Why was Garth Brooks so popular in Ireland?

whiskeyman · 31-01-2014 10:00AM

fergiesfolly wrote: »

My entire family are going, so its going to be a great day out.

I reckon the organised crime gangs will have a field day over that weekend as masses of country folk abandon their houses and villages and come up to the big schmoke for some country music shenanigans.

Sunglasses Ron · 31-01-2014 10:18AM

whiskeyman wrote: »

I reckon the organised crime gangs will have a field day over that weekend as masses of country folk abandon their houses and villages and come up to the big schmoke for some country music shenanigans.

On the contrary I would imagine he is some sort of demi god to the traveller mobs who have been going on trips down the country from Tallaght as of late.

If we assume the stereotyping here is correct and the 1.3 million people in and around Dublin are not interested, nor are the 500,000 foreigners, and the million fleggers in the North wouldn't be seen dead at any event held in Croker, nearly 10% of the remaining population are going to this. Cut out the children too young and the people too old for the crowds and the noise, that leaves about one tenth of the able bodied, non Dub, Irish population of this island going to the gig of an artist who hasn't been heard of in nearly 20 years, with maybe twice as many as that wanting to go.

Insane, it really is! I just don't get where all these fans have been hiding. You would think that with this level of popularity his stuff would get a regular spin in some of the cheesier nightclubs.

BadCompany · 31-01-2014 10:56AM

Agricola wrote: »

Croke Park sold out 3 times in 90 minutes for this guy! Im staggered. What is really baffling about all this is the excitement amongst people who were toddlers when he last played here. I've too cousins who would have been in primary school back in the mid 90's and despite the fact they don't own one record of his, or actually ever talked about him one time in the last 15 years, the fact they got tickets for it wouldnt have generated more excitement if they had won the lottery! Jesus, herd mentality is a potent thing.

Well said. I can't understand where this has come from. It's like the media hype up this gig (and others) to be something "not to be missed" and thousands of people with little or no interest in music completely buy into it. I'd liken it to the Bruce Springsteen phenomenon in Ireland of the last few years. Friends I met back in college were just going mental for him "oh can't wait for The Boss in June!", though they genuinely wouldn't have been able to name more than one song of his a mere two or three years earlier. Springsteen didn't come down in the last shower, it makes no sense.

Edit: Not saying for a second that there aren't thousands of genuine Brooks fans going, and more luck to them! He wouldn't be my cup of tea but horses for courses. I just think the hype has led an unusually large percent of people just following the crowd.

SamAK · 31-01-2014 12:22PM

NiallSparky wrote: »

I'd genuinely never heard of this Brooks lad until all the furore in the news lately.

veryangryman wrote: »

Of course not. With respect, there are better lies you can say to look cool on a message board.

I don't give a hoot about looking cool here, but I can honestly say, hand on heart, that the only time I can ever recall hearing the name Garth Brooks was six years ago, when a lad in my class (a country lad, in a country school :rolleyes:) was saying that he was 'fookin seerious boy'.

Apart from that, the next I heard of him was in the indo when the man flew in on a private jet to announce the tour.

Not surprising really, given that my music tastes and social circle are far, far, far removed from the country scene!

Music divides society into individual groups in a remarkable way!

newport2 · 31-01-2014 01:06PM

Disappointment for fans from the wild west.....

http://mayoglobe.ie/breaking-news-garth-brooks-bans-mayo-residents-shows/

Steve F · 31-01-2014 03:10PM

Ha,ha thats just hilarious!!
For all those asking where all this madness has come from I think it's simply a case of "I was there and bought the T-shirt" for a vast majority of the ticket buyers.I have no doubt there are some hardened GB fans but most couldn't care less about seeing him and it's just the ''look what I got tickets to" brigade or they are going to sell them at an obcene amount nearer to the gig date:eek:

DEFTLEFTHAND · 31-01-2014 03:40PM

I wonder how much the GAA will see out of this. What's their deal with renting Croke Park? Is it a set fee or do they take their cut from a percentage of ticket sales?

Alun · 31-01-2014 04:00PM

NiallSparky wrote: »

I'd genuinely never heard of this Brooks lad until all the furore in the news lately.

Me neither, and I can't even be arsed Googling his name to find out what he's 'famous' for either.

patmac · 31-01-2014 04:06PM

ollie1 wrote: »

When I was in school they made us do line dancing in PE with Garth Brooks songs. I still wake up at night with nightmares about it

Jeez, being beat about the place by the Christian Brothers doesn't seem so bad now!

