Oasis fans had a mix of excitement and frustration on Saturday as tickets for the band’s first reunion tour in 15 years went on sale. The tour, featuring the famous Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam, sold out quickly, but many fans faced major challenges trying to get tickets.
The band will perform 17 concerts across the UK and Ireland, starting on July 4 in Cardiff, with other shows in Manchester, London, Edinburgh, and Dublin. Despite over a million tickets being available, many fans encountered error messages and long waits on ticketing websites like Ticketmaster, Gigs and Tours, and See Tickets.
Some fans were met with “Error 503” messages after waiting in line for hours, leading to frustration on social media. Others saw ticket prices double due to dynamic pricing, with some tickets jumping from £148.50 to as much as £355.20.
Channel 5 newsreader Dan Walker and MP Zarah Sultana were among those who struggled to buy tickets. Walker called for a fairer way to sell tickets, while Sultana jokingly suggested, “Nationalise Ticketmaster” after her own failed attempts.
Jake Moore, a cybersecurity adviser, suggested that bots and ticket resellers might be behind some of the issues, similar to what happened with Taylor Swift’s recent tour. This raised concerns about the fairness of the ticketing process, as some resale prices soared to as much as £9,037 on sites like StubHub.
Oasis had warned that tickets sold outside official channels would be canceled. However, the band’s efforts to stop ticket resellers didn’t prevent the widespread frustration.
The dynamic pricing model used also caused controversy. Ticketmaster explained that promoters and artists, not the platform itself, set the prices. UK Music’s chief executive, Tom Kiehl, urged fans not to buy overpriced resale tickets.
Despite the problems, fans who managed to get tickets are excited for the reunion tour. The band’s representatives hinted that more shows might be added, with international dates expected soon.
Fans are hoping that the Gallagher brothers’ famously rocky relationship holds up long enough for them to see Oasis perform together again.
The buzz around the reunion has even been compared to last year’s reunion of their Britpop rivals, Blur. If the Gallagher brothers are keeping track, they might be pleased to know that they’ve generated even more excitement, despite the ticket chaos.
(With inputs from AP and The Guardian)
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