The Oasis return to the stage has sparked a frenzy among fans. Hotel prices have surged within 48 hours of the official confirmation of a UK and Ireland tour for next summer, while the band’s official site has struggled to handle the flood of requests for the pre-sale ticket draw set for Friday, one day before the general sale of tickets. The band posted on social media that they know many fans are waiting for a confirmation email and that those emails are on the way as they process an unprecedented volume of signups.
Ahead of tickets going on sale, many fans have already begun booking hotel rooms in the five cities hosting the 14 shows: London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Cardiff, and Dublin. Booking.com reports that 97 percent of accommodations in the Welsh capital are already reserved for the July 4 and 5 weekend when the two Oasis concerts will take place, with nightly rates reaching up to ten times the usual prices for that time of year. In Edinburgh, 99 percent of hotels under 400 pounds per night were unavailable for August 8 and 9.
Abusive practices
Some fans have reported alleged abusive practices in hotel reservation handling. Sky News coverage notes that Maldron Hotels sent emails to customers who booked nights around the Manchester shows asking them to cancel due to a supposed technical error on the website. The hotel writes that a technical fault caused confirmations for reservations that were not properly made, and they cannot honor them at this moment. Some affected guests say this has been used to offer rooms at higher prices.
Local nightlife advisor Sacha Lord, posting on social media, noted that several people who booked rooms for the Oasis concerts reported cancellations followed by new offers at triple the price. He suggested it was a technical glitch that could be corrected and urged the right thing to be done.
The hotel chain explained that its computer system accepted more bookings than were available by error and denied any attempt to resell rooms at inflated prices. The chain said its hotels were not accepting reservations while the issue is investigated and apologised for the inconvenience.
Lists and bets
The excitement around Oasis ending a 15-year hiatus has driven some websites to craft AI generated lists predicting potential setlists for the brothers Gallagher. A study by the Sports Casting portal suggests the performances will include at least one song from each album and a Beatles cover, with safer predictions including classics such as Dont Look Back in Anger, Wonderwall, and Champagne Supernova.
While fans wait to see if AI predictions hit the mark, other portals are drafting hypothetical bets about whether the Gallagher brothers will stay united for long. My Betting Sites indicates that a hypothetical split before the first show would pay seven to one, while a potential physical altercation would pay twelve to one. The public seems most convinced that a breakup is likely after the tour, and bookmakers would offer two pounds for every five pounds staked should that occur. If fans had a choice, that outcome might be the most desirable for many.