The first time I went to see Oasis in concert was in September 1994. It was the week their debut album, Definitely Maybe, was released and I paid £7 to see them at the Hacienda in Manchester. Buying the ticket was pretty painless — I just went to Piccadilly Records, handed over some cash and was given a paper ticket in return.
I went to a lot of gigs in my twenties. If you wanted the best seats in the house they generally weren’t more expensive, they just required more dedication. Put in the work and you could be at the hottest gig in town. I would happily queue up all day and sometimes all night so I could be on the front row of a gig. Ticket prices were reasonable, which is why in my late teens and early twenties I saw everyone from David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Prince and Dylan to Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Anthrax and Radiohead in concert. Buying tickets was easy and the prices were so reasonable that I could even buy a T-shirt.
