The long-awaited Oasis reunion tour is set to kick off, marking a significant return for the iconic band. Bassist Andy Bell has confirmed his involvement, stating in an interview with Austrian newspaper Oe24, “I’m in and I’m really looking forward to it. We’ll see each other on tour. Or rather, you’ll see me. I’ll hardly be able to see you in the audience.” Bell's extensive history with Oasis, playing with them between 1999 and 2009, and later with Liam Gallagher’s post-Oasis project Beady Eye, positions him as an ideal member to navigate the dynamic between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.

The tour schedule is ambitious, with Oasis having 41 dates booked for 2025. The journey begins with stadium shows across the UK and Ireland in July, before extending to multiple continents. Support acts confirmed for various legs include Cast, Richard Ashcroft, Cage The Elephant, and Ball Park Music. A highlight for fans will be the three sold-out shows at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on August 8, 9, and 12. Tickets for these highly anticipated concerts were snapped up in record time, with 10 million people from over 100 countries attempting to secure a spot.

The live band for the reunion tour is expected to feature several longtime collaborators. Alongside Andy Bell, Gem Archer, who played with Bell in Beady Eye and on his recent solo album Pinball Wanderer, is anticipated to join on guitar. Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs is also slated for guitar duties, with Joey Waronker on drums. Despite the excitement surrounding the reunion, the band's manager, Alec McKinlay, has firmly ruled out the release of new material or the announcement of additional tour dates. McKinlay, also a director at Ignition and Big Brother Recordings, clarified that this is “very much the last time around,” a sentiment echoed by Noel Gallagher in the press. This contradicts earlier social media claims by Liam Gallagher, who had suggested the band had “already finished” a new album and that he was “blown away” by Noel’s new material. McKinlay emphasized the strict secrecy maintained during the planning of the comeback tour, stating, “The group of people who knew about it in advance was very limited. We were working with people we trusted,” and described the overwhelming fan reaction as “phenomenal.”

However, the tour's commencement has not been without controversy, particularly concerning ticket sales. The UK competition watchdog, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), has threatened legal action against Ticketmaster for “misleading” methods used during the sale of Oasis reunion tour tickets. The CMA had previously warned in March that Ticketmaster “breached the law” and “misled fans.” Key concerns include the sale of 'platinum' tickets, which were priced up to 2.5 times more than standard tickets without offering additional benefits and often being in the same seating areas. This led customers to believe these tickets were superior. Additionally, Ticketmaster allegedly failed to inform consumers about two categories of standing tickets at different prices, selling all cheaper tickets before releasing the more expensive ones, causing frustration and inflated costs for fans. Many purchasers ended up paying over £350 for tickets with an initial face value of £150.

Oasis itself distanced the band from the dynamic pricing fiasco, issuing a statement clarifying that decisions on ticketing and pricing were left entirely to their promoters and management, and that the band was “not aware” dynamic pricing would be used. They acknowledged that while prior meetings aimed for a fair ticket sale strategy, “the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations.” Despite efforts to deliver the best possible fan experience, the unprecedented demand made it impossible. The CMA continues to scrutinize these practices, especially after numerous complaints from fans attending the Scottish shows at Murrayfield who felt they paid far more than planned due to the dynamic pricing.

Adding to the tour's narrative, Liam Gallagher has encountered some restrictions on stage. During one of the Murrayfield Stadium shows in Scotland, he informed the crowd that he had been banned from throwing his tambourine and maracas into the audience. This ban was implemented after an incident at a Wembley show where “two mindless blokes mobbed a female fan” to snatch his maracas. Liam expressed his frustration, telling the audience, “I’ve just been told, ‘Don’t do any of that s*** anymore,’ because you don’t know how to behave yourselves. You keep pinching each other on your nipples and ears and f***ing s*** like that and kneeing each other in the bollocks.”

Liam also used his time on stage to verbally attack Edinburgh Council Chiefs. The Sun had reported on leaked documents where officials allegedly branded Oasis fans as “fat, drunk, and rowdy” ahead of the concerts. In response, Liam called the Council “f***ing slags” and took a swipe at the Fringe festival, deriding its acts: “People juggling f*****g bollocks and that? Swallowing swords ...one-legged bicycles. What’s all that s*** about? S****y card tricks.” He further claimed during the second night that Oasis would bring “Two billion pounds we’ll have brought into this city over the next few days - two f*****g billion - and you’ll see none of it.” These incidents highlight the unfiltered nature of the reunion tour, marked by both musical excitement and off-stage controversies.