They’re gone: 400,000 Garth Brooks tickets sell out

Country music star is the first act to play five nights in a row at Croke Park

Before getting tickets on January 30. The first people in the queue- Charlene O’Neill from Knocklyon originally from Derry, Aoibhinn Loye from Armagh, Lauren Windsor from Portarlington, Co. Laois, Orla Carroll from Portarlington Co. Laois, Emma Kenny from Crumlin and Laura Carter from Tallaght - camp out for Garth Brooks tickets outside Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre in Dublin Photo: Barbara Lindberg.
Before getting tickets on January 30. The first people in the queue- Charlene O’Neill from Knocklyon originally from Derry, Aoibhinn Loye from Armagh, Lauren Windsor from Portarlington, Co. Laois, Orla Carroll from Portarlington Co. Laois, Emma Kenny from Crumlin and Laura Carter from Tallaght - camp out for Garth Brooks tickets outside Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre in Dublin Photo: Barbara Lindberg.

Tickets for Garth Brooks’ fifth comeback concert for Croke Park on July 29th have sold out this morning.

The country music superstar added the extra date immediately after his fourth concert sold out in minutes after 9am today.

The total number of tickets sold for the event is now 400,000 and it wil be the first time an artist will play five consecutive nights at the park.

Hundreds of fans queued outside Ticketmaster outlets last night in horrendous weather conditions to avoid disappointment and some hardy folks slept outside for three days to make sure they secured tickets.

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There are still some fans anxiously queuing for the final printed out tickets from outlets.

Rosaleen McGarry from Rathfarnham said she had been on the telephone and online for hours this morning in an attempt to get tickets.

Having no luck, she made her way to the Stephen Green’s outlet and at lunchtime was one of the fans waiting for one of the last printed tickets.

“I do love his music. It would be great to get a ticket,” Ms McGarry said.

“I hope he’s worth all the effort.”

Cousins Shauna (21) and Debbie Ahearne (26), from Kilsheelan, Tipperary, sat in fold-out chairs braving storms and freezing temperatures for 62 long hours to be first in a queue of hundreds in Thurles.

The two could not contain their excitement about getting their hands on tickets.

“We couldn’t take any chances,” Ms (Shauna) Ahearne said this morning after she purchased her tickets.

"It's really for my aunty we're doing it, she's the biggest Garth Brooks fan ever."

All 240,000 tickets for his scheduled three shows at Croke Park sold out last week within 90 minutes, with a further 80,000 tickets sold out for the fourth concert this morning.

Tickets for the fifth concert, on Tuesday July 29th, went on sale immediately this morning. Five nights comes to a total of 400,000 tickets.

Last week trouble broke out in Limerick between gardaí and heartbroken fans who missed out on tickets for the third concert after waiting for 48 hours.

Ticketmaster Ireland managing director Keith English said there was special focus on their outlets in Limerick this time to ensure that fans who missed out last time would be properly looked after.

“We will again be doubling the staff in our call centre to answer the phones and all Ticketmaster outlets around the country will be geared up and ready to go again. There will be security at outlets.”

Country superstar Brooks was so “stunned” by the response to his comeback concerts he announced a fourth show.

Brooks will play at Croke Park on Friday July 25th, Saturday (26th), Sunday (27th), Monday (28th) and now Tuesday (29th).

No artist has played five successive concerts in Croke Park.

Tickets are priced from €65.45.

Rachel Flaherty

Rachel Flaherty

Rachel Flaherty is Digital Features Editor and journalist with The Irish Times