Garth Brooks ‘Crushed’ as Irish Shows Are Definitely Canceled

All five of Garth Brooks' comeback shows, which were scheduled to be held July 25-29 in Ireland, have been officially canceled, leaving the singer extremely disappointed.

The shows were scheduled to be the kick-off to his official comeback into country music. While legal protests threatened the concerts from the beginning, with some residents near the Croke Park venue in Dublin saying five shows exceeded the maximum of three concerts per year allowed to be held in the park, Brooks, along with many Ireland residents, hoped the shows would go on as planned. But after the Dublin City Council refused to issue a license for all five concerts, a last-ditch attempt to have the decision reversed was unsuccessful.

Brooks released the following statement immediately following the announcement:

I have always been advised to NEVER send a message in the moment. It is said it is best to take a walk, wait awhile, and think about it. With that said, I just received the news the [Dublin city council] cannot change their earlier ruling to not allow the licenses for all five shows. To say I am crushed is an understatement. All I see is my mother's face and I hear her voice. She always said things happen for a reason and for the right reason. As hard as I try, I cannot see the light on this one. So it is with a broken heart, I announce the ticket refunds for the event will go as posted by TicketMaster.

I want to thank the Irish authorities for going the distance for all of us who wanted to share songs and dance together. I really want to thank all the people around the world that continued to think good thoughts that this would actually happen. Most of all, to Peter Aiken and those 400,000 people who believed enough to go through what they have been through to get to this point…I love you, always have, always will. I encourage any and all of them that can come see the show, at some point around the world, to bring your Irish flags and wave them proudly at the concerts. I will be looking for you.

It's not all bad news for the Oklahoma native, though. He has announced that Chicago will serve as the first city on his comeback tour, which is expected to last three years.