Error Messages, Lengthy Online Queues Greet Fans Scrambling to Secure Oasis Reunion Tickets

FILE - Members of British rock band Oasis pose for photos ahead of a concert in Hong Kong, Feb. 25, 2006. From left are, Gem Archer, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, and Liam Gallagher. (AP Photo/Lo Sai Hung)
FILE - Members of British rock band Oasis pose for photos ahead of a concert in Hong Kong, Feb. 25, 2006. From left are, Gem Archer, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, and Liam Gallagher. (AP Photo/Lo Sai Hung)
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Error Messages, Lengthy Online Queues Greet Fans Scrambling to Secure Oasis Reunion Tickets

FILE - Members of British rock band Oasis pose for photos ahead of a concert in Hong Kong, Feb. 25, 2006. From left are, Gem Archer, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, and Liam Gallagher. (AP Photo/Lo Sai Hung)
FILE - Members of British rock band Oasis pose for photos ahead of a concert in Hong Kong, Feb. 25, 2006. From left are, Gem Archer, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, and Liam Gallagher. (AP Photo/Lo Sai Hung)

The sale of tickets for Oasis ’ reunion tour got off to a creaky start on Saturday as online platforms strained under demand from hundreds of thousands of fans, The Associated Press reported.
The Britpop-era behemoth led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher is scheduled to play 17 gigs — its first shows for 15 years — in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin starting July 4.
More than 1 million tickets are up for sale, at prices starting at about 74 pounds (just under $100).
Some people attempting to get onto the handful of authorized sales sites, including Ticketmaster and Gigs and Tours, received error messages, while many others were informed they were in a lengthy queue.
Some managed to buy tickets through a presale lottery on Friday. Within hours, tickets began to be offered on resale websites for as much as 6,000 pounds ($7,800).
Oasis issued a warning, saying tickets could only be resold at face value through authorized sites.
“Tickets appearing on other secondary ticketing sites are either counterfeit or will be cancelled by the promoters,” it said in a statement.
Oasis was one of the dominant British acts of the 1990s, producing hits including “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” Its sound was fueled by singalong rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and singer sibling Liam.
Oasis split in 2009, with Noel Gallagher quitting the band after a backstage dustup with his brother at a festival near Paris.
The tour will begin July 4 and 5 at the Principality Stadium. Oasis will also perform at Heaton Park in Manchester, on July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20; London’s Wembley Stadium on July 25, 26 and 30 and Aug. 2 and 3; Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Aug. 8, 9 and 12; and Croke Park in Dublin on Aug. 16 and 17.
Prices for the London, Cardiff and Edinburgh concerts range from about 74 pounds ($97) to just over 200 pounds ($260) for seats, and about 150 pounds (about $200) to stand. In Manchester, the cheapest tickets are 148 pounds ($195) to stand, with no seated option.
The costliest option is a 506-pound ($666) package for the London gigs that includes a pre-show party, admission to an Oasis exhibition, souvenirs and a “premium collectible item.”
Tickets for the Dublin shows start at 86.50 euros ($96) plus booking fee.
The host cities anticipate an economic boost to hotels, bars, restaurants and shops – especially Manchester, the band’s hometown and a city renowned for its musical heritage.
Sacha Lord, Manchester’s official nighttime economy adviser, said “there’s a big buzz” in the city about the reunion.
“This is a homecoming gig,” he said. “When they set foot on that stage for the first time, it’s going to be a really special moment.”



