Cardiff. Oasis ended a 16-year hiatus on Friday with a punchy, powerful dive into one of Britpop's greatest songbooks, launching a reunion tour in Cardiff that thrilled a crowd eager to relive the band's 1990s glory.
As for brotherly love between the famously feuding Gallagher siblings? Definitely maybe.
Liam's swagger is undimmed
Fans traveled from around the world to the Welsh capital for a show many believed 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.
Advertisement
One fan banner captured the mood: "The great wait is over."
After a montage of headlines chronicling the siblings' public spats ended with the words "the guns have fallen silent," Oasis appeared to a deafening roar, opening with the apt “Hello” and its refrain of “it’s good to be back.”
The brothers shared a brief hand-in-hand moment but largely kept their distance. Noel, 58, focused on his guitar while a parka-clad Liam, 52, snarled into the microphone with a swagger that has remained undimmed since the band's 1994 debut, “Definitely Maybe.”
There was a poignant moment during “Live Forever” when an image of Liverpool Football Club player Diogo Jota, who died in a car crash on Thursday, was projected above the Manchester band.
Read More: Liverpool’s Diogo Jota Dies in Car Crash in Spain at 28
A crowd of over 60,000 at the Principality Stadium enjoyed a two-hour set heavy on classics from “Definitely Maybe” and its 1995 follow-up, “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory,” alongside select later tracks and B-sides.
Songs like “Supersonic,” “Roll With It,” and “Rock 'n' Roll Star” sparked mass sing-alongs, with Liam urging the crowd, “Put your arms over each other like you love each other,” before launching into “Cigarettes and Alcohol.”
Noel took lead vocals on several songs, including the tender “Half the World Away.” The show ended with encores of Oasis’ most enduring hits: “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Wonderwall,” and “Champagne Supernova,” closing with a half-hug between the brothers.
The concert featured minimal effects beyond multicolored, sometimes psychedelic projections, keeping the spotlight firmly on the songs. Liam occasionally paused to check in with the crowd, joking, “Was it worth the 40,000 pounds you paid for the ticket?” referring to the scramble that saw some fans pay hundreds for seats.
Judging by the roar in response, it was.
'Very, very special'
The Cardiff concert opened the 19-date Live '25 tour across the U.K. and Ireland, with North America, South America, Asia, and Australia stops to follow before ending in São Paulo on Nov. 23.
Before the show, fans filled the streets around the stadium, singing along to Oasis hits and snapping up branded bucket hats for 35 pounds ($48).
“It’s very, very special, emotional,” said Rob Maule, 44, from Edinburgh, who attended with three childhood friends. “For us, it’s a generational thing. It’s a chapter of our lives.” Now, he noted, “the second generation” is coming, with many fans bringing their children.
Vicki Moynehan, from Dorchester, southwest England, wasn’t about to miss the show even while seven months pregnant. “Ain’t gonna stop me,” she said.
Sing-along rock choruses
Founded in Manchester in 1991, Oasis became one of Britain’s defining bands of the 1990s, with eight U.K. No. 1 albums powered by sing-along rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between Noel, a Beatles-loving songwriter, and Liam, the brash frontman.
Their feuds were as famous as their songs, with the brothers trading barbs onstage and off. Liam once called Noel “tofu boy,” while Noel branded Liam “the angriest man you’ll ever meet.”
The band split after a backstage bust-up in France in 2009, resisting reunion calls despite multimillion-dollar offers. Now, they are joined on tour by former Oasis members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, Gem Archer, Andy Bell, and drummer Joey Waronker.
A legacy moment
Tickets for the tour sparked a buying frenzy in August, with long queues and last-minute price spikes prompting U.K. parliamentary questions about ticketing practices. Britain’s competition regulator has since threatened legal action against Ticketmaster, which sold around 900,000 tickets.
No plans have been announced for new Oasis music, with the tour billed as a one-off. Music writer John Aizlewood called it a chance for Oasis to “tend the legacy” and remind fans of the band's enduring power.
Fans were determined to enjoy the moment. “The first night, they’re going to have an absolute unbelievable blast,” said Stephen Truscott from Middlesbrough. “It’s going to be the best.”
Tags: Keywords:
SHARE
URL berhasil di salin.