EDITORIAL: ‘And The Thunder Rolls’ towards Garth’s big gigs in Limerick
Country legend Garth Brooks will play two concerts at TUS Gaelic Grounds on June 11 and 12,
“ANY fans who haven’t seen him live before have no idea what they’re in for, it will be amazing. I just hope I get tickets!”
Those are the words of Annacotty resident Tricia Hayden, whose excitement at the prospect of seeing Garth Brooks perform in Limerick next summer will be shared by thousands across Limerick, the Mid-West and beyond.
Even for those who wouldn’t normally consider themselves country music fans, there is definitely something contagious about the Garth Brooks phenomenon. Such is the hype surrounding the country legend that plenty of us will be climbing aboard the Garth Brooks bandwagon and enjoying the spin.
And there’s nothing wrong with that!
With two concerts at TUS Gaelic Grounds on June 11 and 12, and crowds of around 45,000 expected each night, last week’s announcement is super news for Limerick. From hotels and hairdressers to pubs, restaurants, shops and petrol stations, businesses across the city and beyond can look forward to a welcome slice of the action.
Laptops and smartphones will be fired up at the crack of dawn this Thursday, as thousands enter the online Ticketmaster queue.
It’s not quite the same as the days when fans camped outside shops like Gleeson Sport Scene, armed with flasks, sleeping bags and buckets of optimism. Nowadays, the drama unfolds at the desk, where there is frantic refreshing, deathly slow queue counters and that dreaded word beginning with ‘F’ – frozen!
There will be some nail biting and possibly a few choice words before Thursday morning is out.
And while Garth Brooks famously sang about Unanswered Prayers, let’s hope the only place Limerick fans encounter those two words is under the sunshine on the Ennis Road next June with a Stetson on their head.