Noel Gallagher is mobbed by fans as he leaves his hotel for Heaton Park for the first of five sold-out reunion gigs as swarms of Oasis devotees descend on the band's home city - amid 90-minute wait fo
The musician, 58, waved to fans as he emerged from the lobby in a simple black polo shirt, blue jeans, shades and gold chain.
His driver was seen having a discussion with a traffic warden as he tried to issue him with a parking ticket for being parked on double yellow lines.
However he was unable to get near the car as it was surrounded by fans ahead of the upcoming show.
Earlier on Friday fans had already started queuing for the first of their five sold-out reunion gigs at Heaton Park with attendees facing a 90-minute wait for trams.
The band are set to play in front of 80,000 people in their home city of Manchester on Friday after kicking off their world tour in Cardiff last week.
Noel Gallagher was mobbed by fans as he left his hotel for Heaton Park for the first of five sold-out reunion gigs on Friday
The musician, 58, waved to fans as he emerged from the lobby in a simple black polo, blue jeans, shades and gold chain
The shows at Heaton Park - a 600-acre public park in Bury and Manchester - are the only UK shows held outside a stadium, with the others taking place at the Principality Stadium, Wembley and Murrayfield.
And eager fans of the brothers were already securing their place in line this morning ahead of the show to get a good view.
People were seen camped out as the queue formed by the side of the road, with a sea of camp chairs and bucket hats.
With temperatures of 28 degrees in Manchester, roasting hot revellers were seen fanning themselves or sheltering from the sun under umbrellas.
Excited fans were seen gathering in huge crowds as they awaited the gates opening for the show.
And to their delight, they did open early - with fans able to get into the park to get a good spot for the show, five hours ahead of the band taking to the stage.
In the city centre concert goers faced a 90-minute wait for trams with fans voicing their concerns on X.
According to Manchester Evening News, transport staff informed the public to order taxis or walk from Victoria Station to Heaton Park.
The brothers announced the Oasis Live '25 tour last August, starting with two dates in Cardiff, before heading across the UK and Ireland.
Swarms of fans were seen gathered outside the hotel as they tried to catch a glimpse of Noel as he and Liam return to home soil for the latest reunion shows
His driver was seen having a discussion with a traffic warden as he tried to issue him with a parking ticket for being parked on double yellow lines
Earlier on Friday fans had already started queuing for show with the band set to play in front of 80,000 people in their home city of Manchester (Liam and Noel seen in Cardiff last week)
Excited fans were seen gathering in huge crowds as they awaited the gates opening for the show - despite the five hour wait
In the city centre concert goers faced a 90-minute wait for trams with fans voicing their concerns on X
While fans were excited at the reunion, some were left outraged after some standard tickets in the UK and Ireland jumped from £148 to £355.
The controversy prompted the Government and the UK's competition watchdog to pledge to look at the use of dynamic pricing.
After their Manchester gigs Oasis will visit London's Wembley Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium and Dublin's Croke Park throughout July, August and September.
The group will then head to Japan, South Korea, South America, Australia and North America.
A movie produced by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is being made in conjunction with the reunion tour.
But there have been fears Oasis' homecoming gig in Manchester could be overrun by ticketless fans as 'irresponsible' TikTokers share advice on how to break in to the venue.
With demand far outstripping supply for the concerts - their first in Manchester for 16 years - TikTok users have begun sharing tips about how to evade security.
With temperatures of 28 degrees in Manchester, roasting hot revellers were seen fanning themselves or sheltering from the sun under umbrellas
People were seen camped out as the queue formed by the side of the road, with a sea of camp chairs and bucket hats
Excited fans were seen gathering in huge crowds as they awaited the gates opening for the show
And to their delight, they did open early - with fans able to get into the park to get a good spot for the show
The band are set to play in front of 80,000 people in their home city of Manchester on Friday after kicking off their world tour in Cardiff last week (Pictured)
One suggested climbing trees to scale the double fence or attempting to swim across the park's boating lake.
'We've got to climb over this fence here... and then you're just in there for Oasis,' one TikToker told his followers.
Another said: 'You get in the water, you've got to swim and then you'll get in.'
Manchester City Council has condemned the videos and urged fans without tickets to enjoy the 'brilliant' atmosphere in the city centre instead.
Greater Manchester Police has promised a 'large and highly visible policing operation' to deter wrongdoers.
The 600-acre open space hosts the annual Parklife festival and was the venue for Oasis's last concert in the city on June 7, 2009.
Last year, police imposed a dispersal order on the park to prevent ticketless fans from gathering outside.
The brothers announced the Oasis Live '25 tour last August, starting with two dates in Cardiff , before heading across the UK and Ireland (Seen last week)
There have been fears Oasis' homecoming gig in Manchester could be overrun by ticketless fans as 'irresponsible' TikTokers share advice on how to break in to the venue
SJM Concerts, which is organising the events said that 2,000 stewards and a 'significant number' of police officers would be patrolling the event.
