Oasis fan Phil Hessey planned to take his teenage son Kaiden to see Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher at Heaton Park in Manchester last week but things didn’t go the plan for them
A parent who planned to take his son to see Oasis at Heaton Park has said that he was “so overwhelmed” after receiving an email hours before the gig. He said things didn’t go to plan after spending hundreds of pounds on tickets.
Phil Hessey, 39, from Walton, told the Liverpool Echo that he had bought tickets for himself, his son Kaiden, 15, and a family friend for the show in Manchester on Saturday. It was Oasis’ second gig at the venue, after Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher returned to Heaton Park on Friday night.
He said that he managed to get one ticket for the tour last summer, when they first went on sale, and then bought two resale tickets earlier this month. The three tickets for the gig are said to have cost more than £1,000 altogether.
The first ticket, given to his son, is said to have been more expensive than expected due to dynamic pricing. After hoping to get one for himself at a later date, Phil managed to get tickets for himself and the friend through Viagogo.
Phil said: “My lad is a mad Oasis fan, he was brought up watching them on YouTube and all the videos – I was really into them when I was younger. The [initial] ticket advertised was £148, that turned into £394. I was like ‘what’ but I’d made a promise to my son that I’d get tickets, so I bought that from Ticketmaster. I hadn’t bought mine, but I’d made a promise to my son that we would go, I had an idea that I could get mine later.”
Phil said he “kept looking” as he expected some tickets to be sold closer to the time of the tour. He told the outlet: “I bought two tickets from Viagogo on July 1, my friend had expressed interest, so I got one for me and him to go with Kaiden.
“They were advertised in pounds sterling and I paid £714, which went out of my bank. They were general admission and I was over the moon – I now had three tickets. I was disgusted with how much they cost but I’d got them.”
Phil said that he received an email from Viagogo on Friday last week saying “the tickets will be with you”. He added that he received another on Saturday morning promising that the tickets would be with him for midday.
Oasis’ second gig at Heaton Park was due to begin at 6pm on Saturday with support act Cast, followed by Richard Ashcroft. Oasis would then come on stage later in the evening. That morning though, Phil received another email, seen by the ECHO, that left him unable to attend the gig.
Phil said: “Later on Saturday, at 10.38am, I got an email saying the tickets had been cancelled. The life was sucked out of me. It said the seller was no longer able to fulfil the order. When the ticket got cancelled, I was so overwhelmed. I ran to the bathroom and was sick in the sink.”
He said that he still took his son to Heaton Park but that difficulties arose at the venue. He said that Kaiden’s ticket was marked general admission but had a free upgrade to the front standing area, which he believed to be optional, too.
Phil’s said to have contacted a number of people that he knew who would be at the gig to ensure that his son would be accompanied by an adult. Phil told the ECHO that Kaiden was turned away from some gates once they had arrived.
He said: “Under 16s needed an adult to go in with. I drove him, parked a mile away, walked him all the way down. I was still a bag of nerves, I wouldn’t be there with him. I spoke to the stewards. I said I wanted to downgrade him, I wanted him to go in with an adult. They said that wouldn’t be a problem.”
Phil’s said to have been “in a state of panic” amid more difficulties getting Kaiden into the gig before another kind family said they would look after him. Phil said: “A random family, who I owe a massive debt of gratitude to, saw he was on his own, and said ‘stay with us and we’ll look after him’. He ended up enjoying the gig.”
Phil, who spoke about the stress caused by his ticket being cancelled at short notice, has since been issued with a refund, though was unhappy with the amount. He said: “I raised it with Viagogo and they said they couldn’t get more tickets. I had to take a refund. £714.81 went out of my bank in the original transaction but I’ve got £679.11 back. That’s a £35.70 shortfall. They’ve said that it’s due to a conversion fee to Australian Dollars, but the tickets were advertised in pounds sterling.”
A Viagogo spokesperson told the ECHO that this difference in price was due to the ticket being sold in Australian Dollars. They said a discrepancy in fees was an issue to be raised with Phil’s bank. Viagogo has apologised for his tickets being cancelled and told the ECHO that it is trying to find Phil tickets for a future date.
Phil told the outlet that he wanted to raise awareness of his experience so that other people don’t go through the same stress on the remainder of the Oasis Live ’25 tour. The tour is scheduled to conclude in Brazil in November.
A Viagogo spokesperson told the ECHO: “On viagogo, fans are protected by our guarantee. We ensure fans receive their tickets in time for the event and in the rare event of an issue, we offer them replacement tickets or their money back.
“In this instance, the buyer had purchased the ticket in AUS dollars and therefore, was refunded the same amount in AUS dollars. The discrepancy in fees is with the bank and we advise Phil to raise the matter with his bank. Our number one priority is to get people into live events and we are deeply sorry that on this occasion, Phil was unable to attend the concert.”
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
READ MORE: Cheapest Oasis tickets available to buy as prices soar after Manchester shows
Source: Mirror
Leave a Reply