Older Oasis fans need to stop hating younger listeners who got tickets

When someone asks me what point in history I would go back to if I could, I always answer one thing.

Oasis. Knebworth, August 1996. The era of acid house and the British pop kings. Of cigarettes and alcohol.

After over 4% of the population tried to get tickets, a huge audience from halfway around the world (no groans, it gets worse) flocked to Knebworth Park to enjoy two days of ice-cold roar from the best rock band of all time.

Oasis had enough fans to sell out another 18 days and the shows even had their own radio station. It's no wonder that one band member admitted they should have split up after these record-breaking shows and left the band on a high.

It couldn’t get better – and it couldn’t get any better.

I was only three at the time, but I can't watch videos of Knebworth without feeling a pang of jealousy and regret. I would give anything, absolutely anything, to have been there – and when the reunion shows were announced, I was overwhelmed with excitement to see them.

And yet a couple of middle-aged guys who have nothing better to do than get their hair cut by Paul Weller and listen to Gatekeeper music think I don't deserve to be an Oasis fan because I'm a young woman.

Apparently I should have been behind them in the ticket queue.

That in order to be a “real fan” I had to have been there. That I had to have experienced the 90s – and not been born in them – to even be “allowed” to think about buying tickets for the band's reunion.

This is lad culture at its worst, only in medieval form with sideburns and a Fred Perry polo shirt – and it's absolutely stupid. Downright pathetic.

Thanks to my father, I have been an Oasis fan all my life.

“Heathen Chemistry” is my favorite album and Oasis B-sides would be my specialty on Mastermind.

“Sunday Morning Call” is the most underrated song of all time and “Talk Tonight” should be viewed around the world as an example of musical vulnerability in its purest form.

I have seen Liam and Noel Gallagher apart countless times – and cried every time.

Seeing Liam strut on stage in his iconic parka to “I Am the Resurrection” by The Stone Roses in my hometown of Newcastle – with my dad right by my side – is one of the highlights of my life.

There may be differences among fans as to what my favorite song or album is, or even which of my dad's discarded Oasis t-shirts has the best design.

But I won't let anyone tell me that I'm not such a big fan because of my age or gender.

Oasis and Taylor Swift are my two absolute favourite artists – they alternate depending on my mood. I'm a raver, but I'll cry in the bath to country music or dance in the foam to Bob Marley.

I can be whatever I want and I sing the blues if I want.

There's no “right” way to be a fan when music makes you feel, well, pretty much anything – whether you've been a fan for days or decades. Whether you like a handful of songs or the entire back catalogue.

No matter whether you are man or woman, 50 or 15.

But as Oasis announce their reunion after a decade and a half of will-they-or-won't-they aggro, some people are testing that theory—and my patience.

“Imagine waiting 15 years for Oasis to reform and then losing tickets for Chloe, 21, from Stockport, who just wants to see Wonderwall live,” said a guy called Billy (of course) on X.

Another named Neil added: “Priority on Oasis reunion tickets: If you liked them from the beginning. If you've seen them over 10 times. If you adored them from 1998 to 2017 when it was uncool and unfashionable to like them… Move aside, newbies.”

Honestly, pull yourself together. If you have to, just give in. (I warned you.)

I'm sick of tragic older guys trying to control music while belittling younger fans – especially female fans, apparently because they think the 90s were a better time for men. A “real” time for men.

Yes, Oasis – and Brit-pop in general – have attracted more than their fair share of parka-wearing wankers who never grow up.

But fortunately they are in the minority and they are no bigger fans than me or anyone else.

When it comes to music, there is no ranking or hierarchy – it doesn’t matter if you went to Oasis concerts “back in the day” or stumbled upon them by chance when news of their reunion broke.

No one has the right to belittle or bemoan 'Chloe, 21, from Stockport' – even if she was given cards over Gaz, aged about 57, from Huddersfield, who has liked her since she was born.

So to the older Oasis fans, I have a message: take that look off your face and let the kids listen to Wonderwall.

Do you have a story you'd like to share? Contact us by emailing [email protected].

Share your views in the comments below.

MORE: Top tips for getting tickets for the Oasis reunion tour 2025 after a 15-year break

MORE: Support act for Oasis tour 2025 ‘confirmed’, as well as Manchester legends

MORE: Noel Gallagher is called 'fake' by a group of young children in his first interview since Oasis' comeback