'We have been working for more than a year alongside the various councils and emergency services to ensure these Oasis shows in Heaton Park are safe for all ticket holders.
'Anyone without a ticket should not travel to Heaton Park,' Rob Ballantine, the director of SJM Concerts, told the Guardian.
'We are aware of the TikTok videos but what they don't show is the 2,000 stewards, plus a significant number of police who will be patrolling the area, and the double fence line around the entire site with mobile security in between the fences.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Live
8 minutes ago
- Edinburgh Live
Liam Gallagher booed at Oasis' Heaton Park gig for controversial song dedication
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Rock icon Liam Gallagher faced a mixed reception at the monumental Oasis reunion gig in Heaton Park, Manchester, but it wasn't his tunes that caused a stir. The Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, were welcomed with thunderous applause as they made their way onto stage hand in hand on Friday night at the grand outdoor setting. However, the concert took an unanticipated twist when Liam stopped to offer a sincere dedication. Liam declared: "I'd like to dedicate this to the greatest manager of all time, Mr Pep Guardiola." The mention of the Manchester City boss sparked some discontent among attendees, eliciting a wave of boos. Unbothered, Liam hit back with: "Who you f***ing booing, who you f***ing booing." Soon after, a life-size cut-out of Pep Guardiola, replete with a Man City scarf, came into view on stage. The audience's discontent transformed into chuckles, and with the atmosphere lightened, Liam launched into a robust performance of 'D'You Know What I Mean'. Adding to the backstage buzz, Pep Guardiola was spotted among the Gallaghers, catching up with Noel's daughter and Liam's sons, reports the Mirror. In a tribute to local comedic talent, Noel honoured Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash, celebrated for The Royle Family, dedicating: "This one's for Caroline and Craig" ahead of playing an acoustic rendition of the sitcom's theme, Half the World Away. Before Oasis dazzled the crowd, Cast treated fans to a special guest appearance during their set, and Richard Ashcroft acknowledged a Mancunian music legend in his act. Neighbourhood festival vibes are peaking as local residents without tickets get imaginative, soaking up the concert hype in their back gardens while Oasis rocks Heaton Park. With thousands of enthusiastic supporters at Heaton Park, not everyone watching live streams from home has been impressed—one disgruntled fan declared: "The crowd is mental, mental for not enjoying the show." Disapproval spread with remarks like: "This crowd wasted their money on the tickets." and others chimed in with opinions such as: "Cardiff crowd definitely was better. well seemed it." Some expected more energy, with one expressing: "thought the crowd would be mental here." Comments continued with observations that several attendees were preoccupied chatting: "More people stood around talking no appreciating what a great song probably all waiting for Wonderwall," said another fan. Frustrations mounted as a spectator shared: "Wtf shouldn't be able to hear people's convos at an oasis homecoming gig." Accusations flew with posts like: "Fake fans," and one sharply criticising: "Noasis would have better atmosphere." Amidst the music and mayhem, Liam Gallagher couldn't resist a nod to sibling rivalry, jokingly taking a dig at brother Noel before belting out Rock N Roll Star: "Listen up beautiful people this is going to be our last song. "Thanks for sticking with us. I know we are difficult, but you wanna try being in the band."
BBC News
20 minutes ago
- BBC News
In pictures: Oasis come home to Heaton Park
Liam and Noel Gallagher took to the stage hand-in-hand in Manchester as Oasis played their home city for the first time in 16 years in front of a crowd of more than 80, first of five shows at Heaton Park saw the Gallagher brothers open up with Hello from their 1995 album (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, before romping through a string of classics. The 23-strong set list included fan favourites like Cigarettes And Alcohol, Supersonic and Acquiesce and anthems such as Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger and Live returned to that 1995 album for their closing song, Champagne Supernova, which brought the curtain down on the long-awaited show. As it happened: Oasis make a triumphant return to Manchester at Heaton Park Full set list HelloAcquiesceMorning GlorySome Might SayBring It On DownCigarettes & AlcoholFade AwaySupersonicRoll With ItTalk TonightHalf The World AwayLittle by LittleD'You Know What I Mean?Stand By MeCast No ShadowSlide AwayWhateverLive ForeverRock 'n' Roll StarThe MasterplanDon't Look Back In AngerWonderwallChampagne Supernova Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
The Guardian
30 minutes ago
- The Guardian
There's an art to staging a comeback. But the best artists know when it's time to take a pause
