Reunited Oasis were the best I've seen since 1997 – it's a big call, but I'm making it and here's why
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Kentish Town 1994. Earl's Court 1995. Maine Road and Knebworth 1996.
Now add Cardiff Principality Stadium 2025 to that glimmering list.
Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter
Sign up
6
The Oasis reunion gig in Cardiff will go down in legend
Credit: Getty
6
Fans from around the world gathered for the momentous occasion
Credit: Shutterstock Editorial
6
Dominic with Liam during Oasis' 90s heyday
Credit: Supplied
Friday night's unveiling of the unforeseen Live '25 tour is right up there in the pantheon of classic Oasis shows I've been privileged to witness over the past 31 years.
They were deafening, bombastic, supreme, commanding and unleashed, with that trademark brooding arrogance, delivering the tunes we wanted but feared we would never hear again, dispatched with no nonsense or histrionics.
This was the best I've seen Oasis since 1997.
I know it's a big call but I'm making it.
Let's analyse why.
There is no new material to promote so this was a brazen playlist of the Oasis anthems - the most recently penned track they performed was Noel's Little By Little from 2002.
It was if 21st century Oasis had been erased from memory and we were treated to a raucous 90s set, largely served from the peerless 1994 album Definitely Maybe and 1995's (What's The Story) Morning Glory? The Gallaghers granted us our deepest wishes and, with those ticket prices, so they should.
The latter Oasis albums had some gems but their live shows declined as the years rolled by because they were laden with new tracks that didn't measure up to their meteoric early canon.
Not on a balmy summer's evening in Cardiff, where anticipation and exhilaration hung in the warm air.
One of the biggest worries ahead of these shows was Liam's voice.
Oasis kick off historic reunion tour as Noel & Liam reunite for first show in Cardiff
Fear not.
As he sang as if his life depended on it, his vocals sounded more honed than they have for many years and eclipsed recent solo shows.
Let's hope it holds.
The outfits are the same and the swagger still there but his engagement with the audience more courteous and respectful, a contrast to the barrage of drunken abuse and gobbledegook audiences would often face.
We were treated with a classy, gleaming, professional and more mature set by brothers on their best behaviour.
I met fans from Japan, South Korea, Italy, Peru and Canada who had flown in to join us on this holy pilgrimage to hear Noel's stirring council estate hymns, which defined our wild youth, and served as reminder of simpler and more colourful times when we were blissfully unaware of pandemics, iPhones and TikTok.
Outside, it felt like the build up to a World Cup knockout game, Cardiff's pubs packed from lunchtime and communal singing echoing around the buzzing streets.
There's something about Cardiff when a massive event like this is staged, the gargantuan stadium rising from the riverside and overshadowing a city centre stuffed with thronging bars and restaurants.
A logical choice for such an anticipated reunion, 16 years in the making.
6
Oasis' set list for their return gig in Cardiff ended with Champagne Supernova
Lager-swilling once-lads, clad in Stone Island, CP Company, football shirts and Adidas, dominated proceedings but there were also starry-eyed groups of young men and women present, being seduced by a Gallagher onslaught for the first time.
We mingled with football managers Sean Dyche and Steve Cooper, Noel's ex-Meg Mathews and daughter Anais, Johnny Vaughan, Danny Dyer, Kasabian and Alan McGee.
It was like the glorious 90s were back.
Inside, Cast, who I first saw supporting Oasis in 1994, and The Verve's Richard Ashcroft set the tone with engaging performances, again shunning new material and the latter delivering all the classics from his band's creative highpoint Urban Hymns, closing with a peerless Bittersweet Symphony which felt like a headline act's encore.
There was no messing about from any of the acts that night.
Instrumental F*****' In The Bushes, from Standing On The Shoulder Off Giants, then exploded from the speakers, a video montage of newspaper and online headlines flashing on the gigantic screens, the first of many goosebump moments triggered by Noel's masterful songwriting.
