'I spent £358 on an Oasis ticket after queueing for hours - and now regret buying it'

-Credit: (Image: PA Real Life)
-Credit: (Image: PA Real Life)


An Oasis fan who paid more than £358 for a ticket to watch the band at Heaton Park says she now 'regrets doing it'.

More than ten million fans tried to buy tickets for the 17 gigs that went on sale on Saturday (August 31) - which include five nights at the Manchester's venue.

Ticket platforms struggled to cope with fans left frustrated after hours of waiting as websites 'crashed' and many found that ticket prices had more than doubled due to 'dynamic pricing'.

READ MORE: 'Smug' Liam Gallagher hits back at fans claiming they were 'ripped off' over Oasis reunion

Days later the band announced two new Wembley Stadium dates due to “phenomenal public demand” which saw some fans left shocked by standard tickets rising to more than £350 on Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster has said it does not set concert prices and its website states this is down to the 'event organiser' who “has priced these tickets according to their market value”.

Among those fans who queued online to buy tickets - only to find the prices had doubled - was 60-year-old Diane Green.

Diane, from Middlesborough, was close to buying a ticket costing £158 - but said she was kicked out of the queue and waited a total of four hours to pay £357.95 for one ticket.

She wanted to buy four tickets to take herself, her son and two friends to see the band on July 19 2025 at Heaton Park in, but told the PA news agency “there’s just no way I could have got more”.

Millions of people tried to buy tickets on Saturday -Credit:PA
Millions of people tried to buy tickets on Saturday -Credit:PA

Diane said: "I would never have done it (purchased the ticket). If I had known they were putting more dates on, I would have just thought ‘no, I’ll chance it again’, but it was really frustrating,.

“I paid double. I could have got two tickets when I paid and now only one person can go. In our household, it’s like, who goes?”.

Ms Green bought the ticket on Saturday believing it was her only chance to see the band live, but was “fuming” after Oasis announced they were adding more tour dates.

“I could not believe when I heard they were bringing out more dates. It was sort of like having you over a barrel because everyone is desperate to go,” she added.

“Absolutely fuming. It’s disgraceful… for me to purchase a ticket for £358 it’s a lot of money.”

Diane said the experience of purchasing on Ticketmaster has put her off trying for tickets a second time, adding “there’s no way I would pay £358 again”

“I regret doing it in a way. When I did it I thought ‘have I done the right thing?’, but it’s a once in a lifetime thing,” she said.

James Binks was one of the millions who failed to buy tickets
James Binks was one of the millions who failed to buy tickets

One fan who unsuccessfully attempted to secure tickets on Saturday was James Binks, 39, from Cambridge.

From 8am Mr Binks tried for “most of Saturday” to buy tickets, and while he described the process as “tedious” he remains hopeful that he will get another chance.

“The process was very slow and boring, family weren’t happy I spent most of a Saturday welded to two laptop screens,” he told PA.

“I will probably try and get tickets. But I can’t or won’t be paying the £350 for the in-demand standing.

“Me and my mate who have both been burned by the experience said we’ll never give Ticketmaster one more pound after this."

Oasis said in a statement: “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.”

Liam and Noel pose together ahead of the new tour
Oasis will reunite in 2025 -Credit:Simon Emmett/Fear PR/PA Wire

This week has seen the band add two more shows to the bill with extra London Wembley gigs taking place in September. Addressing the backlash this week, an invitation-only ballot ticket sale strategy will be implemented for the two shows.

This week, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) confirmed it received 450 complaints about adverts which allegedly made 'misleading claims about availability and pricing', with some fans finding standard tickets had more than doubled from £148 to £355 on Ticketmaster as a result of dynamic pricing.

The controversial practice involves increasing or decreasing prices based on demand. Ticketmaster has said it does not set concert prices and its website states this is down to the 'event organiser' who 'has priced these tickets according to their market value'.

On Thursday (September 5), The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) said it was also probing the ticket sales for band’s upcoming reunion tour, including how so-called ‘dynamic pricing’ may have been used.

A spokesperson for Ticketmaster previously told the Manchester Evening News: "Ticketmaster does not set any ticket prices." They referred the M.E.N. to a page on their website explaining them.

The page says: "Promoters and artists set ticket prices. Prices can be either fixed or market-based. Market-based tickets are labelled as “Platinum” or “In Demand”.

It adds these tickets are 'are not part of a package' and that they can be re-sold through official channels, just like other tickets.