Garth Brooks update: Matinee Option Not A Runner

Following a day of intensive negotiations, the offer from Dublin City Council that the five planned Garth Brooks Dublin shows might be run over three days has been deemed unfeasible by the artist and the promoters.

The idea had been tabled initially during discussions between Aiken Promotions and Dublin City Council, in an attempt to resolve the dispute over the licensing of the five concerts at Croke Park. However, following discussions with Brooks, Aiken Promotions have now said that the proposal is "not feasible."

Earlier in the day, at a press conference in Nashville, Garth Brooks was firm in his view that all of the 400,000 fans would have to be treated equally – a stance which may rule out any compromise on the original plan for five shows over five nights in July.

At the press conference, Brooks spoke about the approach of the Irish authorities to planning for gigs, offering the opinion that the Irish system didn't work. He also described himself as the real loser, if the concerts did not go ahead. In relation to the mooted intervention of the Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, he took an essentially conciliatory line.

"If the Prime Minister himself wants to talk to me I will crawl, swim or fly over there this weekend, sit in front of him, drop on my knees and beg for those 400,000 people to just have fun," he said.

He added that his team do not do "golden tickets" so people are treated fairly. "So why am I going to treat 160,000 people differently," he asked.

While the rejection of this latest initiative does not bring the saga to a full stop, there is very little wriggle room left for the people who are working around the clock to make the gigs happen. On the face of it, currently, it seems that only emergency legislation, which would over-ride the requirement for a 10 week planning process, could make it possible for the gigs to happen.

While this is within the powers of the administration, to date Taoiseach Enda Kenny has seemed reluctant to do what is necessary to ensure that the gigs go ahead. On the other hand, the fact that so many of the local residents have now withdrawn their objections, could be taken by the Government as a hint that the national wish is overwhelmingly for the gigs to go ahead.

"The fact that there were forged objections clearly tainted the whole planning process," a political source told Hot Press. "We don't yet know the exact number – but the fact that so many of the objectors are now scrambling for cover does suggest that there was a lot of opportunism and vindictiveness involved. That in itself should give Dublin City Council a basis for reviewing their decision.

"In effect, if the local opposition has faded away, then there is really no reason whatsoever for the concerts not to go ahead."

Watch this space.