Ticket agents should reflect on their actions following Oasis ticket controversy, says Tánaiste
Outraged Oasis fans have slammed as 'stomach-churning' the pricing structure that saw tickets for the hotly anticipated concerts in Dublin next year rise to more than €400. Picture: Yui Mok/PA
Promoters and ticket agents still have time to redeem themselves following the Oasis ticket controversy over the weekend, the Tánaiste has said.
Micheál Martin called on those involved in ticket sales to reflect on what has transpired because "there are a lot of disappointed people out there from the perspective of what they would see as price gouging".
He made the remarks in the wake of the sellout of Oasis's planned Dublin concerts for August 2025, with dynamic pricing resulting in many tickets selling for hundreds of euro more than originally listed.
The "runaway inflation" of ticket prices for concerts has resulted in such shows becoming beyond the reach of many people who are not in a position to spend such money on concerts.
Cork senator Timmy Dooley said that eliminating old-fashioned ticket touting has seemingly allowed for an institutionalised approach to touting under the guise of dynamic pricing.
The price gouging around big events is adding to the perception of "rip-off Ireland" and damaging the country's reputation, he said.
Mr Dooley called for a review of how events are licensed and suggested the GAA should look at implementing rules against "ticket sales stunts" for shows taking place at Croke Park.
The Fianna Fáil senator criticised Oasis for pricing out those who do not have hundreds to spend on a concert.
Meanwhile, Irish MEP Regina Doherty said she has written to the European Commissioner for Competition, Margrethe Vestager calling for an investigation into ticket pricing.
A spokesperson for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission said it would not comment on whether or not there will be an investigation into these specific circumstances but said that its role in terms of tickets pricing is to ensure the consumers have clear and accurate information before they pay.
The statement also said that in terms of pricing, there are no price controls in Ireland, apart from in certain, limited areas and individual businesses are allowed to adjust their prices in response to demand or other factors.
Outraged Oasis fans have slammed as "stomach-churning" the pricing structure that saw tickets for the hotly anticipated concerts in Dublin next year rise to more than €400.
So-called dynamic pricing means the ticket prices increased based on demand, similarly to airlines or hotels.
More than 500,000 people were in the queue for the Irish concerts, which went on sale an hour before the band's British dates.
And while some fans were frustrated by the slow queueing process, those who were able to claim tickets were left baffled too.
Darragh Moriarty, from Dublin, said ticket prices had risen to €415 when he got to the front of the queue, but his friends had bought them for €180.
The 30-year-old health charity worker said he had hoped a group of six would be able to go, but among his group only four people were able to get tickets.
He compared his WhatsApp group with his friends to the Hunger Games as they decided who would get the tickets.
He said: "We had a raffle between six of us, thankfully my name came out of the hat.
"None of us paid that price (€415). The hope is most people don't buy them at that rate and they go back down.
"It's stomach-churning to see preying on people's desperation and getting absolutely gouged like that."
Mr Moriarty logged on to Ticketmaster at 7.30am and it was about 9.15am when he reached the front of the queue and saw the ticket prices.
Scott McLean, 28, logged into his account on the ticket-selling website at 7.30am on Saturday ahead of Irish sales opening at 8am.
He was in a queue of 20,000 for around 30 minutes before selecting four tickets to see the band's show at Croke Park.
However, his browser began buffering for a half-hour as he tried to make the purchase, prompting him to contact the Ticketmaster customer service account on X for advice.
"I followed their advice, cleared my cookies and cache on my browser and then it kicked me out completely. It just came up to that error screen after I followed their guidance," the business analyst from Belfast told the PA news agency.
"I had to rejoin the queue and I ended up about 700,000 places worse off after following their guidance."
Tickets for all concerts sold out quickly and, as yet, there have been no additonal dates added.
Similar complaints about costs emerged among buyers for the British leg of the tour, with many reporting tickets selling for hundreds more than the listed prices.
