Today was a big day for the Oasis-loving local lads of Toronto, as the presale for the Gallagher brothers' two-night reunion tour stint at the yet-to-be-built (and then torn down after five years) Rogers Stadium happened this afternoon. Much like other presales for mega-tours before it, many fans walked away from their time in the Ticketmaster queue empty-handed — and a little confused.
After the whole fiasco with the UK and Ireland ticket sales, Oasis's management team issued a statement promising North American fans that they had opted out of using Ticketmaster's dynamic pricing model, which increases the price of tickets based on consumer demand, this time around. However, the prices of tickets were still very steep as they went into short supply.
To put it in perspective, of the Exclaim! staffers that threw their hats into the ring, only one managed to succeed in getting tickets. They paid $312.50 for each, including fees, for spots in the side section of the stands (e.g., not the floor) about halfway up. Closer to the stage in that same section, as well as the General Admission floor, tickets cost $516 each, while some further back in the stands were priced at around $200 a pop.
By 45 minutes into the presale, one staffer found that the only tickets left were a whopping $918 each. Not to be like Carrie Bradshaw or anything, but I couldn't help but wonder — are big-ticket tours like this becoming only something the elite (and Ticketmaster fortunate) can afford?
Even prior to the presale, "tickets" to the shows next August were being sold on resale sites for prices ranging from $1,000 to $11,000 [via the Toronto Star].