS thinking of the fans as well. Garth has said repeatedly thru the years he knows his success wouldn't have been possible without the fans and I can't fathom that any entertainer attempting to make a comeback after ten years would want something like this hanging over their head. Garth himself has offered the olive branch so I think the situation warrants being monitored. I think delaying starting the ticket refund process may have been as much about a possible resolution as it was about ramping up for the volume of transactions. I don't think it's completely dead in the water just yet. There is entirely too much at stake for everyone concerned.

[Ive always been a dreamer]

Wow! What a mess, indeed. Hopefully, for the sake of the fans, they will get this sorted out soon. And, I agree, no entertainer wants this kind of black mark on their reputation by putting their fans through such a fiasco.

[Glennsallnighter]

Well all dates have now been officially cancelled. Garth pulled the plug last night. :weep:

[DivineDon]

Well all dates have now been officially cancelled. Garth pulled the plug last night. :weep:


Can't believe they didn't come to some arrangement. Hard to know who to blame.

Fiasco :brickwall:

[Brooke]

Sorry to hear this, Ga. I'm surprised they couldn't come to an agreement of some kind too. Lots of disappointed fans, I'm sure!

[Victim of Love]

What a huge disappointment for all concerned. Heartbreaking that they couldn't find a workable resolution.

[sodascouts]

I thought for sure they would figure something out.... how disappointing for you all. :(

[Glennsallnighter]

Yeah, very disappointing. I suppose Garth couldn't hang around forever waiting for us to make up our minds.
400,000 fans disappointed as well as all those ancillary businesses that would have seen this as a good opportunity for their business.

Also strangely enough the homeless. A leading homeless charity had been given permission to do a bucket collection outside the grounds. And when crowds are in good form, that usually translates into plenty of donations. Ain't gonna happen now.

Am I disappointed? A bit, not hugely, it's not like the Eagles had to cancel. Even Laura felt all this messing was turning her off going as well. LIKE she said the good had been taken out of it! I will get a full rebate on my tickets. And I had booked this before the Eagles Fall dates had been released. More $$ for New York!

Laura and I have bought his 'Ultimate Greatest Hits' we'll wear our Stetson and boots on the required night and play it away to our hears content!!

Oh and nearly 50% of the objections turned out to be bogus. You gotta wonder who was on what agenda here!