City council could grant Croker gig Satisfaction to Stones fans within weeks
DUBLIN City Council could return a decision on the Rolling Stones Croke Park concert as early as next month, before the tickets go on sale on March 23.
The Irish Independent reported earlier this year that the legendary rock stars were due to perform at Croke Park and yesterday the band confirmed they were hoping to kick off the second leg of their European ‘No Filter’ tour in the northside venue.
If it gets the go-ahead, it will make it a fourth music event to take place at Croke Park this year.
It will also be the Stones’ largest venue in their new tour.
Aiken Promotions applied for a Outdoor Event Licence on February 13, with the public consultation process currently running until March 5.
The council told the Irish
Independent that a decision can be made “any time after the expiration of the threeweek submission period”.
This was previously a five-week period, but legislation concerning event licence applications was changed by the Department of the Environment in 2015 following the Garth Brooks fiasco.
When asked about the likelihood of the gig getting the green light from Dublin County Council, an Aiken Promotions spokesperson said: “The process has begun and we can’t pre-empt the outcome.”
There are already three scheduled gigs at Croke Park this summer; Taylor Swift on June 15 and 16, and Michael Bublé on July 7.
Tickets for the Stones’ only Irish gig are advertised as going on sale here on March 23.
According to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, a sell-out gig of 82,000 people in Croke Park is worth €12m to the local economy.
However, some of the local residents are unhappy at the prospect of a fourth concert.
Last night, a local residents’ group spokesperson said Croke Park was being turned into a “nightclub for 80,000 people”.
Spokesman for the Clonliffe Road residents committee Colm Stephens read out details of a proposed template to object against the concert going ahead.
Mr Stephens said no consultation was made with residents and that it was an unacceptable disruption to quality of life.
Local man Eddie Traynor said allowing a fourth concert to take place would set a dangerous precedent.
“If we let them away once, if you don’t hold your ground and you let them away once, it’s four this year, it’ll be five next year and before you know it, it’ll be 10,” he said.
“People say we shouldn’t live there... we were there long before that monstrosity was built.”