When the comedian Marc Maron announced he would soon end his pioneering interview podcast WTF – famed over nearly 16 years for hosting fellow comedians, wider celebrities and even Barack Obama (when he was more president than content creator) in his garage – he said something you don't often hear: 'It's OK for things to end.' In the time of the relentless scroll, culture often feels like it is drowning in cynical money grabs, nostalgia, franchises and 'IP rentierism'. Bands, TV shows and film concepts are either never-ending or ever-repeating. It was refreshing, then, to see something stop in such a poised manner rather than descend into irrelevance and indifference. Maron gave no major reason for quitting beyond that he and his producer were a bit burnt out and it was the right moment. 'I don't think we live in a time where people of my generation and slightly older know how to move on from anything or stop,' he said. Regardless of the manner of the ending, though, there is often an urge to return – be it out of financial need, creative desire, sheer boredom or some sense of unfinished business. Maron's guest when the departure was announced was the comedian John Mulaney, who responded: 'If you miss it and you want to come back … just come back,' he said. 'I sometimes feel bad for people that feel trapped by their finale.' No one is really keeping score of the comings and goings, though for a long time I think I was overly invested. I wanted to resist the plethora of reunions, particularly in music and TV, that have littered the last two decades. There has been a deadening sense of stagnation. More directly, the comebacks could often be dispiriting: a group of tired-faced older people vainly chasing their shadows to cash a cheque. But as Mulaney suggested, the comeback offers new possibilities. And even if it falls flat, intrigue abounds. I asked a few friends what they made of the Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, which, now in its third season, elicits unusual responses. They all say it is absolutely terrible, a shadow of its former self, and yet perplexingly compelling. They are watching every new episode. Many reunion audiences, meanwhile, just want to relive the magic – or experience it for the first time. It's hard to quibble with the sentiment. Even the most fervent Britpop idealist doesn't think Liam and Noel Gallagher revived Oasis because the brothers missed spending time together. As many pointed out, the starting pistol for the band's reunion might have been fired when Noel announced his divorce in January 2023. There is a lot of money to be made in their tour. Though, given the price gouging, a little bit too much money. But as the mass singalongs and pints-in-the-air hysteria at their first gigs in Cardiff last week showed, there is a huge amount of fun to be had in communing together, singing along to songs that, while 30-odd years old, remain timeless. My own resolve about comebacks softened sometime after LCD Soundsystem returned in 2016. James Murphy's group had initially disbanded in 2011 with a grand farewell concert at Madison Square Garden (the moment was preserved in a lavish documentary). For a band so self-reflexive and studied in its references, a 'hell freezes over' reunion tour was probably inevitable. But the speed at which this was happening – only five years! – seemed cynical, almost insulting. It looked like a blot on what they had previously achieved. Reluctantly I went to one of their 2017 reunion shows, and well, it was great. What I realised was that being overly precious about reunions and revivals was ultimately pointless: the whole rhythm of how they came, went and then came back again was a bit of an artificial construct anyway. If new shows give lots of fans a chance to see them play and provide pleasure, there's nothing wrong with that. LCD Soundsystem released a 'comeback' album in 2017. It's fine. There is a handful of strong songs on it, but their vital moment had passed. However, the idea of tarnishing an earlier legacy is somewhat arbitrary – one great piece of art doesn't necessarily get diminished because a later related piece of art isn't at the same level. I have no interest in watching a second of the Frasier revival that emerged in 2023, somehow including Nick Lyndhurst. It has now been cancelled, but regardless, it couldn't spoil any Channel 4 morning commune with the original series of Seattle's finest radio psychotherapist (itself, of course, a spin-off from Cheers). Often when a band returns, their new music sounds like some required throat-clearing to help justify further tours. I was surprised then to find I loved Pulp's recent comeback single, Spike Island. It was a track of wit and invention that stood comfortably alongside their best work. The ensuing album More stands up to repeated listens too. A well-timed revival can offer something new. And yet I remain drawn to the elegant and elongated pause. By all accounts Maron has no intention of retiring, with various projects on the boil beyond his podcast. But there is a certain grace in calmly walking away from the work that defined you. The once-behemoth alt-rock band REM amicably called it a day in 2011 after a series of albums with diminishing returns. It's striking how absent the band are from culture now, given how big they were just a few decades earlier. Amid constant rounds of 80s and 90s nostalgia, surely there have been some lucrative reunion tour offers. Yet aside from the occasional interview and impromptu performance, there has been nothing. For me, the group's frontman, Michael Stipe, has had one of the great post-band semi-retirements. If Instagram is a guide – and that platform is an entirely accurate representation of life – he seems to have spent the last decade doing assorted creative projects, some political activism, visiting friends' art shows around the world and generally just having a lovely old time (although he did delete all his posts in early 2025). Granted, there's been a more vexed attempt to make a solo album, long in gestation. But he's a model of the form – if you can afford it, of course. Perhaps the key isn't whether you return or not – it's knowing when to pause when you've run out of creative energy, space or time. The audience can decide on the rest. Larry Ryan is a freelance writer and editor
