Oasis fans furious after huge fence put up on ‘Gallagher Hill’ blocking viral view of stage
Oasis fans are furious after a huge fence has been put on ‘Gallagher Hill’.
With the reunion tour kicking off its Manchester dates at Heaton Park over the weekend, those who hadn’t managed to get tickets (or just wanted an extra show) had been gathering to see the stage from afar.
And this led to the spot on the nearby field going viral as huge crowds gathered to sing along to ‘Half the World Away’ from, well, not quite half the world but a little bit of a way away.
Videos showed Oasis fans arm in arm, singing along and swaying to the hits as Liam and Noel Gallagher finally returned to their home city as a band.
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There was a bit of chaos at Heaton Park though when some people tried to storm the fences and get into the concert without tickets.
Police confirmed that none of them actually managed to get in though and it seems ‘Gallagher Hill’ was a much more popular alternative.
To be honest, the place looked like an absolute vibe with the massive crowd just about able to see some of the stage and screens over the trees.
But that’s been absolutely scuppered now as ‘Gallagher Hill is no more’.
X user @keeponrunning11 shared images of the ‘killjoys’ and ‘partypoopers’ erecting the fence as fans were left gutted in the comments.
A tag for Gallagher Hill had even been added to Google Maps as fans shared the location with more planning to head that way for the upcoming shows this week.
However, the new barrier totally blocks the view with a sign also warning about livestock in the fields.
One fan joked on X that: “Noel’s definitely ordered this,” as another slammed them as ‘sh*thouses’.
“Such a shame for them that have tried in vain to get tickets with no joy and just really wanted to be part of the history and enjoy the moment,” another wrote.
Plenty called it an 'absolute joke' as one put: "I thought it was a lovely scene, all those people singing along. They'll still crowd there as they can hear so that's not the issue ....."
However, others wrote they ‘figured’ this would happen as another echoed: “Prob because of security and threats unfortunately.”
But one suggested: “The more people know, The more people go & it could get out of hand like a f.....OASIS GIG in the 90's. It's sad, they could have utilised ‘Gallagher Hill’ £30 entry fee is that too steep. IF ORGANISED INITIALLY.”
Manchester City Council has doubled-down on its warning for 'ticketless Oasis fans' not to go to Heaton Park. It explained it has put additional measures in place for the upcoming concerts to 'protect the environment of the park, ensure areas of parkland and nearby livestock are protected, and maintain public safety'.
This includes putting up steel fencing around a large area of the hill within the cattle field in the main park. It adds that this 'necessary measure' is to both 'protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there'.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, said: "The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park."As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.
"The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there. Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.
"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."
Jess Battison