by the need for the organisation to clear mounting debts. Each Siamsa programme featured international stars supported by Irish acts. Headliners included Glen Campbell (1979 and 1983), Don McLean (1979 and 1984), Joan Baez (1980), Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Leo Sayer (1984), Loudon Wainwright III (1985), Kris Kristofferson (1985), John Denver (1986), Status Quo, and The Pogues (1987). Support included acts managed by Barry like the Wolfe Tones, Stockton's Wing, and Bagatelle, and others including the Dubliners and Christy Moore. U2 played the final show on the European leg of the Joshua Tree Tour at the stadium in August 1987. The U2 concert established the venue's credibility with pop and rock acts. On 30 and 31 July 1988, Michael Jackson performed at the stadium twice as part of his Bad World Tour, with a combined attendance of in excess of 130,000. The County Board's share of ticket sales funded the purchase of Christy Ring Park. Páirc Uí Chaoimh was also the venue for Prince's first ever Irish concert on 7 July 1990, as part of his Nude Tour. U2 played again at the stadium on 24 August 1993 on their ZooTv Tour. 1995 saw the Féile Festival being transferred to Cork for one year, with the line-up including Ash, The Stone Roses, Paul Weller and Kylie Minogue. Oasis then performed two nights at the stadium in August 1996. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band played at the stadium on 18 July 2013. The first concerts of the redeveloped stadium were the opening concerts of Ed Sheeran's ÷ Tour over three nights in May 2018. Elton John hosted part of his Farewell Yellow Brick Tour at the venue on 1 July 2022. Improvements In 2005, the Cork County Board replaced all wood bench seats with plastic bucket seats in the covered and open stands. Due to the shape of the new bucket seats, overall legroom was reduced, with many complaining of being unable to sit in the seat entirely. In response, the tops were cut off the back of each seat, marginally improving legroom. In October 2007, plans were announced which proposed to redevelop Páirc Uí Chaoimh into a 60,000-seat sports and concert venue in conjunction with the Cork Docklands redevelopment which was estimated to cost over €30m. If these plans had gone ahead, Cork would have had the second largest stadium in the country behind Croke Park. This specific