Connect with us

Published

on

Oasis have announced two extra Wembley Stadium shows after their tour sold out over the weekend – and addressed the controversy over sales for the first time.

Both Noel and Liam Gallagher, as well as Ticketmaster, came under fire over the initial release, after fans spent hours in virtual queues and some tickets ended up costing more than double due to “in demand” pricing for the reunion tour.

Amid the backlash over prices, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced an “urgent review” of dynamic pricing to ensure consumers are being treated fairly, while Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy promised a government review and the European Commission also said it would examine the issue.

Now, Oasis have announced two further dates at Wembley Stadium in September. There will be a staggered “special invitation-only ballot ticket sale strategy”, the band said, devised “as a small step towards making amends for the situation”.

Noel and Liam Gallagher in 1994. Pic: Paul Slattery
Image:
The brothers pictured in 1994. Pic: Paul Slattery

They said it needed “to be made clear” the band “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”.

Applications to join the ballot for the September shows will be opened first to fans who were unsuccessful in the initial sale, they said.

“Inevitably interest in this tour is so overwhelming that it’s impossible to schedule enough shows to fulfil public demand,” the band’s statement continued. “But this ticket sale strategy will make the process far smoother for fans by reducing the stress and time it takes to obtain one of the hottest tickets of our time.”

Prior meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management “resulted in a positive ticket sale strategy”, which would have been a fair experience for fans, they said – including dynamic ticketing “to help keep general ticket prices down as well as reduce touting”. However, “the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations”.

They added: “All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible fan experience, but due to the unprecedented demand this became impossible to achieve.”

When and where will the Oasis gigs take place?

4 July 2025 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff

5 July 2025 – Principality Stadium, Cardiff

11 July 2025 – Heaton Park, Manchester

12 July 2025 – Heaton Park, Manchester

16 July 2025 – Heaton Park, Manchester

19 July 2025 – Heaton Park, Manchester

20 July 2025 – Heaton Park, Manchester

25 July 2025 – Wembley Stadium, London

26 July 2025 – Wembley Stadium, London

30 July 2025 – Wembley Stadium, London

2 August 2025 – Wembley Stadium, London

3 August 2025 – Wembley Stadium, London

8 August 2025 – Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh

9 August 2025 – Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh

12 August 2025 – Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh

16 August 2025 – Croke Park, Dublin

17 August 2025 – Croke Park, Dublin

27 September 2025 – Wembley Stadium, London – added date

28 September 2025 – Wembley Stadium, London – added date

The frenzy for tickets for the initial shows started way before they went on sale at 9am (8am for two gigs in Dublin) on Saturday, as Manchester-based promoter SJM Concerts’ website Gigs and Tours, Ticketmaster and See Tickets all told website visitors they would need to wait for the page to refresh to join a queue.

After the initial sale opened, tickets worth £148 were being sold for £355 on Ticketmaster within hours of release, due to the dynamic pricing systems which can raise costs in the event of high demand and limited supply.

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

Liam and Noel Gallagher's first photo shoot for the Oasis reunion. Pic: Simon Emmett
Image:
Behind the scenes images from the first photo shoot were released after the announcement. Pic: Simon Emmett

Formed in the early 1990s, Oasis rose to fame with songs such as Supersonic, Cigarettes & Alcohol and Live Forever, before second album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory gave them their first number one single, Some Might Say, the following year.

With other hits including Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger, Stand By Me, Lyla and The Importance Of Being Idle, they became one of the biggest bands in British music history.

Read more:
Oasis are back – but what has happened behind the scenes?
Noel Gallagher jokes about Oasis break-up
Hotels accused of cancelling booking on concert night

But tensions between the Gallagher brothers often ran high, and Noel eventually quit the band ahead of a show in Paris in 2009, saying he “simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer”.

The feud continued over the years, with the pair exchanging insults publicly but reportedly never speaking in person.

Fans had long hoped for a reunion – and now, finally, the brothers appear to have put their differences behind them.

While those who did get tickets were happy to ensure their place at the gigs, the sales controversy had somewhat tainted the long hoped-for reunion announcement.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks ‘were lessons learned’?

Published

on

By

Oasis gig death: Witness saw similar incident and asks 'were lessons learned'?

A woman who saw a man falling from an upper tier at Wembley Stadium says a similar incident at an Oasis concert over the weekend in which a fan died makes her wonder whether lessons have been learned.

Stephanie Good, 39, said a man fell during a Euro 2020 match between England and Croatia at Wembley in June 2021.

He landed “right next to where we were” on the “stairwell between rows of seats”, she said.

Named as Jon, he reportedly survived but suffered two broken ankles, a fractured femur and fractured pelvis just before kick-off.

Ms Good said she tried to give feedback but was unable to and felt the “emergency response was really lacking”.

Oasis, meanwhile, said they were “shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan” at their Wembley concert on Saturday.

The man reportedly fell from the stadium’s upper tier.

In his 40s, he was found with “injuries consistent with a fall” and pronounced dead at the scene, the Met Police said.

Ms Good, an NHS manager from east London, said what happened at the Oasis gig was “so similar” to what she witnessed that it made her wonder “were lessons learned”?

Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans
Image:
Liam and Noel Gallagher on stage for the first Wembley night of the Oasis reunion tour. Pic: Lewis Evans

During that incident, among stadium staff “nobody seemed to know what to do”, she told the Press Association.

