Oasis fans upset by high prices and long delays on Ticketmaster site

By CNN Newsource

Published August 31, 2024 12:35 PM

By Robert Ilich, CNN

(CNN) — When British rock band Oasis announced a reunion tour this week there was a predictable frenzy for tickets to the 17 dates. Perhaps also predictably, there have been complaints and frustration with the ticket-buying process due to heavy demand.

Tickets went on general sale on Saturday at 9 a.m. GMT and it didn’t take long for social media to start fuming about inflated prices, long waits and error messages from ticketing company Ticketmaster.

“‘In demand standing ticket’ is just a standard standing ticket except double the price,” Darragh Moriarty, a city councilor in Dublin, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Moriarty also included a screenshot in his post, which showed an In Demand Standing Ticket priced at €415.50 ($459.61) plus fees.

“To clarify – Ticketmaster does not set any ticket prices,” a Ticketmaster spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.

On Ticketmaster’s official website, the company states: “Promoters and artists set ticket prices. Prices can be either fixed or market-based. Market-based tickets are labeled as ‘Platinum’ or ‘In Demand.’”

Stephen Lowell of London posted on X he had waited five hours for tickets only to receive a message which read: “Your session has been suspended.”

“The site did not crash,” the Ticketmaster spokesperson told CNN on Saturday.

Oasis will kick off their tour on July 4, with shows in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin. Ticketmaster stated on its site the tour “will be one of the biggest live moments and hottest tickets of the decade.”

A presale went live for applicants who received an email confirming they will have access. Oasis had cautioned on its Instagram page tickets would “be allocated on a first come first served basis” and “success in the ballot will not guarantee tickets.”

The ticket-buying process for big concert events has often drawn angst from buyers. Ticketmaster, and its parent company Live Nation Entertainment, faced public scrutiny in November 2022 for its handling of the massively popular Taylor Swift Eras Tour.

CNN’s Jordan Valinsky contributed to this report