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Oasis issue urgent warning after scalpers list tickets for $42,000

<p>Oasis have been forced to issue a warning to music fans who are searching for tickets to their highly-anticipated reunion tour, after resale tickets have been listed for thousands of dollars. </p> <p>Tickets to the UK and Irelands reunion show went on sale on Saturday, with tickets to the 17 shows selling out in a matter of hours. </p> <p>Tickets were originally posted on Ticketmaster with prices ranging from $190 AUD to $500 AUD, before prices were bumped up by the ticket merchant as being "in demand", with the cheapest tickets then priced at $475 AUD. </p> <p>Since all shows were officially sold out, some tickets have since been posted on resale sites such as StubHub and Viagogo, with prices ranging from $1,100 AUD to a whopping $42,000 AUD. </p> <p>After all the tickets were sold, ticket scalpers shared their tickets on the resale websites to turn a profit, with music fans sharing photos of the outrageous prices on social media. </p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">The highest price I've seen so far is £22,045. It's ridiculous. I know no one is likely to pay that, but why are these companies allowing it? <a href="https://t.co/uMSt0TS6K9">pic.twitter.com/uMSt0TS6K9</a></p> <p>— Jordan (@grahamjordan_) <a href="https://twitter.com/grahamjordan_/status/1829647325901570230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 30, 2024</a></p></blockquote> <p>"And it’s begun," one fan wrote alongside a screenshot of the resale websites.</p> <p>"Viagogo and StubHub all trying to rip off Oasis fans, with the highest priced ticket being on StubHub for £6,347 ($12,323 AUD). Hang your heads in shame."</p> <p>The music fan then added another photo of the $42,000 AUD ticket for sale, writing, "The highest price I've seen so far is £22,045. It's ridiculous. I know no one is likely to pay that, but why are these companies allowing it?"</p> <p>Oasis themselves then stepped in to warn fans about paying the extortionate fees for tickets, saying according to the terms and conditions, tickets could only be resold at face value via Ticketmaster and Twickets.</p> <p>"Tickets sold in breach of terms and conditions will be cancelled by the promoters," they wrote in a post to X.</p> <p>Oasis promoters had previously issued a similar warning, telling fans tickets sold through "unauthorised resale platforms" would be in breach of terms and conditions and "may be cancelled".</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram/Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

Money & Banking

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Fans react to band's history-making reunion

<p>Music fans around the world have rejoiced as legendary rock band Oasis announced their highly-anticipated reunion tour. </p> <p>The band, known for their 1990s hits <em>Wonderwall</em> and <em>Champagne Supernova</em>, disbanded in 2009 after founding members and brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher had a falling out. </p> <p>Since then, fans have been begging the musicians to abandon their solo side projects and reunite the band, who were responsible for many number one hits in the late 90s and early 2000s. </p> <p>On Tuesday, those prayers were answered as the band announced they would be reuniting for 14 shows around the UK and Ireland next year.</p> <p>The band will be playing in Cardiff in Wales, Scotland's capital of Edinburgh, and Dublin in Ireland, while also playing four shows at London's Wembley Stadium as well as four shows in their hometown of Manchester. </p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_KgvakNTN7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_KgvakNTN7/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Oasis (@oasis)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>“This is it, this is happening,” they confirmed, much to the delight of fans. "The stars have aligned. The great wait is over."</p> <p>The announcement of the tour sent music fans into overdrive, with their tour announcement post on Instagram raking up almost 2 million likes in under 24 hours. </p> <p>Fans, music critics and celebrities were quick to comment on the news, while many media outlets assessed that tickets for the concerts were certain to be some of the most sought after tickets in live music history.</p> <p>While many fans shared their excitement, a lot of social media was quickly awash with people suggesting the tour could be at risk considering Noel and Liam’s tumultuous relationship. </p> <p>“Surely anyone who buys an Oasis ticket for any night apart from the opening night is taking a bit of a risk,” remarked one, with a second adding: “Even opening night is a risk!”</p> <p>“Assume the gig isn’t happening until it starts, and even then keep your fingers crossed,” teased another.</p> <p>The Gallagher brothers have been embroiled in a fiery sibling rivalry ever since their rise to global fame in the 90s, with their falling out coming to a head the night before a concert in Paris in 2009, when Noel announcing he was quitting the band for good.</p> <p>“It is with some sadness and great relief … I quit Oasis tonight,” he said in a statement at the time.</p> <p>“People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: Instagram/JM Enternational/Shutterstock Editorial </em></p>

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Noel Gallagher admits to forgetting classic Oasis lyrics on stage