Witnessing the feuding brothers then stepping onto the sweeping stage, Liam's left arm on his older sibling's shoulder and his other aloft clutching maracas, is something that will live long in the memory, the Cardiff roar heralding the burying of the hatchet, the biblical brothers back together in front of their families and a worshipping congregation.
What a moment - and one I felt I had to witness after documenting the highs and lows of Oasis for The Sun, thirty years of mad encounters, unforgettable interviews, reviews, run-ins and joy, seeing them perform in Tokyo, California, Manchester, Oslo, Milan, Majorca and even Exeter. This was up there with the best.
We debated whether they would open with Hello, it seeming apt with a singalong chorus of It's Good To Be Back, but concerned about its controversial association with Gary Glitter, who has a songwriting credit on it.
But it was impossible to resist, followed by that stirring anthem of brotherly love, Acquiesce, a song Noel tossed away as a b side, when his songwriting seemed unstoppable.
6
Liam's left arm on his older sibling's shoulder and his other aloft clutching maracas, is something that will live long in the memory,
These spiritual paeans capture a moment in time and unleashed something within 74,500 souls, transfixed and on our stomping feet throughout a polished two hour set under the roof in this cavernous arena.
Yet it somehow felt intimate - there was hugging of strangers, arms held aloft with lifelong friends and the spilling of expensive drinks as we joined the thundering choruses of Slide Away, Don't Look Back In Anger and Champagne Supernova.
It felt like this was a climax to sixteen years of soul-searching by the brothers, a coming to the senses about their relationship, their inimitable band and what the British public want, even giving a respectful on-screen nod to their former drummer Tony McCarroll and the Water Rats venue where they debuted in London, on Rock 'n' Roll Star.
A realisation that life's too precious and short for tantrums and feuding, this encapsulated touchingly on Live Forever, accompanied by a tribute to Liverpool ace Diogo Jota, killed in a car crash aged 28.
Noel's fabled guitar solo pierced the mesmerised stadium and we were all 24 again.
At times, the crowd - particularly on the pitch - seemed a little passive and static particularly during Supersonic which was surprising, something I don't anticipate being repeated in Manchester or at Wembley.
I'd rather have heard Shakermaker, Stop Crying Your Heart Out or Columbia, a fans' favourite and setlist no-brainer over the years, than Fade Away but I'm maybe, no definitely, nitpicking here.
Andy Bell, Gem Archer and Joey Waronker were workmanlike and took care of business but our tired eyes were only on two people.
6
Liam blasting out Oasis hits for the crowd
There was less prowling from Liam, with bouncer Bonehead a barrier separating the siblings, between whom there was little interaction during the set itself.
Noel dispatched Talk Tonight and Half The World Away with aplomb but the climax of Don't Look Back In Anger, Wonderwall and Champagne Superova is one of the great closing trilogies in the history of modern music.
We were left spellbound after witnessing the biggest British rock reunion of all time, never likely to be eclipsed.
I'm confident that the Gallaghers' professionalism, newly-found maturity and several hundred million other reasons, will see them sail through this tour, which will surely stretch into 2026.
That would mark the 30th anniversary of their pinnacle, celebrating an era where music, fashion and art was better, life was less complicated and the world was a more contented place.
