Mark has described the ‘biblical’ scenes at Manchester’s Heaton Park as other fans in the accessible area abandoned their crutches when the Gallagher brothers took to the stage
A disabled Oasis fan was left stunned when dozens of gig goers at one of the band’s huge homecoming shows ditched their wheelchairs and crutches to stand up when the music started.
Mark Chapman, 32, suspects able-bodied fans were able to take advantage of lax checks after he struggled to get a space on the accessible platform at Heaton Park on July 12.
Resale sites such as Viagogo have sold tickets designated as ‘wheelchair and companion seat’ for £634 each for two people, despite companion tickets being added free of charge when booked officially.
Mark, who has Duchenne muscular dystrophy which has left him unable to walk since he was nine, said it was ‘biblical’ the way ‘half’ of the 150 fans on the platform were able to throw away their mobility aids when the Gallagher brothers took to the stage.
He said: “There were loads of people in wheelchairs and with crutches, but when Oasis came on they all jumped out their wheelchairs and dropped their crutches and stood up for the whole gig for two hours. Me being quite severely disabled, I know that standing up for two hours is very, very unlikely.”
Carer Sam Priest, who was with Mark, said: “We were joking Jesus Christ must have been on the platforms, there were so many miracles performed that night.”
Music podcaster Mark, who went to over 100 gigs last year, has been an Oasis fan for 25 years and has seen Liam Gallagher perform live solo eight times. So when the band announced they were reuniting, he was ecstatic.
But when he tried to book a space on the wheelchair-accessible platform for the gig, he was told it was full – with many of his wheelchair-using friends unable to get tickets at all.
He bought two tickets at £140 each in the general admission area, but luckily was able to have the second one refunded and replaced with a free carers’ ticket when he got in touch with organisers.
Luckily, when Mark asked stewards for help at the gig, they were able to put him on a waiting list to use the area if there were any no-shows.
But after being let up to the area, it came as a complete shock when he saw over half of the around 150 people in the area had managed to stand up and bounce around throughout the gig.
Mark, from Wilmslow, Cheshire, added: “They were literally just standing for the whole time, they kept leaving the platform and joining their friends in front of the platform and leaving their wheelchairs behind and crutches behind, and when they went to the toilet.
“It’s really frustrating. I could see people in front of the platform who were clearly struggling who had to stand there without a seat, and there were people on the platform who didn’t need to be there.
“A lot of my friends applied who were also disabled and they didn’t get any tickets whatsoever. It was frustrating knowing that there’s people who needed to be there who couldn’t.”
Mark, who was able to see over the crowds of people thanks to a high-tech wheelchair which allows him to raise up to eye-level, said the gig was life-changing, adding: “At least I was actually there and I could see it and hear it, and I enjoyed it. It was a dream come true, basically.”
Ticketmaster and Live Nation were approached for comment.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
