Phil Hessey said he had his plans ruined at the last minuteDan Haygarth Liverpool Daily Post Editor and Regeneration Reporter
05:00, 16 Jul 2025Updated 07:16, 16 Jul 2025
Phil Hessey, 39, and his son Kaiden, 15(Image: Supplied)
A dad said the life was sucked out of him and he threw up in a sink after his Oasis tickets were cancelled just hours before the concert began. Phil Hessey, 39, from Walton, had bought tickets to go to the band’s gig at Manchester’s Heaton Park on Saturday (July 12) with his son Kaiden, 15, and a family friend.
During last summer’s initial run of sales for the much-anticipated reunion tour, he managed to buy one ticket – though it was more expensive than expected due to dynamic pricing – which he gave to his son, hoping to secure one for himself at a later date. Phil managed to do so through Viagogo earlier this month.
He told the ECHO: “My lad is a mad Oasis fan, he was brought up watching them on YouTube and all the videos – I was really into them when I was younger.
“The ticket advertised was £148, that turned into £394. I was like ‘what’ but I’d made a promise to my son that I’d get tickets, so I bought that from Ticketmaster. I hadn’t bought mine, but I’d made a promise to my son that we would go, I had an idea that I could get mine later.”
“I thought some would be sold closer to the shows, so I kept looking. I bought two tickets from Viagogo on July 1, my friend had expressed interest, so I got one for me and him to go with Kaiden.
“They were advertised in pounds sterling and I paid £714, which went out of my bank. They were general admission and I was over the moon – I now had three tickets. I was disgusted with how much they cost but I’d got them.”
Kaiden before the gig last week(Image: Supplied)
“On Friday, I got an email from Viagogo, saying the tickets will be with you. Then I got another on the Saturday morning saying they would be with me for midday.”
What happened next caused Phil a lot of stress. Saturday’s concert was due to begin at 6pm with Cast’s set, followed by Richard Ashcroft and then Oasis would come on stage at 8.15pm. However, at 10.38am Phil received an email, seen by the ECHO, that ruined his plans.
He explained: “Later on Saturday, at 10.38am, I got an email saying the tickets had been cancelled. The life was sucked out of me.
“It said the seller was no longer able to fulfil the order. When the ticket got cancelled, I was so overwhelmed. I ran to the bathroom and was sick in the sink.”
Viagogo has apologised for the tickets being cancelled and told the ECHO it is trying to find Phil tickets for a future date.
However, he said that on Saturday, difficulties arose with his plans for the evening when Kaiden went to Heaton Park, not wanting to miss a gig he had been so excited for.
He said that his son’s ticket was marked general admission, but it also had a free upgrade to the front standing area, which he understood to be optional.
Phil contacted a number of friends and acquaintances going to the concert to ensure Kaiden could be accompanied by an adult. He drove Kaiden to the gig and walked him to the park but he said his son was turned away from a number of gates, which caused distress for both of them.
He said: “Under 16s needed an adult to go in with. I drove him, parked a mile away, walked him all the way down. I was still a bag of nerves, I wouldn’t be there with him.
“I spoke to the stewards. I said I wanted to downgrade him, I wanted him to go in with an adult. They said that wouldn’t be a problem.”
Phil said there were more difficulties getting Kaiden into the gig and he was “in a state of panic” before a family attending said they would look after him.
About that, Phil said: “A random family, who I owe a massive debt of gratitude to, saw he was on his own, and said ‘stay with us and we’ll look after him’. He ended up enjoying the gig.”
However, Phil said the prior stress was caused by his and his friend’s tickets being cancelled at such short notice. He has since been issued with a refund, though he was unhappy with the amount.
Phil explained: “I raised it with Viagogo and they said they couldn’t get more tickets. I had to take a refund. £714.81 went out of my bank in the original transaction but I’ve got £679.11 back. That’s a £35.70 shortfall.
“They’ve said that it’s due to a conversion fee to Australian Dollars, but the tickets were advertised in pounds sterling.”
A Viagogo spokesperson told the ECHO this difference in price was due to the ticket being sold in Australian Dollars. They also said a discrepancy in fees was an issue to be raised with the bank.
The ECHO understands Viagogo has also made an offer to Phil of two tickets for a forthcoming Oasis gig at Heaton Park. The Manchester band will play three more dates in their home city this week before the tour moves down to London.
Phil said he wanted to raise awareness of Saturday’s cancellation so that other people don’t go through the same stress during the remainder of the tour.
A Viagogo spokesperson told the ECHO: “On viagogo, fans are protected by our guarantee. We ensure fans receive their tickets in time for the event and in the rare event of an issue, we offer them replacement tickets or their money back.
“In this instance, the buyer had purchased the ticket in AUS dollars and therefore, was refunded the same amount in AUS dollars. The discrepancy in fees is with the bank and we advise Phil to raise the matter with his bank.
“Our number one priority is to get people into live events and we are deeply sorry that on this occasion, Phil was unable to attend the concert.”