THE PRICE TO see Garth Brooks play on his upcoming tour of Ireland has been defended, with promoter Aiken Promotions saying that the steeper prices reflect Brooks being an “incredible artist”.

The US country star will play two nights each in Belfast, Galway, Kilkenny, Limerick and Cork during May and June 2027.

But Brooks’ concerts will charge more than twice the sum for his last Irish shows. For his five Croke Park concerts in September 2022, general standing tickets cost €65.56 and seated tickets were €81, excluding service charges.

However, for next year’s shows, pit and general standing tickets will cost €136.25, while seated tickets are priced at €156.25.

Ticketmaster service charges will apply on top of those prices.

That makes next year’s standing tickets €70.69 more expensive, an increase of almost 108%. Seated tickets have risen by €75.25, or almost 93%.

Speaking on Thursday, Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions defended the price hike by pointing out that prices for the 2022 concerts were in fact 2014 prices – in other words, to reflect the fact that Brooks cancelled his earlier Croke Park shows in 2014.

“He kept exactly the ticket prices that we had in 2014 when unfortunately the concerts didn’t go ahead,” Aiken told RTÉ Radio 1′s News at One programme.

“Nobody spotted that,” Aiken added.

Aiken adopted that “prices do up quite a bit”, but said punters had to keep in mind the “big investment” Brooks was making with his concerts.

“He’s bringing a 15-piece band with him; that’s a huge investment,” Aiken said.

He further pointed to the extraordinary cost of a hotel night in Dublin, saying that he had spent €750 for a hotel that was “nothing too fancy” just this week.

“When we talk about all these hotel prices for customers, that’s why he wanted to go around the country,” Aiken said, referring to how next summer’s shows will span the country’s regional venues, like Nowlan Park in Kilkenny and Pearse Stadium in Galway.

Aiken claimed that Brooks is still “one of the cheapest tickets that are out there”, likening the experience to that of the cinema.

“You go see a big movie at the moment, there are 500 screens showing that exact movie,” he said, adding that, “When you go see these incredible artists, that’s the only place you can see them at that time.”

Summing up Brooks’s appeal, Aiken said that he is an “incredible” performer, and also because of his “personality” and “stage presence” at his shows.

As of Thursday, Brooks has added an extra Belfast concert to next summer’s tour after his two original shows in the city sold out.

Tickets are selling fast for many of the venues, with Virgin Media presenter Tommy Bowe among those struggling to get a spot.

"PAYMENT DECLINED!" Tommy's attempt to get Garth Brooks tickets turned into the biggest drama of the morning 🤠🎟️😂 #IrelandAM https://t.co/iIGNDuejZs

— Ireland AM (@IrelandAMVMTV) November 12, 2026