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Oasis frontman Noel Gallagher has admitted he often forgets lyrics to his classic songs while performing on stage. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He confessed that sometimes he has to “make s*** up” when he forgets the lyrics mid-song in front of his adoring fans. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noel said he stumbles over the words in the band's biggest hits, including Don’t Look Back in Anger, which spent several weeks atop the charts after its release in 1996.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During a conversation with </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sun</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> newspaper, he said, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Brain freeze, I get it. I get them when I’m doing gigs to 70,000 people.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“As the next line is coming I think, ‘Seriously, what is the next line to this song?’ You’re thinking, ‘I genuinely don’t know what it is’.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Somehow it falls out of the sky. But sometimes I just have to make s*** up,” he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rockstar also branded musicians who regularly cover hits by Bob Dylan as dull. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Noel, who is currently compiling a covers project of his own making, said, “Everybody does Bob Dylan covers albums — it’s boring.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The rocker is working on a unique covers album, after he said he wouldn’t care if he never wrote an original song again.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He insists he would “be happy with what he’s done” with his extensive catalogue that has won over fans all around the world. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His covers album will have a unique spin on hits by Burt Bacharach and The Smiths that Noel recorded in his own home studio. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Getty Images</span></em></p>

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A spiritual oasis in the outback

<p>Setting out early, fully caffeinated in anticipation of the quiet and empty road before us, we skirt around the suburbs of Perth, get on the Great Northern Highway and leave the city behind.</p> <p>Bush land and small farms line the road, punctuated with the occasional turnoff to some isolated town. There is little to look at except the trucks trundling down to Perth, yet it's essential to remain attentive, keeping an eye out for kangaroos who are famous for jumping onto the road at the wrong moment.</p> <p>You can find some incredible things in the outback of Western Australia, and after about two hours of driving we come upon one: a Benedictine monastery. This is New Norcia, founded more than a century and a half ago as a mission and now one of the state's most unlikely tourist destinations.</p> <p>I grew up about 100 kilometres away, which, for this part of the world, means "nearby". Yet I have never actually visited. I'm back home for the summer and have my foreign boyfriend in tow, so it seems like the perfect time to play tourist.</p> <p>Rounding the final bend, with only one small sign to indicate we are almost there, we shoot straight through the town of New Norcia and out the other side. It takes only a couple of seconds.</p> <p>"Whoops, I guess that was it," I say, putting the car into reverse and pulling a U-turn.</p> <p>After finding a shady place to park, we stretch our stiff limbs and look around. The Moore River, its presence made visible by the belt of trees that follows it, curves away to the east. The enormous freight trucks we call "road trains" occasionally rumble along the highway, sending white cockatoos screeching to the safety of tall gum trees. Just beyond the town limits, old-fashioned plowing equipment silently rusts away with only a fly or two for audience. And proudly, weirdly, a collection of buildings in Spanish Colonial style, looking as though they have been transplanted from Mexico, rise up from the red dusty ground.</p> <p><strong>Salvado’s Vision</strong></p> <p>To Dom Rosendo Salvado, the Spanish Benedictine monk who arrived in these parts in 1846, this landscape must have looked like an extraordinary, alien world. After walking for several days with a handful of companions, carrying only what they and a team of bullocks could manage, Salvado came to this area because it was home to a large community of Aboriginals, whom he planned to convert. He named his monastery after the Italian town of Norcia, birthplace of St Benedict.</p> <p>Salvado died in 1900, but his vision continued, and the monastery operated several schools through much of the 20th century. The number of monks peaked in the late 19th century at 70 men; today New Norcia is home to just nine monks who are assisted by employees from nearby towns in managing the buildings and tourist facilities.</p> <p>Despite its remoteness, New Norcia is never short of visitors, especially on weekends. Those who seek it out are a varied bunch: motorcycle clubs enjoying the winding roads; corporate groups and schoolchildren staying in the former school dormitories; those seeking spiritual guidance from the monks; curious day-trippers like ourselves.</p> <p>Casual visitors are unlikely to run into the monks, who tend to keep to the monastery compound, but you can arrange to meet and share meals with them or take part in the daily chapel services. My boyfriend and I have set up a meeting with Father David Barry, a soft-spoken scholar who worked as a bricklayer and as a jackeroo - a cattle station worker - before joining the monastery in 1955.</p> <p>Dressed in pristine white robes that match his short hair and beard, Father David appears at once incongruous and utterly at home. Our conversation ranges from the practicalities of joining a monastery to a discussion about the birth of the Benedictine order to what life is like for him here.</p> <p>"It's above all a life of prayer," he says. "But you can't live a life only of prayer." He throws in a dry joke about a now extinct order of monks who believed all they had to do in life was pray, and mostly went to bed hungry. "If you want to eat, you have to work."</p> <p>Most Benedictine monasteries strive to be self-sufficient, and, despite their small number, the monks here have done a good job of commercialising their resources. Artisan bread, olive oil and wine containing ingredients grown on the town's land are all sold under the name New Norcia, although much of the production is now done off-site by third parties.