Garth Brooks has turned down a plan to play all five shows over three days.
He was given a lifeline with Dublin City Council to allow five shows over three days – with two as afternoon performances.
Dublin City Council said this matinee situation would be acceptable with them, with gigs on Saturday and Sunday having a 2-6pm run and a 8-11pm performance.
But Garth – who earlier vowed to beg the Taoiseach to make his Croke Park shows to happen – refused to sign off on the plan.
He said: “Sticking 160,000 people out in the middle of the day… I don’t want to give them a half-arsed show.”
Hours earlier, the US country singer insisted he would only do five gigs – and admits he doesn’t “have a clue” how we got to this point where they could be axed.
He said: “I don’t know have a clue how we got here, but all I know is that the powers who can fix it aren’t here…Â
“Open it up for five nights and let everybody have fun in Ireland…Â If I think of Ireland, I think of love. It’s not Ireland to say 160,000 people, screw you!”
He added: “If the Prime Minister wants to talk to me, I will crawl, swim, even fly over there to him this weekend.”
It comes after earlier today Croke Park residents said they would be happy to let the five shows go ahead now.
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He added he will “do whatever it takes” to make the show happen in a press conference from Nashville, including afternoon performances.
He said:Â “I, personally, will do whatever it takes except cancel on people.” He added that his show plans would only fit in Croke Park and couldn’t move to smaller venue.
It is rumoured that a deal may be announced soon for the gigs to take place, but Garth admitted “the system is screwing things up”.
He added: “I don’t think you can talk about a future with Ireland, until Ireland has a system that works.” He said he was given “no warning” the shows may not take place.
He said: “At no time when they announced 400,000 tickets did anyone say ‘Woo, woo, woo, no’.”
But Garth, who claims he is “a billion times sadder than anyone else”, insists he still loves the country – and won’t lose that love.
He added: “If anybody asked me where I would take my kids – I would take my kids to Ireland, I love it.”
The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, had stepped in to facilitate last-minute talks in a bid to stop them being cancelled.
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The Fine Gael leader responded to an emotional letter from the US country legend pushing for a way to make the shows happen – and vowing he wouldn’t give up.
“I cannot begin to tell you how badly my heart is breaking right now,” Garth said. “I hope you understand that to play for 400,000 would be a dream, but to tell 160,000 of those people that they are not welcome would be a nightmare.”