That's the story.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Oasis fans miss reunion gig after fake Cardiff ticket sales
Dozens of Oasis fans who believed they had bought a private box for Saturday's concert in Cardiff say they have paid hundreds of pounds for tickets they never victims told BBC Wales they were left "gutted" and "angry" after paying Pembrokeshire-based business owner David Gray for tickets which seemingly never allege Mr Gray may have left as many as 100 people without Wales has made multiple attempts to contact Mr Gray, but he has been unavailable for comment. Dyfed-Powys Police said it was investigating reports of a ticket scam, but did not make direct reference to Mr Stephens from Crumlin, Caerphilly, paid £500 for tickets for himself and his wife, who he said was "inconsolable"."My wife, Hannah, is literally the world's biggest Oasis fan," he said."I had a call from my friend who said he knew somebody with a box and asked if we would be interested."He said it was a gentleman called David Gray. He's a client of the Principality Stadium and has held many corporate events there."I've got friends who'd been to the Foo Fighters and the rugby, all as a guest of Mr David Gray. "There were no alarm bells. There was no reason to disbelieve it, there really wasn't."Mr Stephens said after Mr Gray confirmed their tickets last summer, it was only about a week before the concert that concerns began to day before the gig, Mr Stephens and his friend decided to drive to The Speculation Inn near Pembroke, a pub owned and run by Mr Gray's family, to confront him."I introduced myself and he told me the issue was with his mobile phone, which he said was the phone which contained all of the tickets," said Mr Stephens."He actually took a call during our time in the pub from a guy flying in from Gibraltar for the gig."He said that he would meet us outside gate three at 4:30pm and he would sort it out." 'It just makes me feel sick' Mark Bonnici from Machen, Caerphilly, also said he had no reason not to trust Mr Gray, whom he said he had known for paid £1,200 for four tickets and said the experience had left him feeling "sick".Mr Gray had previously offered him hospitality tickets for the rugby, which he went to without he asked him if he was interested in Oasis tickets, Mr Bonnici said yes and transferred the money."He said his phone was playing up and he couldn't transfer the tickets," Mr Bonnici Mr Stephens, he was told to meet Mr Gray outside gate three of the stadium. "There was no sign of him and his phone has been switched off ever since," he Stephens decided to call the hospitality account manager for the Principality Stadium on the Saturday morning, while on his way into Cardiff to try to find out whether his tickets were genuine."He broke the rather unfortunate news that the booking didn't exist in his name," he WRU has been asked whether or not Mr Gray has ever held a box at the Principality Stadium."I was annoyed, my wife was inconsolable. She was so looking forward to this," said Mr Stephens."As the day unfolded, it became very clear through a series of Facebook posts that not only did he sell 33 seats for the one box, he sold it over and over and over."The last count as of this (Monday) morning was 87 tickets. A lot of very angry people".Mr Bonnici also said it only became clear many others had been affected after his daughter posted on social media and contacted hospitality at the Principality groups of other people had been waiting for their tickets in the same location, he said."I'm probably more disappointed than anything," he said. "This is someone I know, I've known for years." Mr Stephens claimed that after the unprecedented demand for Oasis tickets led to significant price rises last summer, Mr Gray increased the prices he was charging to between £900 and £1,000 per said he believed that overall, fans had lost out to the tune of "tens and tens of thousands of pounds"."I think the biggest issue is, for all of these fans, they didn't get to see Oasis", he said."And because it's sold out, they won't get to see Oasis."It's more that than the money for me".Mr Stephens and his wife remain determined to get to an Oasis concert this year and have booked tickets to see the Gallagher brothers on the US leg of their tour in Los Angeles."Hopefully these ones are genuine," he said.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Inside notorious Scots gangster's glitzy night backstage at Oasis cosying up to Noel Gallagher & massive BBC star
