CYNICS beware - the man they call Garth Brooks took tight hold of his reputation as the most successful, country crossover act ever, and doggedly refused to let go. Last night's stint at Croke Park, the first of three fold out nights at the venue - in itself a record - was a smart exercise in crowd control. From the moment the space station stage set touched down, unveiling him to the masses, Garth Brooks held the collective response of the audience in the palms of his hands.

A question - is he real country or fake rock? Brooks says he plays country music with muscle, but the line between the genuine article and a facsimile is actually too thick to ignore.

There are times when Brooks tones down the histrionics (If Tomorrow Never Comes, sorrowfully dedicated to his ailing mother) when his take on country appears both authentic and sincere; There are other - far too many - times when he allows any subtlety there might be to be bludgeoned by heavy handed rock dynamics. And then there are times when all he wants to do is just to get the crowd to singalong to one of his several anthems, notably the first encore, Friends In Low Places.

You can be assured it all goes according to plan, too. Recorded on video by NBC, Brooks was, perhaps, more of the showman than he normally is. Ultimately, his status as a major entertainer is his trump card, his energetic and classy stage show making far more sense than his quite sterile records. Business as usual, then?