Toronto is mad fer it — or more accurately, mad fer merch.
Hundreds lined up around the block for the opening of an Oasis pop-up shop at 468 Queen St. W., just days ahead of the Manchester band’s highly anticipated world tour stopping at the Rogers Stadium on Aug. 24 and Aug. 25 (the shop will be open until Aug. 27). The concerts will mark the first time Liam and Noel Gallagher have toured together since Oasis’s breakup in 2009 — and the first time they’ve shared a stage in Toronto since 2008.
Pop-up stores ahead of major concerts are becoming increasingly common, giving fans a chance to stock up on merchandise before the show. Blackpink opened a store at Yorkdale Mall in July, Metallica launched a shop in The Well this past spring, and Beyoncé hosted a mini-store and fashion exhibition at Holt Renfrew during her Renaissance tour.
Among the first in line at the Oasis pop-up was Chris Metler, who started queuing at 7 a.m. — four hours before doors opened. Living nearby, he was able to pop back and forth from his apartment, bringing chairs for others waiting in line.
“I feel like everyone in my age was an OG fan when I was 10,” said Metler, 39, who plans to attend both Toronto dates and eventually picked up a bucket hat. “They broke up so long ago so I didn’t get the opportunity to see when when I was a kid.”
The shop offered a wide range of merchandise: T-shirts starting at $60, baby onesies ($25), jackets (from $140), posters ($20), bucket hats (starting at $55), vinyl records ($75), souvenir programs ($40), as well as postcards ($2), pens and pencils ($4), mugs ($20), and tote bags ($35). But the most sought-after items were part of a limited-edition collaboration with Adidas — pieces that have repeatedly sold out online and in other cities.
When the store opened (to the soundtrack of “Wonderwall” playing over the speakers), dozens of fans made a beeline to the back of the store, Black Friday-style, where the Adidas clothing was. Even though it’s a pricey collection, with an Adidas-branded bucket hat costing $75, a football jersey $155 and a track jacket being $190, in a flash the racks were empty (and a jersey on the mannequin gone). As soon as staff brought out more stock, it was gone just as fast
“I’m genuinely worried I’ll get emotional,” said Greg Burns, 46, who is originally from London, England but has been living in Toronto for the past two years. This weekend he’ll be seeing Oasis perform for the sixth time. Inside the shop he scored two jerseys, a bucket hat and a hoodie and is pondering whether to get a tee as well. “It was prime time, seeing them reminds me of being in England with my mates. Thank god I got tickets in Toronto. I’ve had friends and my niece and nephews post about the concerts on Facebook. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t get tickets.”
Chris Buckley, 60, was on the phone with his daughter asking what coloured jersey she wanted (all sales were final at the pop-up). The Dublin native said it was his daughter who bought tickets for the two of them. “My daughter is in her 20s and there’s a been a big revival since the rumours of the tour started,” he said when asked if he’s surprised that Oasis has Gen Z fans. “There’s going to be a lot of emotions at the show, seeing a band you’d never think would perform again. And they’re still young, too.”