</p> <p>Father David has devoted much of the past 15 years to research in the town's extensive archives, a treasure trove for historians and even more for the Aboriginal community. Under various government decrees, between the late 1800s and 1970s, thousands of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were forcibly removed from their parents and raised in government or church-run institutions. As a result, many Aboriginal families know little about their ancestry. From the beginning of New Norcia's history, Salvado kept meticulous records including birth, death and marriage registers, which have helped Aboriginal people from the region piece together their histories.</p> <p>After our chat, the three of us walk along the dusty gravel road that hugs the side of the monastery, trying to stay under the shade of the cape lilac trees. Behind a gated entrance, the monastery is a kind of oasis, with native plants adding a splash of colour to the high, white walls. Father David stops, pointing out the glorious yellow of a cassia fistula, or golden shower plant. Native to the Indian subcontinent, it is a long way from home yet thrives in the tough Australian soil. A statue of Saint Benedict watches over us from the front of the monastery, and I try to imagine what he would have thought of New Norcia, rooted in a far-flung corner of a land he never even knew existed.</p> <p><strong>Careful conversation</strong></p> <p>We meet Father David again for lunch time at the refectory. As the only guests, we are invited to take the first servings from the buffet trolley. Plates are passed, red wine is poured and we all get chatting. Mentioning our home, Paris, provokes a lively discussion, and it dawns on me that several of the men around the table came to New Norcia after living varied "ordinary" lives.</p> <p>I'm fascinated by the tidbits of information I glean about them, but I police my questions because I've noticed something interesting about the way these men talk. The Benedictine order discourages idle chitchat, so even though conversation is open and friendly, every question is carefully posed, and responses are weighed.</p> <p>Indeed, we are lucky to be having conversation at all. If we had been visiting at any other time of the year, the meal would have been conducted in silence, broken only by the voice of the designated reader who recites from a work of non-fiction and takes his meal later. But this was the Christmas holiday break, with about half of the monastery residents away on vacation, so prayer schedules and duties are light and rules are relaxed.</p> <p>After lunch, we leave the calm monastery, crossing the highway that divides the town in two, and join the afternoon walking tour in the visitor's centre.</p> <p>Brushing away flies and taking great swigs from bottles of water, our small group of mostly "grey nomads" - retired Australians living out of camper vans - crisscrosses the town. Moving from site to site, we take in its history, observing the one remaining mission cottage, the chapel, the now empty Saint Gertrude's girls' college and Saint Ildephonsus boys' college - once thriving boarding schools for white Australian children - and the outside of the monastery itself.</p> <p>We take our way through the large Education Centre, a space used to host cultural workshops and outdoor activities for the visiting groups. I spot a pile of tools and branches stacked neatly on a small grassy field and learn that they are used to teach school groups how to build a traditional bush shelter. As we move inside, I'm impressed by the extensive and fascinating exhibition about the history of New Norcia and its relationship to the local Yuat people.</p> <p>The displays include local food, examples of tools and clothing, and are interspersed with extracts of Dom Salvado's diary and notes, written as he became more and more knowledgeable of their culture. He eventually became fluent in the language and customs of the Yuat, and he produced the only known dictionary of their language. Because last year marked the 200th anniversary of his birth, the character of Dom Salvado looms large over the town, and we seem to be catching the tail end of a number of events and exhibitions designed to commemorate it.</p> <p>At the end of the visit, I browse through the small gift shop and pick up the English translation of Salvado's memoirs, which will occupy me for weeks to come. Written in a spare yet engaging way, it is an adventure story told at a cracking pace, describing a Western Australia that is both familiar and foreign: a beautiful yet treacherous landscape untouched by Europeans and full of mystery.</p> <p><strong>Last stop</strong></p> <p>Before leaving town, we stop in the only building we hadn't visited yet: the New Norcia Hotel. Built in 1927 to accommodate the visiting parents of the boarding school students, it is grand and welcoming, with polished handrails and a wide, shady veranda, a relic of a bygone era. In the corner, a group of dusty characters recover from a hot day's work outside, and I'm pleased to see the Western Australian-made Swan Draught beer on tap. We order pints.</p> <p>There's a sign advertising wood-fired pizza, but that will have to wait until the next visit. We still have a long drive ahead of us, and I don't want to be out on the quiet roads at dusk when those kangaroos are even harder to spot.</p> <p>As we drive away, I catch a glimpse of an intriguing sign indicating a restricted access road. I slow down and peer at it as we pass. It's the turnoff for the New Norcia Station, a deep-space antenna with a 114-foot dish, built by the European Space Agency in 2003 to communicate with satellites.</p> <p>It's incredible, the things you can find in the Australian outback.</p> <p><em>Written by Anna Hartley. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/landing-plane-on-bhutan-paro-airport-runway/"><em><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">The world’s most difficult runway to land</span></strong></em></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/lifetime-ban-british-airways-flight-for-getting-up/"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em>Woman gets banned from airline for life for getting up too often on flight</em></span></strong></a></p> <p><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/03/singapore-airlines-new-plane-end-jetlag/"><strong><em><span style="text-decoration: underline;">This new plane could be the end of jetlag</span></em></strong></a></p>

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