What just happened?
Did Liam and Noel walk on stage holding hands? Did they leave with Liam giving Noel a solid high five as he walked off stage at the end of Champagne Supernova? Did they then hold on and build it into a solid man shoulder-bump almost-hug?
Yes. That did happen. And for those lucky few (thousand) crammed into the Cardiff Principality stadium, this was the money shot, what we all wanted to see. We’re so invested in the Gallaghers and their sibling rivalry and the genius that sparked between it, that this physical acknowledgement of each other was enough to turn half the crowd to mush. Brotherly love between these two? Anything is truly possibly.
The anticipation awaiting this gig in Cardiff, the first of Oasis’ reunion tour was huge. One of those shows where the expectation risks disappointment. Quite easily this could have been some corporate cash-in. Instead it was a reassertion of what Oasis were and what they could continue to be.
After all the acrimony, the fights, the split, the bad blood, the nasty tweets, the threats, disses, insults and slurs, there they were together again for the first time since 2009, and the roar which greeted this visual thrill must have been a major rush for them. Whatever their motivations for being there, the visceral thrill of actually performing as Oasis again was clearly there, particularly in Liam, who was in fine voice and grinning form.
The set they played was sensational, perfectly weighted and built and built with surprises and all the big hitters. Nothing off the later albums, this tour is about showing off the best of the best.
See also: Set list Oasis played at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium
They started with Hello - ‘it’s good to be back’ - and morphed into Acquiesce, the song Noel has always denied was about the two brothers - ‘because we need each other’ etc - but this early on in the set was a clear acknowledgement of such an interpretation.
They followed it up with (What’s the Story) Morning Glory and then Some Might Say, probably their greatest single but not even their biggest single. It was breathless and loud and delivered hard on the promise of these shows. Meaning: it’s grab your pals and jump around time.
All day in Cardiff the people had been up for it, Oasis songs ringing around the streets wherever you turned, but there had been a different feeling in the air too. Back in the day, as the glorious 90s turned into the nondescript 00s, Oasis shows became simply a refuge for mindless hedonism, an excuse to go mad and get wasted and in other people’s faces. It seemed the shows existed purely to unite all the football firms in the country for a urine-hurling championship.
Today, reports of Gen-Z loving Oasis look like they have not been overplayed. There was a cross-generational presence around the stadium, lots of teens, an actual mix of genders. It was like Noel’s original dream of melding dance music commonality with punk rock attitude to kill off grunge, has been rebooted. Turn off and on again, and the aggro violence has been fixed, leaving behind something fresh and cool and utterly exciting.
They played Bring It On Down and Cigarettes and Alcohol, and it sounded Led Zeppelin huge. Then Fade Away, which hit the right notes of nostalgia and served as a reminder that Oasis were once a proper band, not simply ‘ooh they like to fight and swear’ social media fodder.
By this stage, the sense of expectation being surpassed made the night electric. Supersonic and Roll With It are pure fireworks into the eyeballs, all sense of sitting back gone. This is physical music trying to dig out your soul. Liam’s voice was world class, having Bonehead back with Noel, along with Gem Archer and Andy Bell, was creating this whirlwind of thundering noise. You can’t have Oasis without the Sex Pistols aggression as well as The Beatles joy, and although this was a love-in, it sounded evil. The sound of pent up rage getting let out.
Liam then departed to give Noel the stage for Talk Tonight and Half The World Away and Little By Little. And it felt necessary for Noel - undoubtedly the most reluctant of the pair to rejoin, the one who held out - to have his moment here, an assertion of his purist songwriting chops. How was he feeling about this? He wasn’t giving much away, but photos that emerged later suggested he was profoundly moved.
Liam returned for Slide Away and everyone was crying. It’s their return from a long absence of course. But also to do with this band being the soundtrack to so many life events for people, from first snogs to new haircuts to marriages to friendships (and friendships rekindled) to funerals. It means something to people.
Yes we were watching history.
They played Wonderwall, they finished with Champagne Supernova, and it felt, as Liam would say, biblical.
Noel once reflected that Oasis came this close to being a massive, seriously legendary group, a Beatles or Stones or Who or U2. He saw missing piece was that they didn’t conquer America, and you can add to that the fact they failed to score more than a couple of absolute classic albums, the four or five that those other groups managed. But perhaps they didn’t miss their chance. This didn’t feel like a reunion show, it felt like the start of something new.
Noel also once said that if he’d released The Masterplan, their b-side album, instead of the much maligned Be Here Now, that “there would have been a revolution in this country.” After tonight, the first stop of this tour, it felt like that revolution is could be back on. Christ, release an good album off the back of this and anything’s possible. C’mon on, Noel!
Regardless, get prepared Manchester, London, the rest of the world... Oasis are back.
Set list Oasis played at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium
- Hello
- Acquiesce
- Morning Glory
- Some Might Say
- Bring It On Down
- Cigarettes & Alcohol
- Fade Away
- Supersonic
- Roll With It
- Talk Tonight
- Half the World Away
- Little by Little
- D'You Know What I Mean
- Stand By Me
- Cast No Shadow
- Slide Away
- Whatever
- Live Forever
- Rock and Roll Star
- The Masterplan
- Don't Look Back in Anger
- Wonderwall
- Champagne Supernova
