Oasis' stunning return in Cardiff shows Liam and Noel Gallagher are better together

Wales Online

04-07-2025

Noel Gallagher once said that a music fan will never forget how a song makes them feel. Noel Gallagher says a lot of things, but on this point he's winning. So for Oasis' first gigs in 16 years - which is when I last saw them - the anticipation was high.
Being a 13 and 14 year-old when the band's first two albums came out, their songs melted into my brain in an osmosis-like fashion. They still remain some of my favourite tracks ever and I can sing along with an almost unnerving dedication to What's the Story from start to finish.
You could say my expectations were high. Were they met? Put it like this 14-year-old me is very happy right now even if I can't hear much outside of ringing in my ears.
The city of Cardiff had been on a wave of excitment and bucket hats all week and the soundchecks coming out of the stadium were sounding class, proper bristles up on the back of your neck type stuff.
But the real thing was intense and immense. A wall of sound burst around the closed Principality Stadium as they launched right into Hello, Acquiesce and What's the Story (Morning Glory).
They followed up with Some Might Say, Bring it on Down, Cigarettes and Alcohol, Fade Away, Supersonic and Roll With It.
And Liam's voice was faultless. I have to be honest I was worried, but he powered through the set with the clarity of vocals you'd expect from Definitely Maybe remastered. Whatever he did to prep for this, it worked. What also worked was swapping with Noel, Talk Tonight and Half The World Away took the pace down but by no means did that break the show's momentum.
(Image: PA)
Noel charged us up with Little by Little and D'You Know What I Mean? before Liam stormed back on to join with Stand By Me, Cast No Shadow, Slide Away, Live Forever, dedicated to late Liverpool player, Diogo Jota a classy move from Man City fans, before calling time with Champagne Supernova, for what was the best bit of the set.
Rock and Roll Star was beyond. The kraaangy guitars bounced off every steel surface it could find, Liam's vocal, breathless and it was just a pounding, baying live version of a song that made you feel dehydrated and dizzy joining in.
They had a faux-finish after that and to be honest, I'd have been alright with it ending there - but we had three crowd-pleasers to finish the almost bang-on two hour set.
(Image: PA)
A special moment, too, was seeing Cast and Richard Ashcroft, their songs have the power (no pun) to lift - have you ever felt sad after hearing Alright - and enrich as well as being the constant soundtrack and throwback to the '90s - which many argue was the last good decade for music.
Cast modestly entered the stage and burst into a seven-strong set starting with Sandstorm and ending with a song that's been with me for three decades when I needed it. Their biggest hit and rightly so, Alright is a powerful adrenaline shot of a song and it set the night up right.
After the Scousers came on it was Richard Ashcroft. What a hype man, he told the Welsh stadium that Oasis couldn't have started their tour in a "better place" and treated us to a set strong enough to be a headliner.
By the time Bittersweet Symphony came on the crowd were all ready for it and ready to welcome Oasis, too.
The brothers, Liam and Noel came on with Liam holding onto Noel and they had a brief tap type hug at the end. It's been a long wait, for us and them, but the way I feel right now, it was worth it.
Still looking for Oasis tickets?
Tickets for the Oasis reunion sold out across all venues due to huge demand when they went online earlier in the year.
However, there are still several options available for fans trying to snag a last-minute spot.
Limited last-minute tickets can be bought from the official Ticketmaster resale site, where fans who can no longer go can sell their seats, although these tend to go in and out of stock quickly.
Viagogo and resale tickets
Sites such as viagogo, Stubhub, and Vivid Seats allow fans to buy resale tickets from other fans. However, it is important to note that ticket conditions often prohibit resale after initial purchase. Those tickets may not be valid for admittance to gigs.
Fans intending to buy tickets for live events through resale websites should check the ticket terms and conditions, to confirm whether resale is prohibited, before they buy. Ticket terms and conditions can be checked with the original seller, such as Ticketmaster or Live Nation. If resale is prohibited, tickets bought second-hand could be voided and admission to the event refused.
Elsewhere, resale sites like Viagogo, Vivid Seats, StubHub, and Twickets are selling tickets for various dates with prices from £121, although fans should always bear in mind that many official sites, such as Ticketmaster and Live Nation, discourage the purchase of resale tickets.