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Oasis Ticket Prices Spark Outrage: Fans Furious Over Cost of Reunion Tour

29 August, 2024 - 8:08PM
Oasis Ticket Prices Spark Outrage: Fans Furious Over Cost of Reunion Tour
Credit: for-sale.ie

The scramble is set to begin for tickets for the long-awaited Oasis reunion, with the band revealing the ticket prices and adding three new tour dates due to "unprecedented demand".

Tickets will set fans back £73 for the cheapest seats to £506 for the top premium package.

The new shows are on 16 July in Manchester, 30 July in London and 12 August in Edinburgh.

Yet more dates could be added when the pre-sale opens, which is expected to be on Friday, and when the general sale starts on Saturday.

Here's everything else we know so far about tickets and the rest of the tour.

So far, only UK and Ireland dates for Oasis' world tour have been announced.

They will play five dates at Manchester's Heaton Park, and five at London's Wembley Stadium.

They'll also play three nights at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, and two at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

The last gigs will be in Ireland, at Dublin's Croke Park.

The dates:

4, 5 July - Cardiff, Principality Stadium

11, 12, 16, 19, 20 July - Manchester, Heaton Park

25, 26, 30 July and 2, 3 August - London, Wembley Stadium

8, 9, 12 August - Edinburgh, Murrayfield Stadium

16, 17 August - Dublin, Croke Park

The band said these dates would be their only dates in Europe next year.

Oasis Live '25 has been described as a "world tour", suggesting global dates will be announced soon.

There was a ballot to apply for a pre-sale of tickets ahead of the general sale. Registration for the ballot closed at 19:00 BST on Wednesday.

The band said the ballot was intended to "ensure the maximum number of fans have a fair opportunity to access tickets".

Fans who applied were required to fill out their contact details, and answer a general knowledge question about the band.

They were then sent an email with a link to confirm their entry. But many of those emails were delayed, with the band's official X account blaming "a last minute surge in pre-sale ballot entries".

The deadline to confirm ballot entries has now been extended until 10:00 on Friday, and successful applicants will be sent pre-sale access information by 17:00 on Friday.

However, it's not yet clear when the pre-sale itself will start.

Success in the ballot will not necessarily guarantee tickets, with tickets to be allocated on a first come, first served basis, they said.

Following the pre-sale on Friday, tickets for the UK shows will go on general sale at 09:00 BST on Saturday.

Dublin general sale tickets will be available an hour earlier, on the same day.

Ticket Prices

Standard standing tickets cost about £150. Standard seated tickets range from £73 to about £205 (except in Manchester, which is all standing).

Then there are premium packages for both standing and seats, which range from £216 to £506.25, and include merchandise items and access to a pre-show party and private Oasis exhibition, depending on the ticket level and venue.

Those are face value prices - given the high demand, ticket resale sites are likely to ask a lot more.

The official outlets are Ticketmaster, Gigsandtours and SeeTickets.

If someone buys a ticket but then wants to resell it, they can only recoup the amount they paid – i.e. the face value plus booking fees – and can only do so through Twickets or Ticketmaster’s Fan-to-Fan service. The terms and conditions say reselling a ticket through a different platform will breach the T&Cs, and may result in the ticket being cancelled.

This is partly an attempt to prevent tickets being offered on other secondary ticket sites, often for vastly inflated prices – although that will still happen.

One other thing that will still probably happen is scammers taking advantage of the high demand. Consumer group Which? says: "Buying tickets from strangers on social media can leave you open to being scammed. In particular, you should watch out for newly set-up profiles that follow no one or have no followers."

Which? also advises against paying people by bank transfer, which is often the preferred method of fraudsters. "If you do choose to buy tickets from an individual seller, try to pay using a credit card so you’re protected by Section 75. Alternatively, PayPal has its own Buyer Protection system."

Fan Reactions

Fans have reacted with anger to the ticket prices, with many taking to X to voice their disapproval. "For a band from a working class background I think charging £150 for standing tickets is absolutely disgusting," wrote one user. Another fan called the prices "a farce", and said the cost was "way too much".

Some fans have suggested that the high prices could alienate long-term fans and make the tour more accessible to overseas fans, who may be willing to pay more for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see the band.

Looking Ahead

The reunion has been a long time coming, and fans are excited to see what the band has in store for them. However, the high ticket prices have cast a shadow over the reunion, with many fans concerned that the cost of seeing the band will be prohibitive.

It remains to be seen whether the band will be able to appease their fans and make the tour accessible to all. But one thing is for sure - the reunion is sure to be a huge event, and tickets are likely to be snapped up quickly.

A Bit of History

Oasis were formed in Manchester in 1991 - their original line-up comprised of Liam and Noel, guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and drummer Tony McCarroll.

But the line-up changed over the years (scroll down for more detail), before their last performance at V Festival in 2009.

Bonehead and Liam have remained friends, and the guitarist has joined Liam at some of his shows.

Currently, it isn't entirely clear exactly who fans will be seeing perform on tour, beyond the Gallagher brothers. BBC News has asked the promoter for clarification.

The band officially split in 2009 after an altercation backstage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.

Noel explained two years later that during an argument, Liam had tried to attack him with his guitar.

He claimed the row had started after he blocked Liam from advertising his clothing brand in the programme for V Festival, at which the pair were due to perform.

Liam said in 2017 he had felt unfairly scapegoated by Noel and left to shoulder the blame for the band's split.

But problems had been brewing before the festival incident - with the pair struggling to agree on the artistic direction of Dig Out Your Soul - their final album - which was released in 2008.

Many fans will be intrigued to see how relations between the brothers will play out 15 years on from their split.

The group began with five members when they formed in 1991.

This included Paul Arthurs on guitar, Paul McGuigan on bass guitar and Tony McCarroll on drums - with Liam Gallagher on lead vocals and Noel on lead guitar and vocals.

McCarroll was replaced by Alan White in 1995 and Arthurs and McGuigan were replaced by Gem Archer and Andy Bell in 1999.

White then left the band in 2004 and was replaced by Zac Starkey and then he gave way to Chris Sharrock in 2008.

The remaining members of the band continued with Liam Gallagher and formed the new band Beady Eye, which disbanded in 2014.

It's not known who, if any, of the former band members will join Liam and Noel on tour next year.

A Reunion for the Ages

A statement from the band said: "The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised."

Only those who were in the room with Noel and Liam - aged 57 and 51 respectively - when they decided to reunite will know the real reason for their reconciliation.

Many wrote them off, saying it was implausible that they'd ever play together again - especially after Noel declined to appear on stage with Liam at One Love Manchester after the city was rocked by the Ariana Grande concert bombing.

The cynical answer is of course that 17 huge shows (so far) will generate a lot of income for the band.

If Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is anything to go by, they could rake in around £14m per concert.

The reunion is sure to be a huge event, and tickets are likely to be snapped up quickly. But with the high prices, the question is: will fans be willing to pay the price to see Oasis reunited?

Tags:
Oasis ticket prices oasis ticket price Oasis Reunion Tour ticket prices Britpop
Luca Rossi
Luca Rossi

Environmental Reporter

Reporting on environmental issues and sustainability.