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Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
The night Oasis rocked Slane — and I walked for hours in the dark to get home
Turning 17 on the day I finished the Leaving Cert was cause enough for celebration, without a spare Slane ticket essentially dropping in my lap just a day later. I didn't realise then that the Gallagher brothers would part ways just a month later and that it would be the last time Oasis played Ireland for 16 years. And, while the gig was terrific, I'm sure many remember Oasis at Slane in 2009 for very different reasons. My parents were hesitant about letting me head off, particularly after seeing the warm-up acts ('Aren't the Prodigy a little wild?'). But some careful cajoling about how hard I'd worked for the exams and the need to let off steam convinced them. Noel Gallagher of Oasis pictured with Henry Mountcharles and band member Jem Archer at Slane Castle when it was announced that the group will be playing at the venue. Picture: Billy Higgins It may seem quaint now when you can book everything on a phone, but back then it was exciting to head into town the day before to purchase the return Dublin Bus ticket from Soundcellar in Dublin. A novice at these things, I made sure I was there when the buses started running to Slane on the Saturday. I thought nothing of how organised and smoothly things ran. My youthful naivety wouldn't last another 12 hours. While the warm-ups ranged from grand (The Blizzards), to good (Glasvegas and Kasabian), to as wild as predicted (Prodigy), it was all about the main act. I was just a bit too young to have enjoyed Oasis in their pomp. But I had a 30GB iPod then — plenty of room for the classic albums, and even half of Be Here Now. When Noel's stroll on stage was followed by Liam's swagger, and the first bars of Rock 'n' Roll Star led to 80,000 people jumping in unison, I was completely taken in. Noel Gallagher performing with Oasis at Slane Castle. Picture: Collins Photos Hearing so many people sing 'you and I are gonna live forever' makes a strong impression at that age. It still does. They played 22 songs that night, most of the same incredible hits that will have thousands jumping in Croke Park this weekend. Fast forward to the fireworks show during the encore, which finished with a cover of I Am the Walrus by The Beatles — it was time to go. The exhilaration I felt as a 17-year-old was something else, but it came crashing down quickly. It was the day before the longest day of the year, but by 11pm it was dark enough. And we were told to keep walking. There were buses — the same Dublin Buses I'd taken earlier — but they were full. And they weren't moving. I can't honestly remember if it was bus staff, gardaí, or event staff, but I clearly remember being told to keep walking. 'There are more buses further on,' they said. And so we did. Thousands of us. In the dark. Liam Gallagher performing with Oasis at Slane Castle. Picture: Collins Photos After a while, there was no one to tell us to keep walking. It was just us and everyone else trying to leave, herded down a country road. In the dark. My pal and I kept saying, 'They must be just a little further.' By about 2am, our parents started ringing — a bit chastening but also a relief when the dads arrived just before 4am to pick us up. I wasn't an avid Liveline listener then, but I remember the situation caused quite a ruckus the following week as people called Joe. While researching for this article, I came across a blog post by none other than Gavan Reilly — Virgin Media political supremo and best-selling author — who had a similar experience. He summed it up perfectly: 'We arrived on Bachelor's Walk at 4.05pm, nearly four and a half hours after we boarded, on a bus largely desperate to find a toilet and universally hungry, pissed off that they now couldn't get a taxi or Nitelink home (4am is taxi blackout territory; it's when everyone's getting home from nightclubs), and wondering if they'd ever bother going to Slane again. 'Walking home, we made it in the door at 4.50am, six hours after the music had finished.' All these years on, as bad as the aftermath was, I would love to be going to the gigs this weekend. But sadly, I'm probably still 35,000th in the Ticketmaster queue. The scars have healed. But even so, if I were going this time — despite it being much closer in Croker — I think I'd walk. Just in case.
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Do Oasis fans know the lyrics?
