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Ticket sales end for Oasis invitation-only ballot

Some passes were resold on online marketplaces for thousands of pounds.

Charlotte McLaughlin
Saturday 14 September 2024 15:45 EDT
Liam Gallagher, pictured, who reformed Oasis with his brother Noel Gallagher for Oasis shows in 2025 (David Jensen/PA)
Liam Gallagher, pictured, who reformed Oasis with his brother Noel Gallagher for Oasis shows in 2025 (David Jensen/PA) (PA Archive)

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Sales have ended for the two dates of the Oasis invitation-only ballot, Ticketmaster said.

The Britpop band, which reformed with Liam and Noel Gallagher last month, created an invite-only ballot for the September 27 and 28 2025 shows at London’s Wembley Stadium following outrage at issues with the original sale.

While adding the two dates to the run of the Oasis Live ’25 tour, Oasis said they were unaware that “dynamic pricing”, which saw tickets on sale for more than double the original price, was being used to sell passes on Ticketmaster, and blamed the situation on “unprecedented demand”.

Those who received a code had the opportunity to buy tickets on Saturday for the Wembley dates, but this was not guaranteed.

Ticketmaster wrote on its website: “5.01pm. This ticket sale is now closed. There are currently no tickets available.”

Earlier in the day, shortly after the tickets were released on Saturday morning, they were being resold on online sites for thousands of pounds.

Tickets had been listed on online marketplace Viagogo for £596 to £1,162 each for one standing pass, and one VIP pass at £2,614 after sales were released.

StubHub also saw high prices, with two standing tickets on sale for between £482 and £4,820.

Standing tickets at the national football stadium had been put on sale at a cost of £151.25, while a number of premium packages have also been put on offer with the most expensive costing £506.25, on Ticketmaster.

Fans praised the latest scramble to get tickets, saying the process was “much, much smoother” than last month, with one saying that “aside from the controversy regarding ticket prices and the way that side of it was handled, the reunion feels like it’s sparked a bit of excitement”.

Wembley Stadium has also assured guests with disabilities that are booking tickets with the invitation-only codes via the phone, that they are allocating them, and more could be offered to those who were not in the ballot.

A spokesman for the venue said: “Our phone lines have been open since 8.30 this morning, in line with Ticketmaster.

“Any accessible guests who’ve been able to produce a code have been allocated tickets at the time of their call.

“Any accessible guests who do not have a code have been advised (both by the team on the phones and the automated messaging) to register their interest via wembleystadium.com and should we have availability remaining after today’s sale, the team will contact each of them back and look to accommodate tickets where we can.”

Viagogo has previously defended its reselling practices as legal, and claimed it is a way to deal with fans being frustrated by having website issues trying to buy tickets for gigs.

Cris Miller, Viagogo global managing director, previously said: “We know fans are frustrated with the process and we know there is a better way. We continue to support industry collaboration to ensure the entire ticketing market works for fans and the live entertainment industry.

“Resale is legal in the UK and fans are always protected by our guarantee that they will receive their tickets in time for the event or their money back.”

He also said: “Our number one tip for fans using secondary marketplaces is to continue to check prices outside of the first few weeks of sale.

“Demand will be at its peak when tickets hit the on sale but it’s not a normal reflection of what tickets can and will go for. Just this summer, tickets for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in the UK sold on our platform for as low as £80.”

The previous sale caused controversy, prompting the Government and the UK’s competition watchdog to pledge they will look at the use of dynamic pricing.

Ticketmaster has previously said this was down to the organiser of the sale, not its website.

Oasis and StubHub have been contacted for comment.

A spokeswoman for Ticketmaster said: “Ticketholders are strongly advised to resell their tickets through Ticketmaster or Twickets only. The tour has put this policy in place to cap ticket resale prices to combat price inflation and prevent ticket touting.

“Selling tickets on unauthorised resale platforms breaches the promoter’s terms and conditions and may result in those tickets being cancelled.”

A spokeswoman for Viagogo said: “Demand will be at its peak when tickets are first released but it’s not a normal reflection of what tickets can and will go for.

“The highest prices you see on the platform, by default, have not sold yet. Wildly inflated ticket listing prices outside the demand are not likely to sell at any point. Our number one tip for fans using secondary marketplaces is to continue to check prices outside of the first few weeks of sale.”

She added that “dynamic pricing allows sellers to set ticket prices competitively, often leading to more affordable options for fans”, citing examples of Beyonce’s 2023 Renaissance tour being sold for as low as £24.

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