‘Necessary measures’ have been implemented to prevent ticketless fans from accessing Oasis’s Manchester show from afar at Heaton Park.
The reunited Britpop rockers had a euphoric homecoming over the weekend, with hundreds of fans who didn’t manage to get their hands on a ticket flocking to the renamed ‘Gallagher Hill’ to watch the stage from a high vanatge point.
The Wonderwall hitmakers – Liam and Noel – are set to return to Manchester tomorrow, July 16, but the council has confirmed no stragglers will be able to catch the show – and urged them not to try.
On Tuesday, steel fencing was erected ‘around a large area of the hill within the cattle field in the main park’ where 300 young whips have recently been planted in order to develop a new woodland area for the park.
These measures also include protection for the livestock in the field which includes nursing cows and a bull. The dual purpose of the fence protects the wildlife and wards off any of those attempting to still come along.
Meanwhile, the arena itself is double-walled with solid high security fencing and surrounded by 2000 security personnel, with no long-distance visibility of the arena.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said their ‘hand had been forced’ to prioritise public safety and ‘minimise’ enivronmental impact.
He continued: ‘Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.
‘The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time. We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.’
The Heaton Park Instagram account reiterated this plea, telling its followers to ‘not travel for the concert if you do not have a ticket for the event.’
This means the final three shows – on Wednesday, Saturday, July 19 and Sunday, July 20 – will not have a repeat of last week’s shenanigans.
Fans have shared their devastation at the development with one Instagram commenter, gemmamono, writing it was ‘utterly miserable’.
‘That’s absolutely ridiculous,’ user steph_hampson echoed.
Loop1501 called it a ‘terrible move’ and coynemorgan said to ‘let people enjoy it’.
Others praised the decision, however, with goodfood_mcr telling them ‘well done’ and another agreeing it made sense as a ‘safety thing’.
This comes after arrests were made following some fans trying to scale the fences surrounding the gig, with 15 arrested in total over the first two nights.
In a statement, Assistant Chief Constable Matt Boyle said: ‘We have been planning for these events for several months, working with partners and the organisers to make sure everyone can enjoy the concerts safely.
‘To that end, I’m pleased to say that the first two Oasis homecoming events have been a success.
‘What has been especially pleasing is how more than 100,000 people have enjoyed these iconic events safely and without trouble. We will have a highly visible presence in and around Heaton Park, and across the city, to ensure the next three events continue to pass safely.’
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