Music

Oasis: Rome concert tickets explained through the lens of desire marketing

Securing a place becomes a role-playing game that’s a cross between Superenalotto and Squid Game. But watch out for ‘FOMO’

Noel Gallagher e Liam Gallagher, ossia gli Oasis, tornano dal vivo in Italia nell’estate 2027 con due date all’Olimpico di Roma ANSA

4' min read

Translated by AI
Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI
Versione italiana

What do Liam’s fisherman’s cap and Noel Gallagher’s combat boots have to do with Hermès bags? On the face of it, nothing, but if you’re one of those who want (or rather, hope) to go and see Oasis live next summer at their two Rome dates, or at any of the 11 venues on their 2027 tour, you probably already know the answer: desire marketing.

The background is well known. For months, rumours had been circulating about an imminent new tour by the band that epitomised 1990s Britpop, which – following their 2025 reunion, were also set to play two dates at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. On the afternoon of 14 September, the announcement finally arrived (Oasis in the capital on 29 and 30 July) but, rather than the official confirmation of the event, it is the rather convoluted process for buying tickets that stands out. No general sale: if you want to see the Gallagher brothers live, you must register by 5.00 pm on 17 September on the dedicated website. But first, you must also have registered on the Ticketmaster website, the ticketing platform of the Live Nation group, which is organising the shows. We don’t know if you’ll be going to the concert, but in the meantime, your profile is being created.

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“Those who are selected,” the website states, “will receive a unique, non-transferable code” to access the actual ticket sales windows, which will open at times and in ways that may vary from city to city, between Friday 25 September and Sunday 27 September. For the record, we registered here at the editorial office and, to our surprise, were given the chance to choose three venues from the 2027 tour on a blind basis (you don’t know which date you’ll be allocated, nor which section). The message that appeared at the end of the process was telling: ‘Check the sale time indicated’ in the email you will receive, ‘as this will be the only time slot during which you will be able to access the sale’.

Last year, Oasis, for their UK reunion – which at the time must have seemed like something truly exceptional, like the passing of Halley’s Comet – used dynamic pricing and the UK government launched an investigation. This time they’re taking us into a parallel dimension: the definitive gamification of live music, a role-playing game that sits halfway between Superenalotto and Squid Game.

Speaking of ticket sales: What are the ticket prices for the Rome dates? The dedicated website replies: ‘Prices for seated tickets are €92.29, €166.12, €184.58, €221.49 and €276.86, including booking fees. Standing area tickets are priced at €221.49 and €276.86, including fees. Hotel packages are available at €499 per person, including fees, and are sold in pairs. VIP packages are available at €437.36, €490.86 and €651.36, including fees.’ That’s what we know. Live Nation, however, does not disclose the availability of seats for the individual sections on sale. An unknown factor that may only get the adrenaline pumping for poker enthusiasts.

This is not the first instance of ‘compulsory profiling’ of concert-goers: there is, of course, the precedent set by the Radiohead tour in 2025, though that was organised with the opposite intentions (a stark contrast to dynamic pricing, the immediate cancellation of tickets on resale platforms, and a one-euro donation to Médecins Sans Frontières for every ticket sold).

And this brings us back to the Hermès bags mentioned earlier: for the most sought-after models – the Kelly and Birkin, which start at 8,000 euros – you have to join specific waiting lists, just as it takes at least eight months to receive the keys to a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Because needs are few, desires are endless, and for the latter marketing must focus. By stimulating them, transforming the product on sale into an aspirational item – not selling the product, but the brand that defines its identity. In our case, the brand is called Oasis, and if you put your name on the waiting list for their concerts, you’re not the one choosing them: at best, they’ll be the ones choosing you.

This is where another factor comes into play, one that marketing professionals know well: FOMO, short for ‘Fear of Missing Out’, the fear of being left out – in this case, of missing out on what everyone expects to be the event of summer 2027. A cardinal sin in an age when people no longer go to concerts to mosh at the front of the stage, but to take a selfie to post on social media. And so, if fate smiles on you during the ‘run-off’ on 25–27 September and you find the ‘golden ticket’ to visit Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory, you certainly won’t want to let this opportunity slip away. Even if all you find on the other side of the screen are tickets costing 600 euros. You’ll have no choice. Unless, that is, you’re willing to heed the voice of a man crying out in the wilderness: ‘Please don’t put your life in the hands / Of a rock and roll band’.

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