More than 16 years on from the last time the Manchester rockers played Ireland at Slane in June 2009, the excitement was palpable at their pop-up merch store at St Stephen's Green, Dublin. A steady crowd of people streamed into the store throughout the afternoon, many emerging minutes later with bags stuffed with T-shirts, hoodies, posters and special-edition vinyl presses made for the Live '25 tour. Among the fans flocking to the store were brothers Daniel and Niall Duffy, aged 18 and 20, from Lusk in Co Dublin. Rock 'n' Roll Star, Slide Away and The Masterplan were the picks of the bunch when the Duffys were asked their favourite Oasis tracks. Daniel nailed a rendition of Live Forever as we challenged fans to finish the lyrics from some of their hits. How did fans fare? Watch our video above. There were mixed results – one fan was pitch perfect for a few lines of Hello, a group of American tourists enthusiastically sang the wrong lyrics for Wonderwall and another fan hung her head as she forgot the words to Some Might Say. Meanwhile, the collaboration between Oasis and sportswear giant Adidas has made huge waves, selling out when it was first released ahead of the tour and proving hugely popular at the pop-ups seen across Cardiff, London, Edinburgh and now Dublin. When the Irish Independent visited the store, there was just a single shirt bearing the three stripes left, a lone black and beige, size large short sleeve. A pair of friends deliberated over the shirt, balked at the €55 price tag and promptly placed it back on the rack. It was scooped up by the man next to them in the blink of an eye. For his trouble, he got a look that screamed, 'Would you have stood in my grave as fast?' Brothers Daniel and Niall Duffy, having already shelled out more than €500 for tickets for Saturday's gig at Croke Park, spent nearly €400 between them at the pop-up shop selling clothes, programmes and vinyl. They went to see Liam when his 30th-anniversary tour came to Ireland last year, so Niall made sure to get his younger brother on the Oasis train ahead of the gig. 'I spent €190 on this,' Daniel said, nodding to his recently acquired bag of goodies. 'It's a tour programme, a hoodie and two T-shirts.' The brothers, self-described Oasis superfans, managed to avoid the scramble for tickets many had struggled with. 'We ended up getting on the pre-sale ballot. We weren't far off only paying for the cheapest, we didn't have to deal with the general sale,' Niall said. 'We only paid the standard price for the tickets, we avoided the dynamic pricing totally. 'Standard' pricing for the tickets was still a pretty penny for them at around €170 each for seats in the lower Hogan Stand, but they're just happy to not be up in the nosebleeds. On the relatively younger side of the Oasis fandom, this is the first chance for the Duffy brothers to see the band live. Did they think the day would ever come? 'I had a feeling it would happen at some point,' Daniel said. 'I didn't think it would happen so soon, but I was hopeful.'
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Do Oasis fans at Dublin's pop-up shop know the lyrics?
More than 16 years on from the last time the Manchester rockers played Ireland at Slane in June 2009, the excitement was palpable at their pop-up merch store at St Stephen's Green, Dublin. A steady crowd of people streamed into the store throughout the afternoon, many emerging minutes later with bags stuffed with T-shirts, hoodies, posters and special-edition vinyl presses made for the Live '25 tour. Among the fans flocking to the store were brothers Daniel and Niall Duffy, aged 18 and 20, from Lusk in Co Dublin. Rock 'n' Roll Star, Slide Away and The Masterplan were the picks of the bunch when the Duffys were asked their favourite Oasis tracks. Daniel nailed a rendition of Live Forever as we challenged fans to finish the lyrics from some of their hits. How did fans fare? Watch our video above. There were mixed results – one fan was pitch perfect for a few lines of Hello, a group of American tourists enthusiastically sang the wrong lyrics for Wonderwall and another fan hung her head as she forgot the words to Some Might Say. Meanwhile, the collaboration between Oasis and sportswear giant Adidas has made huge waves, selling out when it was first released ahead of the tour and proving hugely popular at the pop-ups seen across Cardiff, London, Edinburgh and now Dublin. When the Irish Independent visited the store, there was just a single shirt bearing the three stripes left, a lone black and beige, size large short sleeve. A pair of friends deliberated over the shirt, balked at the €55 price tag and promptly placed it back on the rack. It was scooped up by the man next to them in the blink of an eye. For his trouble, he got a look that screamed, 'Would you have stood in my grave as fast?' Brothers Daniel and Niall Duffy, having already shelled out more than €500 for tickets for Saturday's gig at Croke Park, spent nearly €400 between them at the pop-up shop selling clothes, programmes and vinyl. They went to see Liam when his 30th-anniversary tour came to Ireland last year, so Niall made sure to get his younger brother on the Oasis train ahead of the gig. 