Fiasco In Ireland

Jimmy Carter in his homebase Nashville.

In the history of Country music concerts, has there ever been a bigger mess than the one that just played out in Dublin, Ireland? Ever think who wins a nuclear war? Clearly ... no one!

A few months ago, 400,000 hungry Country music/Garth Brooks fans from around the world grabbed these hot tickets, booked hotel rooms, booked airplanes and told the boss they were heading to the mother church of pubs, limericks and four-leaf clovers. A dream trip the rest of us would have to enjoy via their Twitter and Facebook pages.

Passports out of the jewelry box, luggage located, dog reservations made at the kennel, T-minus three weeks and ... Ka-Boooooooooooooooooooooooom!

400,000 disappointed, pissed-off Country fans. Shocked, stunned, saddened. Today, emotions range from anger to depression.

Were these 400,000 fans ever at the top of anyone's list of how this was to be resolved? Did the angry stadium neighbors? Hell no! The Dublin City Council? Hell No! Both of these groups got stuck in the "win at all costs/World Cup winner takes all" mode.

Did anyone say, "Let's make sure these voters/neighbors get what they paid for and we fix the bigger problem in the future"? But no ... screw those people. We could care less ... We just know we do't want the noise ... ( they also live near train tracks and hate the sound of trains. Same folks.) we just know he did not have a license.

Yes ... you can't open a hot dog store in Toledo without a business license. Garth's people in Ireland didn't do their job. Simple as that ... others didn't follow the rule of law, so they let it slide..

You would think since their insurance carrier wouldn't give them coverage until they got a license, that might be a clue. It is not the first time a star has turned the business over to an employee and the boss got screwed.

Selling 400,000 tickets is a huge accomplishment...They could have sold more, too ... I'm having trouble getting past those 400,000 fans ... Even the sourpusses at the Dublin City Council knew they had to let a majority of the fans to get their show ... the ones who bought in the original sales wave. In the negotiations to resolve this mess, returning a fourth at the stadium was on the table.

Per the city council manager who now rues the day he ever heard the name Garth Brooks.

Garth said publicly all five or none. A high-stakes poker move. But you are dealing with a group of people who have been fighting since the medieval times. They don't take ultimatums well. Just ask The British.

Garth then got sucked into the negotiations ... listening to the arguing ... I saw the comments in the news stories ... the man on the street interviews that did not agree with the Garth side 100%.

It was ugly ... some of the comments were spawned from jealousy ... it never looked good. The two sides, even with help from the national government, just couldn't negotiate.

Let's do three big stadium shows ... maybe negotiate the 4th a few days later ... then give the fifth night fans an indoor show ... maybe a few indoor shows to meet demand ...I t was not the original vision and the new car has been crapped on by a bunch of birds, but the mission will get accomplished. Everyone will get their money ... the fans will get their shows ... was that ever suggested?

Then Ka-Boooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

400,000 fans, too bad ... sorry ... though not sure I have heard the word, "sorry," but I am sure most involved in this fiasco are sad ... have regrets ... embarrassment.

I can't imagine Target, Fedex, Chick Fil A ... any great company saying, "Well, too bad, customers." It didn't work out. No one died ... no one was sick. Just mad. Is mad an acceptable reason to just walk away from something on this scale? Or even if this was 100 in a bar ... The fans got screwed.

"Go Big or Go Home," someone said on my Facebook. Well, he went home.

Lessons learned but with great pain.

Regular people have to find answers. Firefighters pulling up to a fire don't have the option of going back to the firehouse. You have decisions to make ... Poor houses, mansions all get the same degree of professionalism and concern. You go into that burning house and get the people out. You do your job. Things in real life can be different than training or watching them in TV. You do what you have to do to get the mission accomplished.

Did everyone involved in this concert fiasco doing everything they could to honor that contract the 400,000 made when they bought those tickets? No ... big no.

This is a very sad story ... reflects a bigger societal problem. People caring about the little guy. The little guy who doesn't want a loud concert next door .. .the little guy who buys a concert ticket ... the little guy who has to follow the rules...Who is out their defending the rights of the little guy?

How will the media handle this story? How will fans relate? What a mess! I'm a first-day Garth fan ... been to most of his greatest shows from Central Park to Las Vegas. I'm mad at the people who let him down here ... I want to hear Garth's side of this story for sure ... to be continued.