An emotional Garth Brooks broke down in tears on stage as he took to Croke Park to headline his first of five historic gigs last night(Friday).
The Friends in Low places singer fell to his hands and knees in awe of the long-awaited night, as he made his Dublin debut and finished his first two tracks, Ireland and Rodeo, to a screaming loud crowd.
Choking back emotion, the 60-year-old said: “We came back. I just want to enjoy this moment. I love you.”
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As the crowd chanted “Ole” to comfort the singer, he added: “That was so sweet.”
He added: “I don’t know what words could describe this, and the return since 1997, so I’ll not try.
“I came here for one purpose and that was to raise some hell.”
“We are going to play a lot of cowboy songs tonight, that is just what we do.”
“Dublin this is what it is going to be like all night long,” he added, before draping himself in an Irish flag as he performed his hit, The River.
80,000 fans excitedly flocked to GAA headquarters yesterday to make enjoy the first night of a weekend of country music celebrations.
Dressed in blue jeans and his statement Stetson cowboy hat, the country music legend took to the lit stage with some of his biggest hits, including Friends in Low Place, Rodeo, The Dance, Callin’ Baton Rouge, The Thunder Rolls and That Summer.
The singer also performed some of his own favourite tunes such as Don McLean’s American Pie, Billy Joel’s Piano Man, and A Star Is Born hit, Shallow, which he recorded a version of alongside his wife Trisha Yearwood.
The crowd went wild as Trisha joined him to perform Shallow and the country singer said: “There was a young lady who was singing back up here in Croke Park in 1997, her name was Trisha Yearwood. And she fell in love with Irish whiskey that night. I don’t know who is more excited to be here, me or her.
“She’s having some kind of spells with an inner ear issue, it happens every five years or so, but she is hoping she will be better for the shows, if not we won’t see her this weekend. But she is tough, she is an entertainer. So we will play it by ear.”
Showtime was due to kick off at 7.30 pm, but it was 8 pm before Brooks took to the stage as fans packed into the sold-out stadium.
But Brooks, who is filming the historic events, promised that he will squeeze in as much as he can’ in the show before curfew kicked in at 10.30 pm.
“I came over here to try to push the curfew as much as we can,” he said.
“Our curfew is 10.30 pm, so we will honour that curfew. So our job is to squeeze in as much as we can in those three hours.
“I’m pretty excited.”
Ticket holders for the gigs will also be treated to a special performance of his biggest hit, If Tomorrow Never Comes, live for the first time in 15 to 20 years.
Garth explained: “Guess what ballad we haven't played in 15/20 years…’If Tomorrow Never Comes’. And it may be the biggest Garth Brooks song.
“And if we did, it was just a snippet with just the guitar. The last time we did a big band thing to it, was this big ass place called the Point, so you think about it.
“But at the same time selfishly, it’ll be a joy to sing that song. It’s stood the test of time, and it is stronger. And it has travelled far and wide, so it has earned it.”
Garth will take to the stage again tonight as the sold-out gigs will see 400,000 fans descend on Drumcondra this weekend, and again next week, on September 16 and 17 due to popular demand.
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