Garth Brooks says the 2014 cancelled shows were like "a death in the family"

Brooks addressed the Irish media this morning

Get the bootcut jeans out of the closet, partner, Garth is in town. No, you weren't having a fever dream last week, the man himself really did announce that he's returning to finish what he started next summer.

Brooks arrived in Ireland this morning to hold a press conference ahead of his two-night (so far) show next year.

"When I hit the airport today, I had my mask on, so I couldn't figure out how everybody knew it was me," he joked, while sporting a giant cowboy hat and a denim jacket.

He was asked whether he would like to do five nights in the GAA stadium. "Yes ma'am, I'd like to do five but I would also like to be 6"5 and have abs," he replied, laughing.

He admitted that there's "no way" he will be doing five shows this time around. "[In 2014] you got 400,000 hard tickets for in one city, one show. That's impossible, there's no way we're going to do that number again."

Talking about the debacle back in 2014 he was clearly quite emotional. "It's still very fresh for me. It's like something I've never experienced."

He added, "It's one of those things where you go, 'surely this isn't going to end this way, right?'"

Brooks plays Croke Park on September 9 & 10, 2022. Tickets go on sale this Friday, November 25, at 8am.