Jamsiek · 31-01-2014 04:38PM

NiallSparky wrote: »

I'd genuinely never heard of this Brooks lad until all the furore in the news lately.

Count yourself lucky. I had to endure the craze the first time around. I was hoping those days were over. Thankfully I moved abroad so won't be tormented with him for the next 6 months. You have my sympathies.

numbers man · 31-01-2014 04:49PM

Agricola wrote: »

Croke Park sold out 3 times in 90 minutes for this guy! Im staggered. What is really baffling about all this is the excitement amongst people who were toddlers when he last played here. I've too cousins who would have been in primary school back in the mid 90's and despite the fact they don't own one record of his, or actually ever talked about him one time in the last 15 years, the fact they got tickets for it wouldnt have generated more excitement if they had won the lottery! Jesus, herd mentality is a potent thing.

Herd mentality is definitely a part of it. However, he is one of the biggest selling artists of all time, an estimated total of 135 million units. In fact, when you look at those who have sold more or in and around the same, all of them would sell out just as quick. The only artists still in business that have sold more are Madonna, Elton John, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, AC/DC, The Rolling Stones, and Queen (not sure if I'd count those who are missing main band members etc.)

Add into this the fact that Ireland took to Brooks a lot more than other countries, we were almost the niche market for his genre, I'm not surprised at all it sold out so fast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists

RiverOfLove · 31-01-2014 08:32PM

Steve F wrote: »

Ha,ha thats just hilarious!!
For all those asking where all this madness has come from I think it's simply a case of "I was there and bought the T-shirt" for a vast majority of the ticket buyers.I have no doubt there are some hardened GB fans but most couldn't care less about seeing him and it's just the ''look what I got tickets to" brigade or they are going to sell them at an obcene amount nearer to the gig date:eek:

I fell in love with much of his music back in the 90s around 92 or 93 when I was about 10. I remember one xmas asking santa for a garth brooks tape and a walkman, maybe xmas of 93 or 94. I remember having a lot of his tapes and my sister too.

My love for Garth Brooks and his music was always there. It faded into the background from the early 00s as life took over - school, college, work, more collage, work.

I was late moving to ditigal music when I bought my first ipod in 2010 and have much music on that. Before that I always had a walkman or discman on me. In my music collection is Garth Brooks and more country music too.

My sister is a die hard fan of him and has so much on him. In 2009 or 2010, she informed me that he was gigging in vagas and I got excited in hope he would start touring again.
Off topic, my username is from an american country singer known as george strait. Brooks is fan of George Strait and fell in love with a song called - unwound - from Strait in the early 80s. We wouldn't know Brooks as he is today if it wasn't for Strait. Brooks was into rock music in the 80s and he could have swung that direction and went into rock music but he took inspiration from George Strait and went into country music.

Last time George Strait played at this side of the Atlantic was in the 80s in London. Its beyond me how Strait wasn't big here.

argentum · 31-01-2014 08:50PM

argentum wrote: »

Since he seems to have fans on this forun I'll let you in on a little secret..Every culchie in the country is going to want Santa to bring him or her tickets to see the man himself next year.He's playing the same type of gig as Bruce in the stadiums around the country following by a few nights in Dublin RDS.The deals done but won't be announced yet

I quoted the above last July so i know what i'm talking about DON'T BUY OFF TOUTS OR WEBSITES
When the stage is actually configured extra tickets will go on sale just like One direction hold off and you will get some

RiverOfLove · 31-01-2014 08:55PM

argentum wrote: »

I quoted the above last July so i know what i'm talking about DON'T BUY OFF TOUTS OR WEBSITES
When the stage is actually configured extra tickets will go on sale just like One direction hold off and you will get some

Rumour has it that aikan promotions has booked hotels in kilkenny for the week after croker. From will leahy twitter.

gnashman · 31-01-2014 08:55PM

argentum wrote: »

I quoted the above last July so i know what i'm talking about DON'T BUY OFF TOUTS OR WEBSITES
When the stage is actually configured extra tickets will go on sale just like One direction hold off and you will get some

how are you going to prove this to people if it is true ,,,where did u get this from or who

MRnotlob606 · 31-01-2014 08:57PM

I like friends in low places nice feel good song, But i think Garth brooks songs are overated and lack real depth

Mrs Garth Brooks · 31-01-2014 09:23PM

argentum wrote: »

I quoted the above last July so i know what i'm talking about DON'T BUY OFF TOUTS OR WEBSITES
When the stage is actually configured extra tickets will go on sale just like One direction hold off and you will get some

Woo hoo

bnt · 31-01-2014 09:35PM

Even the amateurs are getting in on the touting e.g. this guy:

Powell sold the tickets through Facebook and freely admits “I jacked up the price.” He claims it wasn’t his doing, however. “They’re like gold-dust. I didn’t have a price in mind - people will come to you with crazy offers. It was first come, first served with the highest bid…. When someone offered me £100, the next person offered £120. I just accepted what people were willing to pay.”

