Few artists in the history of music and in the space of two years can go from playing in front of 1,200 people to three sold-out concerts in front of 180,000 people.
Zach Bryan has filled the gap for a new generation of Irish music fans yearning for American singer-songwriters and storytellers in the same milieu as Bruce Springsteen and Garth Brooks.
Both Springsteen and Brooks have been successfully promoted by Peter Aiken of Aiken Promotions who would not have gone to such lengths to book a venue as big as the Phoenix Park for Bryan without knowing his audience.
The three concerts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday night are the first in the Phoenix Park since 2018.
Bryan last played here in April 2023 in front of 1,200 people in the Helix. Aiken recalled a meltdown online with some 10,000 fans trying to purchase tickets.
Since then, aside from Taylor Swift with 220,000 monthly listeners, Bryan has become the most streamed artist on Irish Spotify.
Like Brooks, Bryan is from Oklahoma and sings songs about heartbreak and loss. Despite his 29 years, he has had a lot of the tragedy in his young life – his mother died in 2016 having struggled with alcoholism for much of her life.
Bryan spent eight years in the US navy before releasing his first album in 2019. It is only since quitting the navy four years ago that he has become a huge star
Bryan is the biggest artist that a lot of Irish people have never heard of. As with Brooks, there is a town and country divide. He’s hardly off regional radio and his biggest fan base is, unsurprisingly, in the northern and western parts of the country. Just 10 per cent of tickets to his concerts were bought in Dublin.
When the gigs were first announced, locals in the vicinity of the Phoenix Park didn’t know if he was a rapper or a heavy metaller, Aiken recalled.
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Bryan is commonly referred to as a country artist, but he doesn’t like being pigeonholed in that territory.
“He’s come from nowhere. His songs are about heartbreak and loss and all the things that people don’t like talking about any more,” said Aiken.
“Maybe [those] in Dublin aren’t aware of him, but people outside Dublin are very well aware of him.
“He’s the real deal. He’s not country per se but he’s very Springsteen. He’s a great storyteller and a very dynamic performer – he has a lot of charisma.
“When you have 160,000 people here, they’re going to know the words to every song; it’s going to be a very unique, special atmosphere.”
The weather is set to be fair for the weekend and no rain is forecast. Fans will need to stock up on water and sunscreen with temperatures reaching 25 degrees on Sunday.
For most fans it will be a 45 minute walk from the Parkgate entrance of the Phoenix Park to the concert location. Gates will open at 5pm and the support acts, Turnpike Troubadours and Noeline Hofmann, will kick things off from 6pm.
