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Oasis kick off sell-out tour - 21st July 2025
Wales played host to the reunion concert of Britpop titans Oasis, causing fans to flood into Cardiff from across the globe. For nigh on 16 years, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher have refused to share the limelight, having fallen out both personally and professionally.
Tickets for the kick-off event flew off the shelves, with the group's cross-generational appeal evident. Devotees from their heyday rubbed shoulders with relative youngsters drawn to the band's epic back catalogue.
Dan Mcatee: "Well, I think everyone's ecstatic. All the old fans will get to see them again. The young fans have never seen them before together. I think everybody is going to be top tier, ten out of ten."
Despite the enthusiasm, the ticket release on 31 August 2024 left fans reeling. Having waited patiently in lengthy online queues, they were shocked to learn that standing tickets, advertised at £135 plus fees, had soared in price and were listed at £355 plus fees.
Fans condemned the system of 'dynamic pricing', which inflates prices in response to rising demand, as "a greedy scam". Although it's relatively common practice for tour promoters to opt for this sales model, artists themselves can generally overrule their decision. In this case, however, the brothers have pleaded ignorance, claiming they were unaware of any dynamic system.
Fast forward a year and any resentment once felt by fans seems to have ebbed away, replaced by the excitement and wonder that Brad Owens and his son Eddie sense in the crowd.
Brad Owens: "I can feel the emotion a bit now, getting here and with the vibe and the buzz and everything. You know, and I think it's just going to be the same for everybody. It's, as he said, it's biblical, you know. And I think it is in the true sense of the word."
Eddie Owens: "Oasis means a lot to a lot of people. It's, it's good to see them back, sort of - you know, out for the fans as much as anything, you know. It's definitely, yeah, it'll be, it'll be emotional. It'll be emotional."
Having been at the final Oasis gig in 2009, friends Amy, Polly and Makala felt that they couldn't miss this milestone in the group's journey.
Amy Williams: "I think probably most people are going to cry."
Polly Bainton: "Well, we just spoke to someone on the train, who said - what did she say?"
Amy Williams: "It was monumental."
Polly Bainton: "Historic."
Amy Williams: "Historical."
Makala Zakorova: "It's like Christmas day."
Amy Williams: "It's like Christmas day, yeah."
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