Powell sold the six tickets for a total of €774, having paid €428.

“I spoke to my mum, who was sitting on Ticketmaster. She was trying to buy tickets for my neighbour. My neighbour offered £100 sterling for the first two tickets and then I posted that I had four more to sell on Facebook.”

By way of contrast: I get to see The Aristocrats in a small central Dublin venue in a few weeks' time. About €20 to get my brain bent by some of the greatest musicians alive today - no exaggeration. Where's the "smug git" smiley?

kupus · 01-02-2014 02:05AM

I dont understand the hate, y'all sound like a bunch of whining whingers, waaaahhhh them boys are going to a concert and my favorite band that nobody else has heard of wont come to Ireland (probably cos they never heard of the fukkin place) waaaaaaahhh

But one of the biggest recording artist of all time is coming to Ireland, to kickstart and fine tune his world tour (which is a massive privilege btw) and ye still whinge.

Get a f88kin life

....and as for derek mooney whinging all week how he hates country music,
you listen to showtunes and musicals ya t1t. 'nuff said.

Xavi6 · 01-02-2014 02:19AM

kupus wrote: »

But one of the biggest recording artist of all time is coming to Ireland, to kickstart and fine tune his world tour (which is a massive privilege btw) and ye still whinge.

Let's be honest, he probably doesn't rate Ireland as any more important than all of the other countries he'll go to. Sure, he's spun a few lines, but it's all fantastic PR from him and his team.

Ireland is a nation of event junkies and, despite moaning about a recession and whatnot, folk will still shell out to be part of the herd mentality.

Brooks saw an opportunity to earn a bucket load of coin and pounced, fair play to him. Still shite music though.

kupus · 01-02-2014 02:56AM

Xavi6 wrote: »

Let's be honest, he probably doesn't rate Ireland as any more important than all of the other countries he'll go to. Sure, he's spun a few lines, but it's all fantastic PR from him and his team.

Ireland is a nation of event junkies and, despite moaning about a recession and whatnot, folk will still shell out to be part of the herd mentality.

Brooks saw an opportunity to earn a bucket load of coin and pounced, fair play to him. Still shite music though.

Of course he rates it, you just answered it by saying it was great spin. His PR team love it cos more than likely they'll tape it and sell bucket loads. It all generates interest in america where his client base is huge. Added bonus for tourism Ireland....... if they can find two brain cells between the whole lot of them useless government inbred snakes.
All this before he even starts selling tickets for his tour.

Ireland is a nation of event junkies. no more than anywhere else. Might as well say mongolia is a nation of event junkies they love their horse events. take out the word event and you may be closer to the truth.

folk will still shell out to be part of the herd mentality

Maybe just maybe and this is a long shot, did you ever stop and think that somebody else might like something that you dont like.

I dont like apple but im not going to go on a forum and say all apple heads
are beasts of burden. Oh, did i just quote a rolling stone song. I suppose I was following the herd when i saw them as well. baa baa

Jamsiek · 01-02-2014 03:34AM

kupus wrote: »

Ireland is a nation of event junkies. no more than anywhere else. Might as well say mongolia is a nation of event junkies they love their horse events.

I think the thing is Ireland is so small than the whole country can get excited about one event, or in this case, three.
It would never happen in a bigger country.

Another thing is that country is popular in rural Ireland, I'll never understand why but each to their own.
Ireland seems to be the only country in Europe that had this fascination with this genre.

kupus wrote: »

Oh, did i just quote a rolling stone song. I suppose I was following the herd when i saw them as well. baa baa

What? Big difference between going to the Rolling Stones in Slane (I was there) and queuing in the cold and rain for days and nights to see someone you wouldn't bother seeing if your friends weren't going to be there.

Xavi6 · 01-02-2014 04:52AM

kupus wrote: »

Of course he rates it, you just answered it by saying it was great spin. His PR team love it cos more than likely they'll tape it and sell bucket loads. It all generates interest in america where his client base is huge. Added bonus for tourism Ireland....... if they can find two brain cells between the whole lot of them useless government inbred snakes.
All this before he even starts selling tickets for his tour.

