Oasis gig nightmare - Noel offers refund

The organisers of Oasis's first gig in Manchester for four years could face a £3 million bill after guitarist Noel Gallagher promised 70,000 fans a full refund. The huge concert, the first of three in Heaton Park, was marred by power cuts which forced the band to leave the stage twice. The sound system appeared to cut out following the opening track, after which there was a 30-minute delay. Returning to the stage, Noel announced: "This is a free gig from now on. Let's have it. Anybody who has kept their ticket will get a full refund." Fans had paid £45 for Thursday night's much-hyped homecoming show, part of the band's Dig Out Your Soul world tour. If all of them returned their tickets, it would cost at least £3 million to fully repay them. Organisers had been planning the concert for six months and said it would be the largest event in Heaton Park since the Pope's visit in 1982. SJM Concerts, which had promised the gigs would be a "celebration of Manchester", is yet to make an announcement on whether Noel's promise to fans will be honoured. All a spokesman would say is that a statement will be released on Oasisnet.com.

» More on this story... «

ITN | June 5, 2009

Tags:. .sjm. .heaton. .refund. .repay. .hyped