Oasis are back. And it's the same old Oasis, as singer Liam Gallagher proved, sharing some online conversations with fans on Friday.
“OASIS is back, you're welcome, and I heard their ATTITUDE SUCKS. It's nice to know something never changes,” she posted on X (formerly Twitter) after days of personality-less posts on her feed promoting the reunited group's upcoming tour.
Fans jumped when they saw their man had his hands on the wheel, and some wanted to talk about the drama that had marred their ticket-buying experience. Because of Beverly Hills-based Ticketmaster’s “dynamic pricing” policy, which hikes prices when there is high demand, fans were asked to pay “up to £350 per ticket — around £200 more than had been advertised,” the BBC reported.
Translated into English, that works out to about $465 a ducat, or more than double the advertised price of nearly $175. Three shows were added in response to overwhelming demand — the band reunited after an ugly 15-year split that followed tumultuous years of togetherness — and those tickets were made available only to fans who had tried and failed at the original buying spree.
“I didn’t expect them to rip off fans as much as they have. It’s really a disgrace,” one fan posted. In response? Gallagher just said, “SHUT UP.” The fan replied, “Nope, it’s shocking,” but alas, the line had already gone dead.
Responding to a fan who asked Gallagher if he had any spare tickets, the singer took an aggressive stance, saying: “There are plenty of them, but they are very expensive. £100,000. Only on your knees.” He called a fan's request for a free show “nonsense.”
“SMUG just kidding SMUG AS M… I told y’all we’d get back together someday,” Gallagher told a fan who simply asked how the musician felt.
In their real-time response to last weekend's issues with Ticketmaster, Oasis took a more measured approach, saying in a statement to the BBC: “While previous meetings between the promoters, Ticketmaster and the band's management resulted in a positive ticketing strategy, which would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to help keep overall ticket prices down and reduce promotion, the execution of the plan fell short of expectations.
“All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible experience for fans, but due to unprecedented demand this became impossible to achieve.”
In a statement provided to The Times on Tuesday, UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy promised to “include issues around transparency and the use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems that incentivise it” in parliament’s upcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket scalping.
“After the incredible news of Oasis' return, it is depressing to see hugely inflated prices excluding ordinary fans from having the chance to enjoy their favourite band live,” Nandy said in his statement.
In the United States, Live Nation and Ticketmaster are under increasing antitrust scrutiny. In May, the Justice Department sued the company to break up the dominant company in concert promotion and ticket sales, accusing the combined company of monopolistic practices.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Oasis are scheduled to play 17 shows in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin next summer, including five dates at Wembley Stadium. A longer, more far-reaching tour is expected but not yet confirmed. The band's website states: “Plans are afoot for OASIS LIVE '25 to go to other continents outside of Europe later next year.”
Staff writer Christi Carras contributed to this report.