'I spent €190 on this,' Daniel said, nodding to his recently acquired bag of goodies. 'It's a tour programme, a hoodie and two T-shirts.' ADVERTISEMENT The brothers, self-described Oasis superfans, managed to avoid the scramble for tickets many had struggled with. 'We ended up getting on the pre-sale ballot. We weren't far off only paying for the cheapest, we didn't have to deal with the general sale,' Niall said. 'We only paid the standard price for the tickets, we avoided the dynamic pricing totally. 'Standard' pricing for the tickets was still a pretty penny for them at around €170 each for seats in the lower Hogan Stand, but they're just happy to not be up in the nosebleeds. On the relatively younger side of the Oasis fandom, this is the first chance for the Duffy brothers to see the band live. Did they think the day would ever come? 'I had a feeling it would happen at some point,' Daniel said. 'I didn't think it would happen so soon, but I was hopeful.'
Irish Independent
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Scramble for prized merch at Oasis pop-up shop in Dublin as fans count down the days to Croke Park gigs
More than 16 years on from the last time the Manchester rockers played Ireland at Slane in June 2009, the excitement was palpable at their pop-up merch store at St Stephen's Green, Dublin. A steady crowd of people streamed into the store throughout the afternoon, many emerging minutes later with bags stuffed with T-shirts, hoodies, posters and special-edition vinyl presses made for the Live '25 tour. The collaboration between Oasis and sportswear giant Adidas has made huge waves, selling out when it was first released ahead of the tour and proving hugely popular at the pop-ups seen across Cardiff, London, Edinburgh and now Dublin. When the Irish Independent visited the store, there was just a single shirt bearing the three stripes left, a lone black and beige, size large short sleeve. A pair of friends deliberated over the shirt, balked at the €55 price tag and promptly placed it back on the rack. It was scooped up by the man next to them in the blink of an eye. For his trouble, he got a look that screamed, 'Would you have stood in my grave as fast?' Among the fans flocking to the store were brothers Daniel and Niall Duffy, aged 18 and 20, from Lusk in Co Dublin. The pair, having already shelled out more than €500 for tickets for Saturday's gig at Croke Park, spent nearly €400 between them at the pop-up shop selling clothes, programmes and vinyl. Rock 'n' Roll Star, Slide Away and The Masterplan were the picks of the bunch when the Duffys were asked their favourite Oasis tracks. Daniel nailed a rendition of Live Forever as we challenged fans to finish the lyrics from some of their hits. There were mixed results – one fan was pitch perfect for a few lines of Hello, a group of American tourists enthusiastically sang the wrong lyrics for Wonderwall and another fan hung her head as she forgot the words to Some Might Say. We only paid the standard price for the tickets, we avoided the dynamic pricing totally The pair went to see Liam when his 30th-anniversary tour came to Ireland last year, so Niall made sure to get his younger brother on the Oasis train ahead of the gig. 'I spent €190 on this,' Daniel said, nodding to his recently acquired bag of goodies. 'It's a tour programme, a hoodie and two T-shirts.' The brothers, self-described Oasis superfans, managed to avoid the scramble for tickets many had struggled with. 'We ended up getting on the pre-sale ballot. We weren't far off only paying for the cheapest, we didn't have to deal with the general sale,' Niall said. 'We only paid the standard price for the tickets, we avoided the dynamic pricing totally. 'Standard' pricing for the tickets was still a pretty penny for them at around €170 each for seats in the lower Hogan Stand, but they're just happy to not be up in the nosebleeds. On the relatively younger side of the Oasis fandom, this is the first chance for the Duffy brothers to see the band live. Did they think the day would ever come? 'I had a feeling it would happen at some point,' Daniel said. 'I didn't think it would happen so soon, but I was hopeful.'
