The Gallagher brothers have made a change to the process of buying tickets for two new dates added to the Oasis 2025 reunion tour, after fans were left disappointed.
After complaints over queues and surge pricing, the Britpop music stars responded by announcing two more London shows at Wembley Stadium with a new ticketing plan following chaos over the weekend.
– What changes have been made?
A staggered, invitation-only ballot ticket sale strategy has been devised for the two new shows in the capital.
“Applications to join the ballot will be opened first to the many fans who were unsuccessful in the initial on sale with Ticketmaster,” a statement said.
The ballot will run using the same system as the pre-order ballot on Friday which featured transparent ticketing prices on Ticketmaster, the PA news agency understands.
It appears fans who were unsuccessful in the initial ballot will see the application for the new dates open to them first.
– Why have changes been made?
Many fans were shocked by standard tickets for the reunion tour more than doubling from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster, prompting the Government and the UK’s competition watchdog to pledge they will look into the use of dynamic pricing.
It came after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) received 450 complaints about Ticketmaster adverts over “misleading claims about availability and pricing”.
Surge pricing based on demand is also set to be examined by the European Commission as part of a wider review.
Meanwhile, other fans were left angry and disappointed after being left empty-handed, having waited in an online queue for hours to buy tickets to see the much-anticipated reunion.
It is hoped the new ticket sale strategy will make “the process far smoother for fans by reducing the stress and time it takes” to obtain tickets, a statement said.
– Why have new dates been added?
The long-awaited Oasis reunion tour has attracted global attention as it will see the Manchester-formed Britpop band on stage together for the first time since their major split in 2009.
Intense demand saw all ticket platforms struggling to cope, resulting in “immense frustration and disappointment for fans who missed out after queuing for many hours”.
A statement said the new dates had been added “as a small step towards making amends for the situation”.
The band will now play seven concerts at the London stadium, as well as dates in Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin.
– When will applications be open to join the special ballot?
Applications will open first to those who were unsuccessful in the initial sale, although a date has not yet been listed.
– How much will the new tickets cost?
Pricing will be published on the Ticketmaster website at the time of the ballot, the PA news agency understands.
– Did Oasis play a part in the ticketing process?
A statement said: “It needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used.
“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.”
– What happens if Oasis break up again before the concert?
UK 🇬🇧 Two extra Wembley Stadium shows have been added due to phenomenal demand. Tickets will be sold by a staggered, invitation-only ballot process. Applications to join the ballot will be opened first to the many UK fans who were unsuccessful in the initial on sale with… pic.twitter.com/Dpfhk49va3
— Oasis (@oasis) September 4, 2024
The general advice on the Citizens Advice website about ticket sales is that if someone has bought their ticket from an official seller, the organiser will tell consumers how to get a refund if an event is cancelled or rescheduled.
People can also check whether the seller is a member of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers.
Consumers may potentially have added protections depending on how they paid, for example if they paid by credit card they may be covered by Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.
In general, when organising any concert, organisers may choose to have potential incidents written into their insurance policies that they could be covered for, if something did not go as planned.
