Oasis is back. And it’s the same old Oasis, as evidenced by singer Liam Gallagher, who went a few online rounds with fans Friday.
“OASIS are back your welcome and I hear there ATTITUDE STINKS good to know something’s never change,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) after days of personality-free posts on his feed promoting the reunited group’s upcoming tour.
Fans jumped when they saw their guy had his hands on the wheel, and some wanted to discuss the drama that had marred their ticket-buying experience. Due to Beverly Hills-based Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” policy, which increases prices when demand is high, fans were asked to pay “as much as £350 per ticket, around £200 more than had been advertised,” the BBC reported.
Translated to American, that’s about $465 per ducat or more than double the almost $175 promoted price. Three shows were added in response to the overwhelming demand — the band reunited after an unpleasant 15-year split that followed tumultuous years of togetherness — and those tickets were made available only to fans who had tried and failed in the original buying scrum.
“Didn’t expect them to rip the fans off as much as they have done. It’s genuinely a shame,” one fan posted. In reply? Gallagher said only, “SHUTUP.” The fan retorted, “No, it’s shocking,” but alas, the line had already gone dead.
In response to a fan who asked if Gallagher had any spare tickets, the singer pulled attitude, saying, “S— loads but there really expensive 100 thousand pounds Kneeling only.” He called one follower’s request for a free show “silly.”
“SMUG only kidding SMUG AS F— I told you all we were gonna get back together 1 fine day,” Gallagher told a fan who asked simply how the musician was feeling.
In its real-time response to last weekend’s Ticketmaster troubles, Oasis had a more measured approach, saying in a statement to the BBC, “While prior meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management resulted in a positive ticket sale strategy, which would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to help keep general ticket prices down as well as reduce touting, the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations.
“All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible fan experience, but due to the unprecedented demand this became impossible to achieve.”
In a statement provided Tuesday to The Times, U.K. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy promised to “include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivise it” in parliament’s forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales.
“After the incredible news of Oasis’ return, it’s depressing to see vastly inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having a chance of enjoying their favourite band live,” Nandy said in her statement.
In the United States, Live Nation and Ticketmaster are under escalating antitrust scrutiny. In May, the Justice Department sued the company to break up the dominant concert promoter and ticket seller, accusing the combined firm of monopolistic practices.
Meanwhile, back in Europe, Oasis is inked to play 17 shows, traveling to Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin next summer, including five dates at Wembley Stadium. A longer, farther-reaching tour is expected but not yet locked in, with the band’s website stating, “Plans are underway for OASIS LIVE ’25 to go to other continents outside of Europe later next year.”
Staff writer Christi Carras contributed to this report.
