Oasis, the British rock band that had a huge following in the 1990s and early 2000s, are back together. The band, led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, have not performed together since 2009. However, fans were excited last week as the artists announced a new world tour will begin next summer.
So far, the only dates announced are for the UK and Ireland, but being described as a “world tour” suggests that global dates could be added to the schedule. It will be the first time in 15 years that fans will hear hits like “Wonderwall,” “Champagne Supernova,” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger” live. But they will have to pay a lot more for the concert than when Oasis last took the stage.
While trying to get tickets for the lottery that went on sale Friday, many fans reported that the sites were full of error messages, bots, and long wait times. Others are locked out of their accounts. Saturday, as fans who missed out on pre-sold tickets flocked to Ticketmaster, it was another day of frustration. Tickets went on sale at 9am, but instead of being allowed to buy tickets, many ended up waiting in line online for hours before being kicked out of the site.
Although at first, tickets were selling for 74 pounds (just under $100), it wasn’t long before they were available on resale sites like StubHub and Viagogo for much more than the original price—in many cases, around. 40 times more, for 6,000 pounds ($7,800).
“Tickets from other ticket sites are either fake or will be canceled by promoters,” Oasis warned in a statement as registration began, but that didn’t stop sellers from trying to make a quick profit.
To make things even more confusing, despite the band’s warning about resale prices, Viagogo released a contradictory statement that explained that “resale is legal in the UK” and added that the site “fully complies with all UK laws and regulations.”
In a statement, Viagogo global managing director Cris Miller told PA news, a UK multimedia content company: “This is the dream event that millions around the world have been waiting for. Our first tip for fans who use secondary markets is to keep checking prices outside of the first few weeks of sales. ”
Miller added, “Demand will be very high when tickets go on sale, but it’s not a normal thing to know what tickets can do and what they will do. Just this summer, tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in the UK have been sold on our site at a low price. [80 pounds, about $105].”
Taylor Swift was on the mind of many fans who have experienced the same frustration when trying to snag Eras Tour tickets only to find the Ticketmaster site riddled with bots, followed by rip-off prices on resale sites. But that’s far from the criticism Ticketmaster has seen in recent years. The site has created its own flexible “on demand” pricing plan through 2022, allowing prices to rise with demand. This site is responsible for about 70% of ticket sales in the US and frustrates fans with additional fees that increase the total ticket prices.
The site’s practices even inspired The Taylor Swift Bill, which was signed into law in Minnesota earlier this year. Not only does it require sellers to disclose all payments up front, it also prevents sellers from selling more than one copy of a ticket.
However, the ire of both Ticketmaster and Oasis is new this week. Some fans have publicly called out the band for working with the ticketing giant. “Sorry, but the whole ticket sale was a big fiasco,” one fan wrote on X. Please consider your involvement with #Ticketmaster in the future. They are tearing through people left, right and centre. New dates, please, and ideally with a different and better ticket provider. Goodbye.”
The long-awaited 2025 tour kicks off on July 4 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. So far, the band will perform at Heaton Park in Manchester, London’s Wembley Stadium, Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, and Croke Park in Dublin.
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