AIKEN PROMOTIONS HAVE hit out at Dublin City Council saying if they are perceived as having been “reckless” then the licensing process itself is “reckless”.
In a statement this evening, they said that the term “must equally apply to a council that did not advise Aiken Promotions not to proceed with the five concerts when they were informed”.
They said that “comments such as ‘reckless behaviour’ besmirch the reputation of a company that for 53 years have made a significant contribution to the culture and economy of Ireland”.
Reconsider
Aiken Promotions welcomed the decision of the city council to support the motion to ask the city manager to reconsider his position on granting permission for five Garth Brooks concerts.
They added:
The complete misrepresentation of Garth Brooks as a person and as an artist is ill informed and is scandalous.
Aiken Promotions said that “at all times” they have followed the process as laid down under the event licencing procedure.
While Council Officials may have followed a proper process, we believe that the decision was not correct.The demand for tickets for The Garth Brooks Comeback Special Event was unprecedented, selling almost one entire show to audiences from outside Ireland.
Aiken added that “all of the discussions with council officials in relation to the five concerts was about how the impact of the five concerts might be mitigated. Therefore the decision was a complete shock”.
Immediately after the licence decision Aiken Promotions said they sought alternatives that might facilitate the two cancelled shows.
However this show has been specifically designed for Croke Park and it was unsuitable to any other venue. We also looked at sites such as Phoenix Park but these sites were not feasible because of the 10 week requirement for the licencing process.
They said that they always acknowledged that five concerts would have an impact on the community.
Speaking about Garth Brooks’ reaction to the decision, Aiken said:
Garth Brooks response to the licence for the 3 rather than the 5 concerts was not an ultimatum, it was simply an expression of genuine concern for his fans.The complete misrepresentation of Garth Brooks as a person and as an artist is ill informed and is scandalous.
They concluded by saying that they have responded to a range of facilitators and politicians in an attempt to find a way of presenting the five concerts.
City manager
At the Dublin City Council meeting, the city manager said that Dublin City Council has been consistent (since it became aware that tickets were being sold for five concerts) in informing the promoter and his agents that its main concern was the impact that 5 consecutive concerts would have on the local area.
He said that tickets went on sale for five proposed Garth Brooks to take place at Croke Park in late January/early February 2014.
“It should be noted that the promoter could have lodged the licence application at any stage, including before the tickets went on sale. The promoter decided not to do so until 17 April 2014. Dublin City Council was not formally consulted by the promoter prior to the tickets going on sale. However, there is no requirement for such consultation,” he said.
Earlier today, a High Court injunction was filed by local resident aimed at preventing all five nights from going ahead.
In a statement this evening, chair of the Croke Park Streets Committee Eamon O’Brien said ”it is also not appropriate for politicians to be intervening in licensing decisions taken by Dublin City Council”.
“The last refuge of the citizen is the courts which is clearly the case here,” he concluded.
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