Long-awaited Oasis reunion hits snag as error messages, long queues greet fans scrambling for tickets
Hundreds of thousands of fans scrambling to get tickets for the long-awaited Oasis reunion tour were met with error messages and lengthy online queues as platforms strained under the demand.
The Britpop-era behemoth led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher sent fans into a frenzy this week when they announced they would play together for the first time in 15 years. They are scheduled to play 17 gigs in Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh and Dublin starting July 4, 2025.
More than 1 million tickets are up for sale at prices starting just under $100.
Early Saturday, some people attempting to get onto the handful of authorized sale sites, including Ticketmaster and Gigs and Tours, received error messages, while many others were told they were in a lengthy queue with thousands of people in line.
Within hours, tickets began to be offered on resale websites for as much as $7,800.
The band was quick to issue a warning, saying tickets could only be resold at face value through authorized sites.
"Tickets appearing on other secondary ticketing sites are either counterfeit or will be cancelled by the promoters," it said in a statement on social media.
Josh Jeffery, a videographer who lives near Edinburgh, spent hours moving up the online ticket queue, before "the whole site collapsed" at the last step.
"I've given up, my friends have given up," said Jeffery, who first saw Oasis in Manchester as a teenager in 1996. "We just decided it's too much hassle.
"As I was in the queue, I heard 'Wonderwall' blasting out from my neighbor's house," he added ruefully. "He'd obviously got tickets."
Some fans managed to buy tickets through a presale lottery on Friday. Barista Isabelle Doyle said she was "over the moon" after snagging two seats for one of the band's London shows.
"I've been a fan of Oasis for about 10 years now, literally since I was 11 years old," the 21-year-old said. "Finally to be able to see them after they got me through as a teenager, it's absolutely amazing and I'm so excited."
The tour will begin July 4 and 5 at the Principality Stadium. Oasis will also perform at Heaton Park in Manchester, on July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20; London's Wembley Stadium on July 25, 26 and 30 and Aug. 2 and 3; Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Aug. 8, 9 and 12; and Croke Park in Dublin on Aug. 16 and 17.
Band's break up and reunion
Formed in Manchester in 1991, Oasis was one of the most dominant British acts of the 1990s, releasing hits like "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger." Its sound was fueled by singalong rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel and singer-sibling Liam.
The group split in 2009 after many years of infighting. Noel Gallagher officially left the band just before a performance at a festival near Paris. Even before the dissolution, the two brothers had long had an antagonistic relationship.
"People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer," Noel Gallagher, the band's guitarist and songwriter, wrote in a statement at the time.
While the Gallagher brothers haven't performed together since both regularly performed Oasis songs at their solo gigs.
In 2011, Noel Gallagher told The Associated Press in an interview that he left the band after an incident in which Liam Gallagher started wielding a guitar "like an axe ... and he's swinging this guitar around and he kind of you know, he took my face off with it, you know?"
In 2019, Liam Gallagher told the AP he was ready to reconcile.
"The most important thing is about me and him being brothers," he said. "He thinks I'm desperate to get the band back together for money. But I didn't join the band to make money. I joined the band to have fun and to see the world."
Earlier this week, the Britpop progenitors ended a few days of fan speculation of an upcoming reunion. A short video on the band's social media accounts Sunday night had revealed the date "27.08.24," and time "8 a.m.," written in the same font as the well-known Oasis logo. The brothers shared the same to their individual accounts.
Announcing the reunion, the band said fans would experience "the spark and intensity" that occurs only when they appear on stage together.
Big payday
Prices for the London, Cardiff and Edinburgh concerts range from about $97 to just over $260 for seats, and about $200 to stand. In Manchester, the cheapest tickets are $195 to stand, with no seated option.
The costliest option is a $666 package for the London gigs that includes a pre-show party, admission to an Oasis exhibition, souvenirs and a "premium collectible item."
Tickets for the Dublin shows start at $96 plus a booking fee.
Alice Enders, head of research at media consultancy Enders Analysis, said the band could expect a big payday, though the tour, limited for now to the U.K. and Ireland, pales in comparison to global juggernauts like Taylor Swift's Eras tour.
"The streaming business doesn't really pay," she said. "Most artists nowadays, the only way they can earn money is being live."
She said Oasis is playing catch-up in a live music market that has seen "a relentless climb in expenditure, consumer expenditure, demand for festivals."
"It's been 15 years of a mega-trend that they missed out on, basically," Enders said. "So it's a good thing they're jumping on now. ... If they wait too long, then they are just a bunch of old geezers."
The host cities anticipate an economic boost to hotels, bars, restaurants and shops — especially Manchester, the band's hometown and a city renowned for its musical heritage.
Sacha Lord, Manchester's official nighttime economy adviser, said "there's a big buzz" in the city about the reunion.
"This is a homecoming gig," he said. "When they set foot on that stage for the first time, it's going to be a really special moment."