MAYHEM broke out last night after the bad boys of British rock, Oasis, stormed off the stage in Glasgow, provoking anger and ugly scenes among fans who had queued for hours to get tickets.
The concert ended abruptly after bass guitarist Paul ''Bonehead'' Arthurs was hit on the leg by a bottle thrown from the crowd an hour into the band's performance.
Fans invaded the stage, bins were thrown in the foyer and windows were broken. Eleven people were arrested at the concert in Glasgow's Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre.
The band had just finished playing one of their biggest hits, Wonderwall, when the bottle was thrown. Arthurs put his instrument down and rushed over to lead singer, Liam Gallagher, who announced: ''A bottle has been thrown. We're not standing for it. Good night.''
Confused fans at first thought it was a publicity stunt, but after 10 minutes, a spokesman on the public address system asked the crowd to leave.
He said: ''The band has never tolerated this sort of behaviour, the band have now left the building. Would you please do the same.'' The mood of the evening, which had up to this point been boisterous but good natured, soon turned nasty.
Angry fans booed and jeered and as they moved out in their hundreds they shouted abuse in the direction of the stage. Others simply left in tears, shocked and bewildered at what had happened.
After 20 minutes, the auditorium was still one-third full, with many disappointed fans staging their protest.
Herald reviewer John Williamson said: ''It was always going to be a boisterous concert but once the announcement was made that the band had gone, a ridiculous kind of anger erupted among some of the fans. I saw gangs of youths vandalising hoardings, windows were broken, and dustbins in the Glasgow SECC foyer were lifted and thrown across it along with glass bottles.''
After the dramatic scenes, the crowd that had greeted Oasis warmly on Liam Gallagher's return from illness reacted furiously. Many ripped tickets up for tonight's show, others spat on posters, and many demanded refunds.
Among the many fans wanting their money back was Mark Humphreys, who had travelled from Dundee. ''It's outrageous, I'm utterly disappointed. I have come a long way and so have many others. We should all be refunded,'' he said. ''I have just seen a young disabled girl crying her eyes out. The crass actions of one individual have ruined a great event.''
Joseph Doherty, 23, from Springboig, Glasgow, said he was ''absolutely disgusted'' at having to pay #20 for a 50-minute performance.
Oasis said lthey were ''very upset and bitterly disappointed'' over the incident in which they said a vodka bottle was thrown.
In a statement, Creation Records said: ''The irresponsible action not only risked injuring a member of the band but also spoiled the enjoyment of the 9000 people in the audience. The members of the band quite rightly felt under threat of injury and decided regretfully that they could not continue with the concert.''
Police said 11 people had been arrested before the situation was brought under control.
The band confirmed that tonight's sell-out show would go ahead.
A spokesman said: ''They are all totally disappointed, they were really looking forward to the show because they love Scottish fans and have a great affinity with Scotland. Why pay #20 to see your favourite band and then behave like an idiot and ruin the enjoyment for everyone else?''
Liam Gallagher missed two concerts in Dublin last week because of a throat infection.
As ever, demand for tickets was phenomenal: 20,000 for the Scottish legs of the Be Here Now Live tour sold out in one-and-a-half hours. Fans queued overnight in freezing temperatures.
It was intended as a triumphant return to the west of Scotland, the scene of the huge open-air concert by Oasis at Loch Lomond last year.
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