GANGSTER Robert Kelbie has been snapped cosying up to Oasis stars and A-listers backstage at the Britpop legends' huge reunion gigs in Cardiff this week. The playboy Scots fraudster. 41. wore a VIP pass and a wide grin in the brazen snap shared on Instagram. 7 7 He brazenly shared pics of himself hobnobbing backstage with Noel Gallagher, Oasis guitarist Gem Archer, and former Doctor Who star Matt Smith. And in veiled dig at rivals - he posted video of himself at the gig on Instagram to the soundtrack of the Oasis hit Stay Young which includes the lyrics: 'Stay young and invincible, come what may we're unstoppable.' Kelbie, now living it up as a flashy boxing promoter, is no stranger to the high life and is a known enemy of caged cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson, 38. Richardson is currently behind bars, while his allies - including the feared Daniel Clan - are in a bloody turf war with Dubai-based Ross 'Miami' McGill and a group known as Tamo Junto. 7 7 Sources say Kelbie is revelling in the carnage ripping through his rival's empire. A rival hit out: 'Kelbie makes out that he's some sort of socialite and pals with the Gallagher brothers and most of these people won't know his past. 'He's an enemy of Mark Richardson and will be loving all the violence that's been directed towards his empire in Edinburgh. 'Kelbie and his crew swig champagne in the VIP area and try to legitimise himself by being a boxing promoter but if some of these stars Googled who they were posing for pictures with then they might think twice about it.' McGill, an ex-Rangers ultras chief, is now living in the UAE but was left raging after fake cash was used in a £500,000 drugs deal. Hundreds gather for double funeral of slain Scots gangsters Eddie Lyons Jr & Ross Monaghan He ordered blade attacks, shootings and firebombings across the Central Belt sparking a seemingly unstoppable gang feud. Kelbie - who was once filmed being floored by a rival more than a decade younger in a bareknuckle building site scrap - has links to fugitive Irish kingpin and ex-fight promoter Daniel Kinahan. He fled his home at Ratho Station, Edinburgh, in 2016 after it was blasted by Gerard Docherty, 45 — who was caged for 10½ years in 2018 alongside Richardson and other members of a £200million supergang. His appearance back stage at the Oasis gig is not the first time Kelbie has been seen in the company of the rich and famous. He's close pals with Tyson Fury, and even gave the champ, 35, a tour of Scotland last year — stopping off in trendy Edinburgh bars and taking in the sights. He's also been seen posing backstage with Noel Gallagher on other occasions. 7 7 Kelbie's celeb selfie stash also includes shots with Sir Alex Ferguson, 82, Wayne Rooney, and boxing legend Mike Tyson. His latest social media spree shows him mingling backstage as Oasis kicked off their hotly-anticipated reunion tour — but not everyone's impressed by his A-list antics. The gangster's red carpet lifestyle comes as Scotland's gangland war explodes, with two men arrested in connection with firebombings and attempted murder. The busts bring the total arrests to 52 as cops ramp up their crackdown on the on the escalating gang feud across the central belt. In a feared revenge for the gang war focusing on the Daniel and Richardson empires, the execution of two members of the rival Lyons group of hoods was ordered in Spain. Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were shot dead as they watched the Champions League final in Monaghan's Irish Bar in the resort of Fuengirola. We told how hundreds of mourners gathered on Friday for their double funeral. Lyons, 46, and Monaghan, 43, were laid to rest by loved-ones in a joint ceremony just over one month after they were gunned down. The solemn occasion comes days after we revealed authorities in Spain handed over the pair's bodies to relatives to be repatriated to Scotland. More than 500 friends, family and underworld figures gathered at Bishopbriggs Crematorium in north Glasgow to show respect to Monaghan and Lyons Jnr - son of Godfather Eddie, 67, and brother of Dubai-based mob boss Steven Lyons, 44.