So you're agreeing with me, it's not for the love of the country or the fans. It's generate a heap of cash and interest for the rest of the tour.

As I said, it's great business.

Ireland is a nation of event junkies. no more than anywhere else. Might as well say mongolia is a nation of event junkies they love their horse events. take out the word event and you may be closer to the truth.

Sure but, again, there's a reason he chose Ireland over anywhere else to stop first. How many other countries of a similar size/population do you think he would sell out three concerts and still have people crying for more?

folk will still shell out to be part of the herd mentality

Maybe just maybe and this is a long shot, did you ever stop and think that somebody else might like something that you dont like.

When did I say they didn't or couldn't?

I dont like apple but im not going to go on a forum and say all apple heads
are beasts of burden. Oh, did i just quote a rolling stone song. I suppose I was following the herd when i saw them as well. baa baa

That's up to you. It's a discussion forum and it wouldn't exist if all it contained were posts by people pulling themselves at the prospect of seeing Achy Breaky Heart live.

Sunglasses Ron · 01-02-2014 04:57AM

Jamsiek wrote: »

Another thing is that country is popular in rural Ireland,

The words "rural" and "country" would seem to go hand in hand

I doubt Brooks could pack out a pub function room if he announced a gig in Brooklyn either.

Ireland seems to be the only country in Europe that had this fascination with this genre.

Are we really though? Daniel O'Donnell has and continues to have consistent top ten albums in the UK. Yes, a certain amount of those are elderly Irish women over there but a fair chunk must be native Brits as well. Just because you don't hear his stuff on BBC Radio 1 doesn't mean he isn't selling there.

European countries can be a funny old breed for music. Germans and Swedes are often surprised by how unknown American Celt- rock bands like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly are in Ireland, it is quite a big genre in parts of the continent.

Tipsy McSwagger · 01-02-2014 08:54AM

Going to be some smell of cabbage in Croker.

Jamsiek · 01-02-2014 03:39PM

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

I doubt Brooks could pack out a pub function room if he announced a gig in Brooklyn either.

I agree, not unless it was one of those redneck bars with chicken wire on the stage ;-)

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

Daniel O'Donnell has and continues to have consistent top ten albums in the UK. Yes, a certain amount of those are elderly Irish women over there but a fair chunk must be native Brits as well.

Just because you don't hear his stuff on BBC Radio 1 doesn't mean he isn't selling there.

I think the difference is the age group that likes country music in the UK is from a much older generation and even then it's a niche market but in Ireland it seems to be mainstream and for all ages.

Many young people in the UK have never even heard of Garth Brooks but the same age group in Ireland are falling over themselves to see him.

Country music would never get on BBC Radio 1, it just wouldn't be popular enough with young people. Different story in Ireland though.

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

Germans and Swedes are often surprised by how unknown American Celt- rock bands like the Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly are in Ireland, it is quite a big genre in parts of the continent.

I wouldn't call the Dropkick Murphy's country though. I actually saw them in Glasgow a few years back when I was living there, good fun.

nlgbbbblth · 01-02-2014 03:46PM

NiallSparky wrote: »

I'd genuinely never heard of this Brooks lad until all the furore in the news lately.

I find that unacceptable.

Meangadh · 01-02-2014 03:53PM

nlgbbbblth wrote: »

I find that unacceptable.

As in you don't believe him? In fairness, before lately you'd rarely have heard anyone mention Garth Brooks since the 90s. Wouldn't have even heard him being played on the radio much either. You know, the good old days.

(Only kidding, each to their own but it's definitely not for me. Shudder.)

MadsL · 01-02-2014 04:00PM

Meangadh wrote: »

As in you don't believe him? In fairness, before lately you'd rarely have heard anyone mention Garth Brooks since the 90s. Wouldn't have even heard him being played on the radio much either. You know, the good old days.

Here's the standing ovation he got at the ACM in 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWgCGkSESJY

nlgbbbblth · 01-02-2014 04:59PM

Meangadh wrote: »

As in you don't believe him? In fairness, before lately you'd rarely have heard anyone mention Garth Brooks since the 90s. Wouldn't have even heard him being played on the radio much either. You know, the good old days.

(Only kidding, each to their own but it's definitely not for me. Shudder.)

As in it displays a level of ignorance that surprises me.

I think Garth Brooks' music is bland and uninspiring but I don't begrudge anybody else who enjoys it.

Why was Garth Brooks so popular in Ireland?

Comments