Twenty five years have passed since I first saw Oasis live. It was a brilliant, defiant set at a rain-soaked Reading Festival in 2000, after rampant speculation the band were about to split up.
Those rumours never went away. And as a fan who followed them up and down the country at the time, their gigs lurched from the sublime to the ridiculous. Fantastic at Finsbury Park, then mediocre at Glastonbury. Outstanding at Old Trafford Cricket Ground, then miserable at Heaton Park. Depending on which night you saw them of course – a Friday evening could be incredible and a Saturday show terrible.
As Liam Gallagher’s voice and the quality of their albums waned, so did Noel Gallagher’s patience. And when a fight between the two brothers broke out in Paris in 2009, it was all over.
(Image: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)
Until last night. When Oasis wound back the clock in Cardiff and gave a powerful reminder of why they were the soundtrack to so many people’s lives in the 90s and beyond.
A jubilant Principality Stadium had already been transported to Britpop’s heyday by two great support acts: the melodic Cast and The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, who provided an anthemic masterclass. But the venue exploded with excitement when Manchester’s two most famous sons emerged, hand in hand, alongside original guitarist Bonehead, long time members Andy Bell and Gem Archer, and drummer Joey Waronker.
Oasis had decided the best way to handle the occasion was to go on the attack from the offset, rattling through Hello, with the apt “it’s good to be back” refrain, a glorious Acquiesce with Noel’s great counter-vocal, and pulsating outings of Morning Glory, Some Might Say and Bring it on Down, all played at breakneck speed.
Liam’s voice – clearly rehabilitated and mastered again on solo tours – sounded at its best in two decades. He paused to demand the 70,000 fans turn around and take part in his beloved Manchester City’s Poznan celebration, urging “come on it’s easy, you don’t need GCSEs man”.
The crowd obliged and the band romped through Cigarettes & Alcohol, Fade Away, Supersonic and Roll With It. Those lucky enough to have standing tickets bounced in unison.
The thrilling pace to proceedings only let up when Noel took centre stage for renditions of Talk Tonight, Half the World Away and Little by Little.
In contrast to Liam, Noel’s vocals at this stage were less assured, with an underwhelming Talk Tonight – at best a stripped back, acoustic classic – suffering for its arrangement and pace.
Any dip in energy didn’t last as Liam returned to blast through Be Here Now’s gigantic D’You Know What I Mean and ballad Stand By Me, before a beautiful Cast No Shadow, Noel’s tribute to the aforementioned Ashcroft.
Occasional shake of a tambourine aside, Liam usually just gets on with the job at hand. Yet it’s difficult to keep your eyes off him as he prowls up to the mic and menacingly belts out hit after hit.
After seeing his demeanour when the band were disintegrating in the late 2000s, the contrast here was evident. This was a man enjoying himself and in a playful mood as he joked with the crowd: “Was it worth the £40,000 you paid for a ticket?”
Noel’s guitar work and Liam’s ferocious delivery shone as the concert reached its peak with a phenomenal run of three of the most stirring songs in the Oasis back catalogue: Slide Away, Whatever and Live Forever. Each moving in their own right, but the latter even more so.
Cast’s John Power had earlier dedicated Walkaway to Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota, tragically killed the day beforehand in a car crash in Spain.
And as Live Forever soared an image of the Portuguese player appeared on the screen – a poignant tribute that prompted huge applause.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Star has closed many Oasis shows down the years, with Liam snarling his way through a tremendous effort here. Yet the encore was still to come.
Noel hit his stride with The Masterplan, before two colossal singalongs to songs that defined a generation – his signature performance Don’t Look Back in Anger, and Liam’s tour-de-force, Wonderwall, which had a sea of adoring fans in raptures.
(Image: Daily Mirror)
Oasis are a band that for all their trials and tribulations, and all the tabloid headlines, are loved on a scale like few others in British music history. “Nice one for putting up with us over the years, we are hard work, I get it,” said Liam.
The epic Champagne Supernova closed out an unforgettable show for those who knew they were always worth the wait.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