Scottish Sun
2 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Inside notorious Scots gangster's glitzy night backstage at Oasis cosying up to Noel Gallagher & massive BBC star
GNAGSTER Robert Kelbie has been snapped cosying up to Oasis stars and A-listers backstage at the Britpop legends' huge reunion gigs in Cardiff this week. The playboy Scots fraudster. 41. wore a VIP pass and a wide grin in the brazen snap shared on Instagram. 7 Robert Kelbie brazenly shared pics of himself hobnobbing backstage with Noel Gallagher 7 The gangster with former Doctor Who star Matt Smith 7 Kelbie, who is living it up as a boxing promoter, with Oasis guitarist Gem Archer He brazenly shared pics of himself hobnobbing backstage with Noel Gallagher, Oasis guitarist Gem Archer, and former Doctor Who star Matt Smith. And in veiled dig at rivals - he posted video of himself at the gig on Instagram to the soundtrack of the Oasis hit Stay Young which includes the lyrics: 'Stay young and invincible, come what may we're unstoppable.' Kelbie, now living it up as a flashy boxing promoter, is no stranger to the high life and is a known enemy of caged cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson, 38. Richardson is currently behind bars, while his allies - including the feared Daniel Clan - are in a bloody turf war with Dubai-based Ross 'Miami' McGill and a group known as Tamo Junto. 7 Kelbie, now living it up as a flashy boxing promoter is a known enemy of caged cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson (pictured) Credit: SCOTTISH SUN 7 Dubai-based Ross 'Miami' McGill is waging war on Mark Richardson and his associates Sources say Kelbie is revelling in the carnage ripping through his rival's empire. A rival hit out: 'Kelbie makes out that he's some sort of socialite and pals with the Gallagher brothers and most of these people won't know his past. 'He's an enemy of Mark Richardson and will be loving all the violence that's been directed towards his empire in Edinburgh. 'Kelbie and his crew swig champagne in the VIP area and try to legitimise himself by being a boxing promoter but if some of these stars Googled who they were posing for pictures with then they might think twice about it.' McGill, an ex-Rangers ultras chief, is now living in the UAE but was left raging after fake cash was used in a £500,000 drugs deal. Hundreds gather for double funeral of slain Scots gangsters Eddie Lyons Jr & Ross Monaghan He ordered blade attacks, shootings and firebombings across the Central Belt sparking a seemingly unstoppable gang feud. Kelbie - who was once filmed being floored by a rival more than a decade younger in a bareknuckle building site scrap - has links to fugitive Irish kingpin and ex-fight promoter Daniel Kinahan. He fled his home at Ratho Station, Edinburgh, in 2016 after it was blasted by Gerard Docherty, 45 — who was caged for 10½ years in 2018 alongside Richardson and other members of a £200million supergang. His appearance back stage at the Oasis gig is not the first time Kelbie has been seen in the company of the rich and famous. He's close pals with Tyson Fury, and even gave the champ, 35, a tour of Scotland last year — stopping off in trendy Edinburgh bars and taking in the sights. He's also been seen posing backstage with Noel Gallagher on other occasions. 7 Robert Kelbie has previously been pictured with Tyson Fury 7 Kelbie has been pictured alongside footie legend Sir Alex Ferguson Kelbie's celeb selfie stash also includes shots with Sir Alex Ferguson, 82, Wayne Rooney, and boxing legend Mike Tyson. His latest social media spree shows him mingling backstage as Oasis kicked off their hotly-anticipated reunion tour — but not everyone's impressed by his A-list antics. The gangster's red carpet lifestyle comes as Scotland's gangland war explodes, with two men arrested in connection with firebombings and attempted murder. The busts bring the total arrests to 52 as cops ramp up their crackdown on the on the escalating gang feud across the central belt. In a feared revenge for the gang war focusing on the Daniel and Richardson empires, the execution of two members of the rival Lyons group of hoods was ordered in Spain. Eddie Lyons Jnr and Ross Monaghan were shot dead as they watched the Champions League final in Monaghan's Irish Bar in the resort of Fuengirola. We told how hundreds of mourners gathered on Friday for their double funeral. Lyons, 46, and Monaghan, 43, were laid to rest by loved-ones in a joint ceremony just over one month after they were gunned down. The solemn occasion comes days after we revealed authorities in Spain handed over the pair's bodies to relatives to be repatriated to Scotland. More than 500 friends, family and underworld figures gathered at Bishopbriggs Crematorium in north Glasgow to show respect to Monaghan and Lyons Jnr - son of Godfather Eddie, 67, and brother of Dubai-based mob boss Steven Lyons, 44.