Metro
25-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Oasis honour late rocker Ozzy Osbourne with sweet Wembley show tribute
As Oasis brothers Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher kicked off their Wembley Stadium gigs tonight, they made sure to include a tribute to the late, great Ozzy Osbourne. Liam and Noel began their reunion tour at the start of July and have already played to hundreds of thousands of fans, marking their first tour together since disbanding in 2009. This evening, they returned to London as a group for the first time in over a decade, greeted by a sold-out crowd of cheering supporters who were lucky enough to win the Ticketmaster Hunger Games. There have been plenty of headline-grabbing moments from the once-feuding siblings on stage so far, most notably their entrance on night 1, as they proudly held hands and proved the guns have, indeed, fallen silent. But there have also been some emotional moments, like tonight's tribute to the Black Sabbath legend following his death. Towards the end of the gig, they remembered the musician via the song Rock 'n' Roll Star. Lead singer Liam told what he described as a 'f***ing beautiful' crowd: 'I wanna dedicate this one to Ozzy Osbourne, Rock 'n' Roll Star.' Then, after Live Forever, which is 'dedicated to the Oasis fans that can't be here but are here, if you know what I mean', photos of Osbourne appeared on the screens. As video footage of the sweet moment later surfaced on social media, fans were quick to honour 'legend' Osbourne themselves, declaring the tribute a 'class' act. The Black Sabbath star's death at the age of 76 was announced earlier this week. A statement issued by his wife Sharon and their children on Wednesday read: 'It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. 'He was with his family and surrounded by love. 'We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time.' The Crazy Train superstar played his own final show with his bandmates just two weeks ago to a rowdy crowd at Birmingham's Villa Park. His health struggles were well-documented, as he was diagnosed with Parkinson's in 2020 and, in the years that followed, suffered mobility issues, forcing him to stop touring. The Prince of Darkness' wholesome tribute isn't the only one to appear at an Oasis gig thus far, as the brothers also remembered Portuguese footballer Diogo Jota a few weeks ago after he died in a car crash aged 28. Elsewhere tonight, Oasis superfans in bucket hats and branded T-shirts covered the capital, having travelled from all over the world to see their favourite band. As with previous gigs, Liam and Noel walked out to the roaring reception hand-in-hand, opening with Hello and proceeding to belt out many of their classics, including Some Might Say and Morning Glory. The packed-out stadium was in full voice throughout, and at one point, Liam threw a tambourine into the jubilant crowd, while later positioning one on top of his head. Despite pledging to concentrate on his vocals rather than talking, telling those gathered, 'every time I open my mouth at these gigs I seem to get myself into a lot of trouble, so I'm just going to do the singing', Liam later engaged in some light football banter. The well-known Manchester City fan appeared to poke fun at Arsenal fans in the crowd, joking about their position in the Premier League. Hello Acquiesce Morning Glory Some Might Say Bring it on down Cigarettes & Alcohol Fade Away Supersonic Roll With It Talk Tonight (Noel sings) Half the World Away (Noel sings) Little by Little (Noel sings) D'You Know What I Mean Stand By Me Cast No Shadow Slide Away Whatever Live Forever Rock and Roll Star The Masterplan (Noel sings) Don't Look Back in Anger (Noel sings) Wonderwall Champagne Supernova Phone camera torches lit up the stadium as darkness fell and the show concluded, closing out with huge tunes Don't Look Back in Anger, Wonderwall, and Champagne Supernova. More Trending Friday's show—the eighth of the tour—followed a five-night run of homecoming gigs in Manchester's Heaton Park and the two opening shows in Cardiff earlier this month. Following the first part of their Wembley stint, the band will head up north to Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, followed by Dublin's Croke Park. The group will then head to Japan, South Korea, South America, Australia, and North America later in the year. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: EastEnders addresses Ozzy Osbourne and England's Lionesses in special scene MORE: Ozzy Osbourne's heartbreaking final wish for biopic on his life that won't be fulfilled MORE: Aldi permanently changes name of store in a move shoppers are calling 'biblical'
