Oasis ticket-selling websites hit with outage issues

Oasis fans face a struggle to secure general sale tickets for the band’s comeback tour as booking websites experienced outages.

Manchester-based promoter SJM Concerts’ website Gigs and Tours faced issues even before tickets went on sale for the UK shows at 9am.

“This page will refresh automatically and we’ll get you where you want to be as soon as a space opens up. Thank you for your patience!”

Similar issues were encountered on the ticketmaster.ie page for the two shows at Dublin’s Croke Park, which went on sale at 8am.

Instead of a page opening to buy tickets, an error number was displayed, which usually indicates a webpage is unable to handle any more connections.

However, the page refreshed after a period to tell concertgoers that they were in queue, and “when it’s your turn, you will automatically be able to browse events and shop for tickets”.

A spokeswoman for Ticketmaster denied the website had crashed, and advised customers “to hold their place in line”.

A similar error was visible at gigsinscotland.com/artist/oasis as Scottish fans tried to get onto the website for the Edinburgh shows.

The tickets.seetickets.com/tour/oasis weblink, where you can book for several UK dates, also appeared unavailable.

Some Oasis ticket hopefuls also reported being “suspended” by Ticketmaster UK and Ireland after it accused them of being “bots”.

Staff at the ticket-selling website replied on X, formerly Twitter, through its customer service account, saying: “Please make sure you are only using one tab, clear your cookies, and ensure you aren’t using any VPN software on your device.”

It also shared a link with its guide on “how to improve your chances for getting popular tickets”.

Oasis told fans on Saturday to only buy tickets from the official websites amid reselling websites charging inflated prices for the Manchester rockers’ gigs

“Tickets appearing on other secondary ticketing sites are either counterfeit or will be cancelled by the promoters.”

On Friday evening the band issued a warning after unofficial reselling websites listed tickets obtained in the pre-sale ballot for thousands of pounds.

A post to the band’s X page said: “We have noticed people attempting to sell tickets on the secondary market since the start of the pre-sale.

“Please note, tickets can ONLY be resold, at face value, via @Ticketmaster and @Twickets.

“Tickets sold in breach of the terms and conditions will be cancelled by the promoters.”

Tickets are officially being sold via Ticketmaster, GigsAndTours, and See Tickets, however, the band’s reunion concert tickets have also been relisted on ticket exchange and reselling websites for thousands of pounds.

On Friday evening, Oasis tickets for Wembley Stadium were listed on Viagogo for up to £5,909 while some tickets at the London venue, listed under “Hospitality Club”, were on sale for £10,578 on StubHub.

The StubHub website says all Oasis tickets “come with our FanProtect 100% guarantee for secure purchasing.”

On Friday evening the band asked fans whether they were “ready” for the sale and said it is “essential” to be logged into the “relevant ticketing agencies ahead of the general sale.”

Chief executive of the Society of Ticket Agents and Retailers, Jonathan Brown, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that fans need to “open their eyes and protect themselves”.

He added: “It’s a dreadful combination, I suppose, you’ve got that high level of emotion, a high level of excitement about Oasis reforming, and a limited supply of tickets – and that’s going to lead to problems, it’s going to lead to people trying to scam people.”

Mr Kiehl added: “Obviously, it’s a natural tendency, if you can’t get tickets, to find alternative sources but I very much urge music music fans today, if they don’t get tickets, not to take that route.”

Cris Miller, Viagogo global managing director, defended his website’s practice of listing Oasis tickets for thousands of pounds, saying that “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”.

There did not seem to be any listing for the band’s Dublin dates on the ticket-reselling website. The Irish government introduced a law banning ticket touting in 2021.

Prices for a seat to watch the band at London’s Wembley Stadium begin at £74.25, with the most expensive ticket a £506.25 pre-show party, exhibition and seated package.

Standing tickets at Wembley will cost fans £151.25, with the same tickets in Cardiff and Edinburgh slightly cheaper at £150 and £151 respectively.

In the band’s home city of Manchester, tickets start from £148.50, with only standing available alongside a number of hospitality and luxury packages.

Before the announcement for the UK shows, Irish promoter MCD said on its website that the price of both of the two Croke Park gigs in Dublin will start at 86.50 euros (£72.75) without booking fees.

The Gallaghers announced on Tuesday that they had put their acrimonious split behind them, confirming the band’s long-awaited reunion by saying: “The great wait is over.”

Fans have been urging the brothers to regroup since they disbanded 15 years ago, a split prompted by a backstage brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris in 2009.

It has not been announced who will be performing with Liam and Noel as part of Oasis.

Noel, 57, quit the group on August 28 2009, saying he “simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer”, and the brothers have made negative comments about each other for more than a decade.

StubHub along with the official ticket sellers have been approached for comment.

Ticketmaster said its website has not crashed.

A spokeswoman for Ticketmaster said: “The queue is moving along as fans buy tickets. As anticipated, millions of fans are accessing our site so have been placed in a queue.

“Fans are advised to hold their place in line, make sure they’re only using one tab, clear cookies, and ensure they aren’t using any VPN software on their device.”