China’s Jia Brings Film Spanning Love, Change over Decades to Busan

This picture taken on October 5, 2024 shows Chinese film director Jia Zhangke (L) and Chinese actress Zhao Tao (R) posing for photos during a press conference for the Gala Presentation "Caught by the Tides" at the 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in Busan. (Yonhap/AFP)
This picture taken on October 5, 2024 shows Chinese film director Jia Zhangke (L) and Chinese actress Zhao Tao (R) posing for photos during a press conference for the Gala Presentation "Caught by the Tides" at the 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in Busan. (Yonhap/AFP)
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China’s Jia Brings Film Spanning Love, Change over Decades to Busan

This picture taken on October 5, 2024 shows Chinese film director Jia Zhangke (L) and Chinese actress Zhao Tao (R) posing for photos during a press conference for the Gala Presentation "Caught by the Tides" at the 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in Busan. (Yonhap/AFP)
This picture taken on October 5, 2024 shows Chinese film director Jia Zhangke (L) and Chinese actress Zhao Tao (R) posing for photos during a press conference for the Gala Presentation "Caught by the Tides" at the 29th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in Busan. (Yonhap/AFP)

Chinese director Jia Zhangke's ambitious latest, which utilizes footage shot across two decades, offered a peek into the evolving nature of cinema as it unspooled at this year's Busan International Film Festival.

"Caught by the Tides" combines a story of elusive love with a panoramic portrayal of recent Chinese history using everything from low-resolution digital camera footage to a scene enhanced with cutting-edge AI technology.

And while it explores the meaning of the past, the film's creation emphasized innovation.

Jia assembled and recontextualized footage shot over more than 20 years, including unused scenes from previous films, newly filmed sequences, and random images he captured during his travels -- blending documentary and fiction.

The result, with a format reminiscent of Richard Linklater's 2014 film "Boyhood", creates a vivid record of time passing, particularly through lead actress Zhao Tao, Jia's long-time collaborator and wife in real life.

As she goes on a fruitless search for a lost love, audiences witness her age before their eyes.

The film also uses images related to key events that have shaped contemporary China, such as the successful bid for the 2008 Olympics and the construction of the Three Gorges Dam, which resulted in often overlooked suffering for those displaced by the project.

"After Covid, I felt that one era had ended and a new one was emerging," Jia told reporters in Busan when asked what motivated him to create "Caught by the Tides".

"With the rapid advancements in technology, including science, the Internet, and AI, people's lifestyles have also shifted. I realized that during this period of change, it was important to process the (accumulated) footage I had previously filmed."

Actress Zhao described the film as a "truly precious gift."

"It has allowed me to document my 20s, 30s, and 40s through the medium of film, while also expressing the lives and struggles of many women through the character," she told reporters.

The film played over the weekend as part of BIFF's gala presentation section.

- Covid, cinema and AI -

Jia's feature debut, "Xiao Wu", earned the director BIFF's New Current Award for emerging filmmakers in 1998, when he was just 28.

"It's not an exaggeration to say that my life as a filmmaker started in Busan," Jia said, adding he had missed the South Korean port city since his last visit.

He has since won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival for "Still Life" (2006), among other prestigious awards, establishing himself as one of the most important Chinese filmmakers of his generation.

"Jia stood out as someone who is obviously talented. He was, above all else, original," Kim Dong-ho, the 87-year-old BIFF founder, told AFP of the Chinese filmmaker's younger years.

Now 54, Jia has brought his latest film to Busan at a pivotal moment of change for the festival.

BIFF's opening night featured a streaming title for the first time in its history, and it hosted a day-long conference just on the theme of AI in content production.

At the festival's main venue, giant posters of Netflix's latest streaming projects underlined the shift -- including its opening film "Uprising," positioned next to a festival gift store that ironically proclaimed: "Theater is Not Dead."

Jia's film, by its end, reflects and evokes these changes and what may lie ahead, showing its characters queuing for PCR tests and wearing masks during the Covid pandemic, an era that contributed to the rise of streaming platforms worldwide.

One scene was modified using AI technology, changing the film that the protagonist watches to create a stronger link to an element introduced later in the story -- robots.

When reflecting on his some 26 years in film, Jia said: "It feels like I've been drifting in an endless ocean."

But "completing each film made me feel like I stood tall, having overcome the waves."