Oasis reunion live: Fans complain after website crashes - as thousands try to buy tickets (2024)

For the first time in the UK Official Charts' history, three of Oasis's albums have reached the top five in this week's album chart.

The 2009 hits compilation Time Flies reached number three, jumping 21 spots with a week-on-week uplift of 332%.

The group's 1995 album (What's The Story) Morning Glory also returned to the top five for the first time in four years and is now at number four.

And the band's iconic debut Definitely Maybe has jumped 44 places to number five.

Three singles have also re-entered the top 20 singles' charts: Don't Look Back In Anger (16), Wonderwall (17) and Live Forever (19).

Martin Talbot, chief executive officer atOfficial Charts, said it had been an"incredible week for Oasis and the Gallagher brothers".

He said: "Three albums in the top five and three singles in the top 20 is a mind-blowing achievement. Anyone who thought that their classic repertoire wouldn’t live forever will be having to eat their words today!"

An Oasis superfan who managed to snag tickets to see the band has said he is "absolutely over the moon" and speculated on what their lineup will look like.

David Walker of the Oasis Collectors Group told Sky News he managed to get tickets for the gig at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, saying they were "exactly what I wanted".

Speculating on what the show would be like, he said: "How will the brothers be getting on? What will the backing band actually look like?

"There's so many questions. And whether it will actually get to Edinburgh in time and whether it will fall apart before then."

Asked what the lineup will likely look like, he said: "The talk among the fans is Bonehead is likely because he's been playing with Liam for a long time now.

"And maybe some of the later line-up guys, Andy Bell who's in Ride and Gem Archer who's playing with Noel in the High Flying Birds now and Chris Sharrock who likewise plays drums in Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds."

Discussing Liam's voice, he said: "I think it's better than it's been for quite a while. It's not going to be what it was in 1994/95.

"I think Noel has seen his brother is back on form, to as best a point as he can be and I think he's seen his brother's popularity and thought 'yeah, maybe I'll have a bit of that again'."

He added: "I'd love to see the old chemistry back again. I don't know if that's possible - I think Noel's doing it for the money to a point."

People trying to get tickets for the band's shows have said the "in demand" pricing for tickets is an "absolute disgrace".

They shared screenshots showing the tickets, which should start at £151.25 without booking fees, going for £356.80.

Fans wanting tickets for the band's Dublin gigs, which should start at€86.50 (£72.75) without booking fees, saw them listed for€415.50 (£350) plus fees.

One described it as a "scumbag move", while another used a lot of swearwords.

An IT expert has warned there is a "huge possibility" high numbers of Oasis tickets are being bought up by bots at once.

Ticket resellers often use automated software to buy more tickets for events than they are allowed and then sell them on at higher prices.

Jake Moore, global cybersecurity adviser at software security firm Eset, said some groups have the right software and knowledge to manipulate ticket websites and use bots to "swoop in and purchase high numbers of tickets at once".

"Being the next series of concerts since the demand for Taylor Swift tickets, I would suggest there would be a huge possibility of bots being used to swoop in," told the PA news agency.

Those waiting in the queue to buy tickets said they had been suspended from the Ticketmaster website as they were assumed to be a bot.

Mr Moore said: "Bots mimic the activity of real users and even manipulate their location using off-the-shelf software such as a VPN.

"This is usually counteracted using bot detection software but this can often produce false positives when real users are assumed to be bots themselves."

Ticketmaster has said Oasis tickets are "still available" but their "inventory is now limited and not all ticket prices are available".

A blind Oasis enthusiast said he feels "let down" by Ticketmaster's lack of help for people with disabilities after he called a number for assistance - only to be told they could not help him book tickets.

The Ticketmaster website lists a number for people to call if they "require assistance with purchasing accessible tickets", but when Jamie Fitchie, 30, called he was told the instructions were incorrect.

"This is not just an inconvenience, it's misleading and unacceptable," Mr Fitchie told Sky News.

"How many disabled people have followed these instructions, only to be left without tickets?"

Mr Fitchie said he was "a big fan of Oasis growing up and like many of us I never thought they were going to get back together".

He said his disability means he finds it difficult to use ticket sale websites and he was initially glad when he found a number to help people buy tickets.

When sales for the band's UK gigs went live at 9am he called the number but struggled to get through, estimating he called back around 200 times before he was put in the queue.

After waiting on hold for 30-40 minutes a member of Ticketmaster staff answered, only to tell him they could not help him purchase a ticket and could only help with accessibility requirements once he had a ticket.

Mr Fitchie asked why the website states they could help with purchasing accessible tickets and said he was told: "We're aware of the mistake on the website but I can't do anything to help you."

He asked to speak to a supervisor who he said told him they were "aware of the issue, there's nothing we can do" before they hung up.

"Obviously I wasn't happy about it," Mr Fitchie said. "I just feel let down.

"This is a blatant failure to accommodate disabled customers as promised, and it needs to be addressed immediately."

Sky News has contacted Ticketmaster for comment. A spokesperson asked to be put in touch with Mr Fitchie but refused to comment on the story until they had spoken to him.

Oasis devotees have recreated the iconic artwork for their album Definitely Maybe as they wait to get tickets:

Ticket resell website Viagogo has defended having Oasis tickets for sale for inflated prices on its platform as a "legal" practice.

The band have warned concertgoers tickets bought outside of official websites Ticketmaster and Twickets will be cancelled.

"This is a dream event anticipated by millions worldwide,"Cris Miller, Viagogo global managing director, said in a statement to the PA news agency

"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."

He added: "In the case of Oasis - a highly anticipated event - we saw the primary sites struggling to manage demand even before the on-sale, and site crashes.

"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."

No doubt raising the heart rates of many in the queue waiting for tickets, some people have shared pictures joking the band has split up already.

"Unfortunately, Oasis have split up while you are in the queue," the mocked-up image says.

"Have you considered Jamie Webster?" it asks, referring to the English singer-songwriter.

Oasis are going to play five concerts at Wembley, five in their home city of Manchester, three in Scotland, two in Wales and two in Ireland.

Stubhub is listing tickets for as much as £1,114 each.

Oasis have warned fans that tickets being resold at inflated prices will be cancelled and urged them to only buy resale tickets at face value through Ticketmaster or Twickets.

Here's a look at the price resale tickets are being listed for on Stubhub: