Oasis sends fans ‘Supersonic' as long-awaited reunion tour starts in Cardiff
And was there brotherly love between the famously feuding Gallagher siblings? Definitely maybe.
Liam's swagger is undimmed
Fans traveled to the Welsh capital from around the world for a show that many thought would never happen. Guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and his singer brother Liam, the heart of Oasis, had not performed together since their acrimonious split in 2009.
One fan banner summed it up: 'The great wait is over.'
After a montage of headlines about the sparring siblings was capped with the words 'the guns have fallen silent,' Oasis appeared on stage to a deafening roar, opening with the apt 'Hello' and its refrain of 'it's good to be back.'
The brothers had a brief hand-in-hand moment but largely kept their distance onstage. Noel, 58, focused on his guitar while a parka-clad Liam, 52, snarled into the microphone with a swagger that has not dimmed in the 31 years since the band released its first album, 'Definitely Maybe.'
A crowd of more than 60,000 in the Principality Stadium was treated to a well-paced two-hour set that drew heavily on the first album and its 1995 followup, '(What's the Story) Morning Glory,' alongside a smattering of later tracks and fan-favorite B-sides.
Song like 'Supersonic,' 'Roll With It' and 'Rock 'n' Roll Star' sounded as thunderous as ever and sparked mass sing-alongs.
'Put your arms over each other like you love each other,' a tambourine-clutching Liam exhorted the crowd before launching into 'Cigarettes and Alcohol.'
There was poignancy on 'Live Forever' when an image of Liverpool Football Club player Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash on Thursday, was projected above the band.
Noel took his turn on lead vocals for several songs, including the touching 'Half the World Away,' and the show ended with encores featuring some of Oasis' most enduring tracks: 'Don't Look Back in Anger,' 'Wonderwall' and 'Champagne Supernova.' The brothers shared a half-hug as they ended the final song.
Multicolored, sometimes faintly psychedelic projections formed the main technological accoutrement to a show where the focus was squarely on the songs. There was little banter, though Liam paused between songs to check the audience was having a good time.
'Was it worth the 40,000 pounds you paid for the ticket?' he quipped at one point, referring to the scramble for seats that saw some fans pay hundreds to see a show.
From the roar of response, it was.
'Very, very special'
The show in Cardiff kicked off a 19-date Live '25 tour in the U.K. and Ireland. Then come stops in North America, South America, Asia and Australia, ending in Sao Paulo on Nov. 23.
Before the show, the streets around the stadium filled with fans who gathered in groups to sing along to the band's hits and snapped up Oasis-branded bucket hats at 35 pounds ($48) each.
'It's very, very special — emotional,' said 44-year old Rob Maule from Edinburgh, Scotland. 'I'm here with three of my friends, childhood friends, and we used to see Oasis across the country.
'For us, it's a generational thing. It's a chapter of our lives,' he said. 'And then the second generation, as people are taking their kids. It's really special.'
Vicki Moynehan came from Dorchester, in southwest England. She said her life has changed since she bought her ticket almost a year ago.
'Seven months pregnant — ain't gonna stop me,' she said.
Founded in the working-class streets of Manchester, England, in 1991, Oasis was one of the dominant British acts of the 1990s, releasing eight U.K. No. 1 albums.
The band's sound was fueled by sing-along rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher — a Beatles and glam rock-loving musician with a knack for memorable tunes — and younger brother Liam.
Then and since, the brothers have often traded barbs — onstage, in the studio and in interviews. Liam once called Noel 'tofu boy,' while Noel branded his brother 'the angriest man you'll ever meet. He's like a man with a fork in a world of soup.'
After a backstage bustup at a concert in France in 2009, they long resisted pressure to reunite, even with the promise of a multimillion-dollar payday.
Now they have agreed on a tour that sees hem joined by former Oasis members Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs and Gem Archer on guitar, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Joey Waronker.
'An absolute unbelievable blast'
The announcement of the U.K. tour in August sparked a ticket-buying frenzy, complete with error messages, hourslong online queues, dashed hopes and anger at prices that surged at the last minute.
The ticketing troubles sparked questions in U.K. Parliament, where Arts Minister Chris Bryant criticized 'practices that see fans of live events blindsided by price hikes.' Britain's competition regulator has since threatened Ticketmaster — which sold around 900,000 Oasis tickets — with legal action.
No plans have been announced for Oasis to record any new music, and the tour is being presented as a one-off.
Music writer John Aizlewood said that it's an opportunity for Oasis to 'tend the legacy' of the band, and remind people of the power of the Oasis brand.
'There should be a sense of huge joy and life affirmation about these shows. And I think if they can just play it right, then that can be a massive burnishing of their legacy,' he said. '(There is) this enduring love for Oasis — and love means money.'
Fans were determined to enjoy the moment.
'I'm the oldest sibling of four brothers, so I know they'll fall out,' said Stephen Truscott, from Middlesbrough in northeast England. '(But) the first night, they're going to have an absolute unbelievable blast. It's going to be the best.'
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Sydney Morning Herald
12 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Oasis reunites, its songs still stomping and wounds still healing
The band's hits have proved profoundly durable, which was especially clear during the closing three-song run of this 23-song set list, drawn heavily from its debut and its second album, the muscularly sweet (What's the Story) Morning Glory? from 1995. First was Don't Look Back in Anger, with its John Lennon-esque flickers, which erupted midway through into a weepy vocal bloodletting before resolving to a tender conclusion, with Noel visibly reeling with feeling as much as he'll allow. Next came the unerringly beautiful Wonderwall, the band's most indelible hit; when Noel chimed in, his vocals felt like pleas up against his brother's sermon. Last was the Beatles homage Champagne Supernova, the least convincing of the three closers, but it still left a psychedelic haze in its wake. Most of the night's most forceful playing was in the show's second half – a baleful Slide Away, a riveting Live Forever, a take on Whatever that showed off the brothers' wound-you/heal-you dynamic well. Rock 'n' Roll Star, which concluded the main set, was a conflagration, stretched and bent into glorious shape. Loading Before Oasis even took the stage, at least one fan was wheeled out on a stretcher, pumping his fist in the air. But only late in the show did true rowdiness set in. During Rock 'n' Roll Star, one fan set off a flare off to the side of the floor, sending a roar of flames and then smoke up into the air. A few songs later, during Don't Look Back in Anger, another flare, this one almost at the centre of the stadium. The air afterward never lost its slight acridity. Oasis burned hot and fast; it was a creature of the perpetual present, until it began living in the past. That's how the 2000s went for the band, never recapturing the glories of its first albums. In 2009, the group split, seemingly for good. Both brothers went on to perform lesser music in lesser bands. This reunion appears built for sturdiness. In addition to the Gallaghers, one original band member remains: guitarist Paul Arthurs, known as Bonehead. Rounding out this iteration are Gem Archer on guitar and Andy Bell on bass – both veterans of the band's 2000s run – and Joey Waronker on drums. The brothers didn't speak much, but they took a few moments to poke fun at themselves via poking fun at the crowd. Before The Masterplan, Noel thanked all the fans in their 20s who'd never seen them live before but kept their music relevant. Earlier, Liam asked, 'was it worth the 40,000 pounds you paid for the ticket?' – a reference to a pricing scandal. And just before the end of the show, Liam came as close to mushy as he appears capable of: 'Nice one for putting up with us over the years.' Until this moment, apart from the two brothers raising arms in a lightly comic victory gesture at the top of the night, it was unclear whether Noel and Liam had exchanged one word, or even a glance, during the whole show. They were magnets with matching polarities, holding steady at a reasonable distance. Throughout the night, Bonehead had stood between them, a silent enforcer of order, performing invisible choreography of good sense. Loading But with the show over, the seemingly unthinkable had been achieved. Liam took a deep bow, then tossed his tambourine into the crowd. He turned to leave the stage and gave Noel the briefest of bro embraces. The crowd roared as loudly as it had for any of the hits, probably louder. At the beginning of the encore, a black Range Rover had pulled up and parked backstage, its nose pointed at the exit. While Noel and the rest of the band were still soaking it all in, and feedback from the guitars was wanly lingering, Liam meandered offstage, hopped into the SUV's back seat, and was ferried out of the building.
The Age
13 hours ago
- The Age
Oasis reunites, its songs still stomping and wounds still healing
The band's hits have proved profoundly durable, which was especially clear during the closing three-song run of this 23-song set list, drawn heavily from its debut and its second album, the muscularly sweet (What's the Story) Morning Glory? from 1995. First was Don't Look Back in Anger, with its John Lennon-esque flickers, which erupted midway through into a weepy vocal bloodletting before resolving to a tender conclusion, with Noel visibly reeling with feeling as much as he'll allow. Next came the unerringly beautiful Wonderwall, the band's most indelible hit; when Noel chimed in, his vocals felt like pleas up against his brother's sermon. Last was the Beatles homage Champagne Supernova, the least convincing of the three closers, but it still left a psychedelic haze in its wake. Most of the night's most forceful playing was in the show's second half – a baleful Slide Away, a riveting Live Forever, a take on Whatever that showed off the brothers' wound-you/heal-you dynamic well. Rock 'n' Roll Star, which concluded the main set, was a conflagration, stretched and bent into glorious shape. Loading Before Oasis even took the stage, at least one fan was wheeled out on a stretcher, pumping his fist in the air. But only late in the show did true rowdiness set in. During Rock 'n' Roll Star, one fan set off a flare off to the side of the floor, sending a roar of flames and then smoke up into the air. A few songs later, during Don't Look Back in Anger, another flare, this one almost at the centre of the stadium. The air afterward never lost its slight acridity. Oasis burned hot and fast; it was a creature of the perpetual present, until it began living in the past. That's how the 2000s went for the band, never recapturing the glories of its first albums. In 2009, the group split, seemingly for good. Both brothers went on to perform lesser music in lesser bands. This reunion appears built for sturdiness. In addition to the Gallaghers, one original band member remains: guitarist Paul Arthurs, known as Bonehead. Rounding out this iteration are Gem Archer on guitar and Andy Bell on bass – both veterans of the band's 2000s run – and Joey Waronker on drums. The brothers didn't speak much, but they took a few moments to poke fun at themselves via poking fun at the crowd. Before The Masterplan, Noel thanked all the fans in their 20s who'd never seen them live before but kept their music relevant. Earlier, Liam asked, 'was it worth the 40,000 pounds you paid for the ticket?' – a reference to a pricing scandal. And just before the end of the show, Liam came as close to mushy as he appears capable of: 'Nice one for putting up with us over the years.' Until this moment, apart from the two brothers raising arms in a lightly comic victory gesture at the top of the night, it was unclear whether Noel and Liam had exchanged one word, or even a glance, during the whole show. They were magnets with matching polarities, holding steady at a reasonable distance. Throughout the night, Bonehead had stood between them, a silent enforcer of order, performing invisible choreography of good sense. Loading But with the show over, the seemingly unthinkable had been achieved. Liam took a deep bow, then tossed his tambourine into the crowd. He turned to leave the stage and gave Noel the briefest of bro embraces. The crowd roared as loudly as it had for any of the hits, probably louder. At the beginning of the encore, a black Range Rover had pulled up and parked backstage, its nose pointed at the exit. While Noel and the rest of the band were still soaking it all in, and feedback from the guitars was wanly lingering, Liam meandered offstage, hopped into the SUV's back seat, and was ferried out of the building.
AU Financial Review
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Oasis brings a fashion supernova from the UK
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