Review: 'You lot have been missed. F****** lunatics' - Gallagher brothers and Oasis make triumphant return to Ireland
"I don't think we've played here before, have we?" asks Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher early on.
"All I do know is that this is the most sober I've ever been in Ireland. That's not good. That had to change," he mouths silently, walking away from the mic.
"And you lot have been missed and all. F****** lunatics."
He's in great voice, arguably better than ever, and he dedicates Roll With It to his friends and family in Mayo. More very very surprising familial affection will follow by the end of this show. Stay tuned.
Liam is doing most of the chat tonight.
Noel is focused on slaying the guitar, notably on the vintage Gibson and the gnarly Gretchen. He's just an awesome melodic guitarist, seemingly even better with Liam around to cover the banter.
Oasis on stage at Saturday's gig in Croke Park. Picture: Chani Anderson
Walking away from Croker after a mesmerising show, groups of people are singing "So Sally can wait ...", the epic chorus of Don't Look Back In Anger.
We overhear an emphatic 'Yes' reply from the 20-something asked if this night was worth the €600 she'd paid for her ticket?
Was it worth it? They debated. After all, with that money she could be going home now to sit on a comfier new couch. But you can't get a couch into heaven.
Drunken logic works for me.
This was an epic night, one that rose above the extortionate costs, probably in the thousands when you tot up the tickets, hotels, merch and the rest. But why was it so good?
Firstly, this band and these songs rock just as much now as they did prior to the band's 1998 split. Secondly, there's no denying the gripping appeal of the reunion of two fighting brothers, resolving (to some degree) a silence of 25+ years.
We can't all captivate 160,000 people over two nights with our talent, but most of us have at least one sibling we'd love to throttle. They're oddly relatable. And we can also relate to their proud Irish parents, happy that Noel and Liam are reformed(ish) and clearly back having fun with their old chums.
And what a beautiful collective noise they make. Noel and Liam are joined by original guitarists Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Gem Archer, plus bassist Andy Bell. They are also joined by drummer Joey Waronker, along with a brass section and backing singers including Jess Greenfield of Noel Gallagher's High-Flying Birds.
Like most people in Croker, I've been to see Noel's and Liam's Oasis-hiatus solo projects, both of which featured incredible musicians. Brilliant as those bands were, however, there's nothing out there quite like an Oasis show. Why?
A crowd of 80,000 fans singing in unison at Croke Park in Dublin as Oasis returned for their Live '25 reunion. Picture: Chani Anderson
Maybe it's the sheer monster weight of the songs, starting with Hello, Acquiesce, Morning Glory and Some Might Say, through to Supersonic, Roll With It, Half The World Away, Live Forever and Rock 'N' Roll Star.
Then there are The Masterplan, Champagne Supernova, Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger, iconic masterpieces for which 'song' is too small a word.
Maybe it's the fact that they've been off our radar for so long, but it does feel like we've not seen anything at once as visceral and as poetic as Oasis for the past 25 years.
Bucket hats adorned every railing and corner in Dublin as the city geared up for Oasis Live '25 at Croke Park. Picture: Chani Anderson
"Ye've been incredible," concluded Liam, "but I've got to go to bed now, like the little princess that I am."
He is the first to exit the stage, and he runs Noel's head and pats his back warmly as he passes him by. What odds on a full-on hug before the tour is done?
So what next? Borrowing from Bacharach and David, it's fair to say that what the world needs now is for a new Oasis album, stuffed with classic hits, that closes the circle on the world's all-time greatest rock 'n' roll comeback. No pressure, lads.
Meanwhile, after Liverpool indie band Cast warmed up the early-door fans, ex-Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft wowed them; he had the crowd joining on hits including Bitter Sweet Symphony and The Drugs Don't Work and, even more impressively he downed a pint of Guinness in one gulp.
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