Oasis announce two extra Wembley Stadium shows
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”.
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.”
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”.
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.
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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.
Taylor Swift has said she will vote for Kamala Harris in the US election, giving her endorsement just minutes after the debate with Donald Trump ended.
The Instagram post showed her holding her cat Benjamin Button – a reference to Mr Trump’s running mate JD Vance‘s childless cat lady” comments.
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Swift urged her 283 million followers to “do your research,” but said AI-generated images of her supporting Mr Trump made her realise “I need to be very transparent about my actual plans”.
“I will be casting my vote for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the 2024 Presidential Election,” she said. “I’m voting for Kamala Harris because she fights for the rights and causes I believe need a warrior to champion them.
“I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos.
“I was so heartened and impressed by her selection of running mate Tim Walz, who has been standing up for LGBTQ+ rights, IVF, and a woman’s right to her own body for decades.”
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‘Massive star’ endorsement could be ‘huge’
Sky News US correspondent James Matthews said after her post that Swift’s endorsement is “huge” for the Harris-Walz campaign.
“She is a massive star, huge,” he said. “She speaks to people in a way that politicians do not, and the message from Taylor Swift will resonate with a huge audience far beyond the kind of people watching what has gone on here.
“The timing will not have been an accident. Tonight, the headline is Taylor Swift. Tomorrow, all the talk is going to be about Kamala Harris and Taylor Swift and the momentum that will be behind her.”
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It marks the first time Swift has spoken on the 2024 election. While the Style hitmaker did endorse Joe Biden in 2020, she did so only a month before election day.
However, despite her worldwide fame and popularity even Taylor Swift cannot escape the vicissitudes of American politics. The number of people following her on social media fell following her post.
Entertainment
US actor who voiced Master Splinter in original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series dies
US voice actor Peter Renaday, best known for his role as Master Splinter in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, has died aged 89.
His former Ninja Turtles castmate Townsend Coleman, who voiced Michelangelo in the show, confirmed the news in a post on the X social media platform on Tuesday.
Renaday voiced Master Splinter, a wise and stoic mutant rat who was the turtles’ adoptive half-father and martial arts teacher, between 1987 and 1996.
Police carried out a welfare check at the voice actor’s home in Burbank, California, on Sunday and found him dead inside, according to TMZ.
His niece Mindy Zachary told the celebrity news site that his air conditioning had been out and his home had been hot due to a recent heatwave in California.
She added that his cause of death has not been confirmed but the family feels it does not need further investigation.
Coleman, 70, said he was “devastated” by the the death of our “dear sensei” – a term the ninja turtles would sometimes use to refer to Master Splinter.
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Master Splinter in the original series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Pic: LMX Flix
He continued: “Pete was one of the most genuine, salt of the earth people I have ever known and I will miss him dearly. I had the privilege of visiting with him a month ago and he was as vibrant as ever, at 89 just as endearingly silly, smart and talented as I’ve always known him to be.
“Ugh, this is hard… a Disney legend and our dear Master Splinter – rest well, my sweet friend.”
Renaday also voiced Abraham Lincoln in The Hall Of Presidents – a major attraction at Walt Disney World in Florida.
He also had minor roles in a 1992 animated series of Batman and the Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries between 1995 and 1999.
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