Garth Brooks has enough legal trouble on his plate, considering that he's trying to get back $226,000 he loaned to an employee. Some more legal action is threatening to throw off his 2014 comeback plans however. Residents of Dublin have drawn issue with the country star's concert series at Croke Park.
Brooks had previously announced the shows at the Irish stadium. It began with two shows in July, and he continued to add gigs one-by-one to fill demand. As of publishing, the performer had sold 400,000 tickets to the five dates, all sell-outs. The problem: A legal document exists in which Croke Park operators agreed to only host up to three concerts a year at the venue. Residents have threatened a High Court injunction if licenses are allowed for the fourth and fifth shows.
A meeting was held between the GAA, which operates Croke Park, and Aiken Promotions, and the irritated citizens of Dublin. GAA representatives tried to argue for the financial benefits of the shows for the community, but they weren't hearing it. Peter McKenna, the stadium director, justified violating the 2009 agreement by arguing "times move on," which didn't make anyone any happier, believe it or not.
As it stands, promoters have ten weeks to apply for a license before the first show, and residents will have five weeks to protest the application. Dublin's city council has only rejected one application for a license in 30 years.
The good news for Brooks in this case: He's not personally subject to the legal wrangling, so he doesn't have to get his hands dirty. He can just focus on that unpaid loan.
