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topicnews · September 6, 2024

Liam Gallagher says attitude towards Oasis reunion is ‘stinky’ given ticket furore

Liam Gallagher says attitude towards Oasis reunion is ‘stinky’ given ticket furore

The musician announced last week that he and his brother Noel Gallagher would return for a reunion tour in 2025, and on Saturday the string of shows in the UK and Ireland sold out in less than a day.

Fans have struggled to access ticketing websites, been labelled as bots and kicked out of the queue, and some have even ended up paying more than the advertised price of £148 as the cost has risen to over £355.

Liam Gallagher (left) and Noel Gallagher announced they will reunite for the long-awaited reunion of Oasis with a world tour in 2025 (Simon Emmett/PA)

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation into Ticketmaster on Thursday. This also addresses the question of whether so-called “dynamic pricing” may have been used.

On Friday, Liam wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Oasis are back, you’re welcome, and I hear their attitude is awful. Good to know nothing ever changes.”

When asked if he would give a free concert, he replied: “Don’t be silly.”

Another referred to his mother Peggy and asked how she would feel about the ticket fiasco, and Liam replied: “She is very disappointed that she didn’t get a ticket.”

He also said: “Smug, just kidding, Smug like hell. I told you all that one fine day we would get back together.”

Liam also joked that he had “loads” of tickets left but could only sell them for £100,000 and that they were “just for kneeling”.

The CMA will also investigate whether Ticketmaster’s sale of Oasis tickets may have breached consumer protection laws.

Ticketmaster stresses that it does not set concert prices and its website states that this is the responsibility of the “organizer,” who “prices tickets according to their market value.”

A spokesman for the ticketing company said: “We are fully committed to working with the CMA and look forward to sharing further facts with them about ticket sales.”

In a statement, Oasis said: “It must be made clear that Oasis leaves decisions regarding ticket sales and pricing entirely to its promoters and management and at no time was it aware that dynamic pricing would be used.”

“Although previous meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management had resulted in a positive ticket sales strategy that would provide a fair experience for fans and included dynamic ticketing to keep general ticket prices low and reduce illegal sales, the implementation of the plan fell short of expectations.

“Everyone involved has done their very best to provide fans with the best possible experience, but due to unprecedented demand, this was not possible.”

A section of Ticketmaster's purchasing policy explaining
The Competition and Markets Authority has launched an investigation into Ticketmaster (Yui Mok/PA)

Following the chaos over the weekend, Oasis announced new dates for Wembley Stadium on 27 and 28 September 2025 via a lottery system.

The final tickets for the UK Live ’25 tour will be sold using a new ‘tiered invitation only’ draw system, with entries into the draw first being open to those who were unsuccessful in the first sale.

The Advertising Standards Authority said it had received 450 complaints about alleged “misleading information about availability and prices” in connection with the ticket release for Oasis.