Garth Brooks.
He is a country God.
He has sold 138 million albums.
He is apparently the #1 selling solo artist in the history of the United States
He has won 2 Grammys (Grammies?!)
He is a spokesperson for Targét.
Garth does it all.
All, except keep promises. Promises specifically made to the wonderful people of Ireland.
And I was lucky... or unlucky (depending on how you look at it) to witness it all go down.
There are many articles that have covered this saga from an Irish perspective. Google it. It's out there. But as an American driving around the country during the summer of 2014, I feel as though I present a fresh, fly-on-the-wall point of view.
...So my friend, Jessica Fletcher * and I were returning to Ireland after having completed our student teaching in the great country 3 years prior. We wanted to go back and experience the country without the restriction of traveling only on weekends, so we rented a car and braved the narrow, winding roads that would transport us from place to place... not to mention that you must drive on the opposite side of the road (but we'll save that for another time)
The biggest obstacle we had to overcome, however, was that there was no AUX cord provided. The horror!
What was this thing called "radio" that we were forced to endure? And we HAD to endure it because with constant upheaval each day (early in the morning) in order to conquer both the republic and northern sections of Ireland, along with the fact that we both were a bit jet-lagged... WE WERE EXHAUSTED.
(Exhausted is a complete and total understatement, by the way)
So anyway, we turned on the radio, listening to a station that would be equivalent to New York's Z100: RTE2fm.
I was somewhat excited to listen because I knew that Europe was/is where all legit dance music comes from, and I am a huge fan.
I wasn't disappointed....
credit: Youtube, Klingande
... but an overwhelming topic was coming up in between songs during the news portion of their broadcast: Garth Brooks.
Now, I am a Jersey Girl, so by no means do I claim to be the biggest country music fan....but my parents did raise me on "No Fences", so I know all the classics by heart and I do respect the talent and charisma of Mr. Brooks. In fact, I felt a surge of pride knowing that an American artist (sans scandal and auto-tune) was so beloved in another country.
I listened closer...
In a nutshell: Dublin did not license all of the 5 shows at Croke Park that were promised and purchased by the Irish people. Only 3 of the 5 were permitted... which was only realized and questioned thoroughly (what seemed like) days before the shows.
This was THE news of the century. Every radio station, newscast, newspaper, Irish-based social media, etc was up in arms about the travesty.
With every turn of the radio dial, the situation became more and more dire. The people were enraged. Devastated. Shocked.
But even though the technicalities due to the permits from the government of Dublin had let them down, surely Garth wouldn't! He would make it work.
But he didn't.
It was all 5 or nothing at all.
So there was nothing at all.
The backlash was heavy (and rightfully so).
If there were voodoo Brooks dolls, people would have purchased them in bulk.
Whilst making our way through a small, yet lively town along the western coast, we stopped at a souvenir shop. I was looking around, when something caught my eye. It was a full rack of freshly printed concert apparel. Garth Brooks at Croke Park concert apparel. Apparel that was now on sale because the concert was not going to happen. Apparel of sadness.
I practically cartwheeled to the register with one of the shirts.
The cashier looked at me a bit strange, perhaps wondering if I lived under a rock and did not know that the concert was no more. And then thought better of it.... the salesman in him ignited,
"Take another! 2 for 12!"
If I wasn't on such a tight budget , I would have purchased them all, purely for nostalgia's sake. I reassured him that I only wanted one:
(this is going in a frame, btw)
I soon found out through friendly conversation, that the man behind the counter had his own personal woes about the cancelled concerts. His family had tickets and were currently inconsolable about the whole ordeal. Something told me that if the man didn't have to work today, he too would be at home in the fetal position, crying.
I actually felt bad as I bought the shirt as a souvenir. It almost mocked the true weight of how badly hurt the people of Ireland felt.
I mean... The Day The Music Died... come on! Even the hardest of hearts would feel for these ticket holders.
The way that RTEfm (the radio station) covered the fiasco; however, is why I downloaded the RTEfm app on my phone once I got back to the US. It was Golden Globe worthy if the debacle had been acted out... or in radio terms: Marconi Award-worthy.
Time has passed now. It has been 2+ years. Wounds tend to heal by this point.
And, as luck would have it, as I started thinking about typing this blog a little while ago, I found out that Garth is rumored to make amends in Ireland real soon...
...if they'll let him through customs.
Also, if you think I was exaggerating in any way about this story:
credit: Youtube
Skål xx
* not friend's actual name.