Britpop legends Oasis are due to take to the stage tonight in Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Wales, kicking off their hotly anticipated reunion tour.
The return of the British rockers after a 16-year hiatus is a major moment for fans, who are excited to see Noel and Liam Gallagher together again – even if some have started to place bets on whether the sparring siblings will be able to hold it together for the whole Live '25 tour.
“That’s one of the attractions about Oasis - they bring this element of risk,” said author and music journalist John Aizlewood, adding that the “alternative aura that they have cultivated with the age-old pop story of fractious brothers” is part of the band's appeal.
A huge drone display showing Oasis’ classic logo even appeared above the Principality Stadium.
Unless the brothers’ combustible relationship derails proceedings, two nights at Cardiff’s 70,000-capacity Principality Stadium on Friday and Saturday raise the curtain on a 41-date Live '25 tour. After 19 dates in in the UK and Ireland come stops in North and South America, Asia and Australia - ending in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on 23 November.
Fans in mainland Europe will either have to travel, stop crying their hearts out, or just roll with it.
Founded in the working-class streets of Manchester in 1991, Oasis released their debut album, 'Definitely Maybe', in 1994 and became one of the dominant British acts of the 1990s.
They released eight UK No. 1 albums, producing hits including 'Wonderwall', 'Roll With It' and 'Don’t Look Back in Anger' - all from the album '(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’, which turns 30 this year.
Oasis finally split in 2009, with Noel Gallagher quitting the band after a backstage dustup with Liam at a festival near Paris. Liam destroyed a red Gibson guitar belonging to his brother in a heated argument before the gig, and this moment is said to have triggered the break-up of the band, sparking years of public feuds between the brothers.
The Gallagher brothers, now aged 58 and 52, haven’t performed together since, though both regularly play Oasis songs at their solo gigs.
They long resisted pressure to reunite, even with the promise of a multimillion-dollar payday.
Now they have agreed on a tour that will see them joined by former Oasis members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Gem Archer on guitars, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Joey Waronker.
The announcement of the UK tour in August sparked a ticket-buying frenzy, complete with error messages, hours-long online queues, dashed hopes and anger at prices that surged at the last minute. Some fans who waited online for hours at the Ticketmaster site complained that they ended up paying £355 for regular standing tickets instead of the expected £148.
The ticketing troubles sparked questions in Britain’s 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 some 900,000 Oasis tickets — with legal action.
Tickets for the UK shows sold out in hours, with some soon offered on resale websites for as much as £6,000. More than 50,000 tickets were cancelled by the band for being sold on secondary platforms.
No plans have been announced for Oasis to record any new music. Their last album was 2008's 'Dig Out Your Soul'.
This year's world tour is being presented as a one-off. For now.