She thinks the man may have been trying to attach a flag to the front of a stand and “somehow managed to fall straight over”.

She said: “They (staff) didn’t seem well-trained in terms of how to respond to a really big emergency.

“Their stewards were kind of paralysed a little bit by fear, or they just weren’t well trained and didn’t know how to call for paramedics.

“It was us who were sort of shouting at them that they needed to get some paramedics.

“The first person on the scene wasn’t a stadium paramedic or St John Ambulance. It was an off-duty firefighter who had seen the guy fall and ran down to just try and offer some help.”

Read more:
Tommy Robinson bailed after arrest over alleged assault
Police should be ‘more transparent’ over suspects, home sec says

Regarding the follow-up, Ms Good said staff moved spectators to other seats but did not ask for witness statements.

She added: “They didn’t seek any input from people who’d seen the incident or the aftermath of it. They didn’t seem interested in speaking to anybody about it.

“I was a bit concerned, because I felt that the emergency response was really lacking.”

She then tried to get in touch to give feedback, but was unable to do so and did not receive a response to a message on social media, she said.

A Wembley spokesperson said: “Wembley Stadium operates to a very high health and safety standard, fully meeting legal requirements for the safety of spectators and staff, and is certified to and compliant with the ISO 45001 standard.

“We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders – including event owners, local authorities, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority and the police – to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue.”

Continue Reading

Entertainment

TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

Published

on

By

TV presenter Jay Blades charged with two counts of rape 

TV presenter Jay Blades has been charged with two counts of rape, police have confirmed.

West Mercia Police said the 55-year-old is due to appear in court next week.

The force said: “Jason Blades, 55, of Claverley in Shropshire, has been charged with two counts of rape.

“He is due to appear at Telford Magistrates’ Court on 13 August 2025.”

Blades found fame on the furniture restoration programme The Repair Shop after he started presenting in 2017.

A furniture restorer, he was the face of the popular BBC show that featured people having their treasured objects repaired and rejuvenated.

Read more:
BBC presenter denies coercive behaviour towards wife
Ex-Arsenal player charged with rape appears in court

Blades was also the presenter of the BBC’s Money For Nothing until 2020 and took part in Celebrity Masterchef, Celebrity Bake Off, and Comic Relief.

Continue Reading

Entertainment

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

Published

on

By

Sean 'Diddy' Combs denied bail again ahead of sentencing

Sean “Diddy” Combs has been denied bail ahead of his sentencing on prostitution-related charges.

Judge Arun Subramanian said the hip-hop mogul had failed to show sufficient evidence he is not a flight risk and also cited admissions of previous violence made during his trial.

Combs, 55, has been in prison since his arrest in September last year.

During a two-month trial, jurors heard allegations that he had coerced former girlfriends, including singer and model Cassie Ventura, into having drug-fuelled sex marathons with male sex workers, while he watched and filmed them.

Sean "Diddy" Combs reacts after verdicts are read of the five counts against him, during Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City, New
Image:
Diddy fell to his knees after the verdict was delivered last month. Pic: Reuters/ Jane Rosenberg

In July, he was found guilty of two counts of transportation for prostitution – but cleared of more serious charges of racketeering conspiracy and sex-trafficking, which carried potential life sentences.

The rapper’s legal team hailed this a “victory” and immediately applied for bail ahead of sentencing, citing his acquittal on the top charges.

After this was denied, they submitted another application last week. Judge Subramanian has now rejected the request again.

In denying the motion for bail, the judge found Combs had failed to show sufficient evidence to counter arguments he is a flight risk, writing in a court filing: “Increasing the amount of the bond or devising additional conditions doesn’t change the calculus given the circumstances and heavy burden of proof that Combs bears.”

Read more:
How the trial unfolded
The rise and fall of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian gives legal instructions to the jury, during Sean "Diddy" Combs' sex trafficking trial in New York City
Image:
Judge Arun Subramanian heard Diddy’s trial and will also sentence the rapper

He also found that an argument by the music star’s legal team that the squalor and danger of the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), where he is being held, did not warrant release.

“The public outcry concerning these conditions has come from all corners,” the judge wrote. “But as Combs acknowledges, MDC staff has been able to keep him safe and attend to his needs, even during an incident of threatened violence from an inmate.”

As well as Combs’s bail application, his legal team has also filed a motion calling for him to be acquitted or given a new trial on the prostitution-related charges only.

The judge has not yet responded to this application.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

How the Diddy trial unfolded

How long could Diddy be jailed for?

Combs is due to be sentenced on 3 October and could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.

Discussions on sentencing guidelines which followed the jury’s verdict suggest it is unlikely he will be jailed for this long, with an estimate of around two to five years, taking into account time already served.

However, it is ultimately up to Judge Arun Subramanian to decide the rapper’s punishment.

On Friday, Donald Trump was asked during an interview about a potential pardon for Combs following speculation about the issue.

The president said it was unlikely, adding that the rapper was “very hostile” during his presidential campaign.

Combs, who co-founded Bad Boy Records and launched the career of the late Notorious BIG, was for decades a huge figure in pop culture – a Grammy-winning hip-hop artist and business entrepreneur, who presided over an empire ranging from fashion to reality TV.

As well as the criminal conviction, he is also facing several civil lawsuits.

Continue Reading

Trending