Garth Brooks willing to 'beg' Taoiseach to save Croke Park shows

"With a simple yes, you can make 400,000 people happy."
That was Garth Brooks' message to the Irish powers-that-be this afternoon, as he expressed bewilderment at how the Croke Park crisis had arisen.
At a Nashville press conference ostensibly to announce he has signed to Sony Music, is working on new material, and will tour globally next year, Brooks addressed the concerns of Irish fans.
The country singer argued that his production had passed every test that had been thrown at them and that "up to two weeks ago, it was nothing but love."
"I wish I knew where that came from," he said of Dublin City Manager Owen Keegan's decision to allow only three of the proposed five shows go ahead.
Brooks once again made the point that he would not settle for three shows and disappoint 160,000 fans – "Why are they treated different to 240,000?"
He condemned the planning system in Ireland.
Closing the issue (for now), he put the ball back in the court of Dublin City Council: "It's a simple yes. Then go to work on never letting it happen again."
Brooks also addressed rumours of Taoiseach Enda Kenny becoming involved, saying that he will "crawl, swim or fly over [to Ireland] this weekend… and drop on my knees and beg" Kenny in order to find a satisfactory resolution.