Music

Everything went exactly as planned. Which is to say, chaotically. And that's the least we can say!

Ticketmaster and Gigs And Tours, the two platforms Oasis chose for ticket pre-sales for their 17 concerts next summer in the United Kingdom and Ireland, frustrated many Web users. Messages from disappointed fans began to flood on social media as from mid-morning. As for those lucky enough to get a ticket, they still had to answer a mini Quiz on the history of the Kings of Britpop. "What is the name of the original drummer?", with three possible options. The answer was Tony McCarroll who accompanied them until 1995. Then, they had to indicate how many Oasis concerts they had seen so far. Without knowing if this had a positive influence (or not) on the rest of the process!
In Lille, France, Ludovic wrote early this morning: "Since early this morning, my screen has been displaying the same message Confirming availability and nothing is moving. Unbelievable! I'm truly disgusted and so disappointed!" He had hoped to celebrate his 45th birthday in Manchester with his two brothers. "I had asked for the help of about ten friends to increase my chances but we all came up empty-handed!" he told us. In the United Kingdom, with the exception of the lucky ones who managed to sneak in, the situation was hardly any better. AlphaRoxas25 expressed his anger on X (ex-Twitter): "This is an absolute joke. I've been refreshing the page since this morning and I received this message: your session has been suspended on the grounds that I am a robot!!".
Others like HappyGilmoreUK also on X hoped for a moment when their turn had come. But no! "I thought I was lucky when I received this message: you are in the queue with 40,814 people in front of you. Two hours later, nothing had changed. I have no doubt", he added, "that resellers have obtained tickets".
Indeed, despite the very strict conditions imposed on the resale of these tickets, baffeling offers quickly began to flourish. The English daily, The Guardian, spotted offers of several thousand pounds sterling for a single ticket. The resale of concert tickets at excessive prices is in principle prohibited but mafias have put in place robot systems that often manage to thwart the protections put in place by the platforms. In January 2021, for the first time in the digital age, illegal resellers were fined $3.7 million in the United States. For his part, Robert Smith (The Cure) has always wanted his fans to have access to the band's concerts at reasonable prices. Last year, 7,000 tickets illegally resold at astronomical prices were thus cancelled and put back on the market at their initial value. The sum that was collected a second time was donated to Amnesty International. Bravo Robert!
As for the 17 Oasis concerts next summer, the Ticketmaster UK website now indicates that they are all sold out...
(MH with AK - Photo: Screenshot)
Photo: Yesterday, tens of thousands of Oasis fans were champing in front of a screen like this.