Oasis returned to the stage for the first time in 16 years last night (July 4) in front of 62,000 fans at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, as oft-dueling brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher laid down their arms and rocked the crowd senseless during a hits-laden, 23-song set.
The Gallagher brothers, who rocketed to superstardom in the mid-1990s but split acrimoniously while on tour in 2009, walked onstage with their hands clasped together and their arms raised high.
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In a nod to the long layoff, Liam playfully changed the lyrics of “Live Forever” to “there are many things I’d like to say to you, but I don’t speak Welsh,” and, referencing the tour on-sale debacle last year, also joked if it the experience was “worth the £40,000 you paid for the ticket.”
Although packed with familiar anthems such as “Morning Glory,” “Slide Away,” “Cigarettes and Alcohol,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Wonderwall,” the set also included some relative rarities, such as the first “Whatever” with Liam on lead vocals since 1996, the first “Stand By Me” since 2001 and the first airings of “Some Might Say,” opener “Hello” and “Cast No Shadow” since 2002.
The Gallaghers are being backed on this tour by former members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, Gem Archer and Andy Bell, plus new drummer Joey Waronker, who previously toured with Liam and the Stone Roses’ John Squire. Noel introduced Waronker, who has also played with R.E.M. and Paul McCartney, as “our 14th drummer.”
How did the notoriously tough U.K, press surmise opening night? “And so, after much fan frenzy and media frothing, finally begins the rock reunion to end them all,” wrote The Independent‘s Mark Beaumont. “And that’s no overstatement. It’s tough to imagine another non-pop comeback on such a momentous scale that might keep the reunion industry ticking over in years to come. Could the Smiths fill seven Wembley Stadiums overnight? A reunited Pink Floyd? Led Zeppelin, even? And what are the chances of those ever happening?”
“To a reviewer who saw Oasis both at Knebworth and on many a post-Nineties slogathon, this is the best they’ve been since ‘96,” he continued. “Some might say better.”
“Swaggering, cocksure and incredibly loud, Oasis burst back on to the live music scene on Friday night with an accomplished – if ever so slightly distanced – debut gig on their reunion world tour,” opined The Guardian‘s Ben Beaumont-Thomas.
“It has to be said, Liam and Noel didn’t speak much. In fact they managed to share the stage without interacting hardly at all, but there was quick hug at the end and that means the world,” offered The Times‘ Will Hodkingson. “Ultimately there was a simple question about the reunion of a simple — in the best way — band. Was it good? Yes, it was fantastic.
“As fans will know, Oasis were never the most dynamic act on stage. Noel, in particular, wears the studious look of a man trying to remember his National Insurance number – but somehow, it’s impossible to take your eyes off them,” said the BBC‘s Mark Savage. “Although they came out hand in hand, there were few other signs of chemistry between the brothers, who never addressed one another during the two-and-a-quarter hour show. But just hearing them harmonize again, after all the animosity and the turbulent waters under the bridge, was hugely emotional.”
Oasis will tour the U.K and Europe this summer before embarking on a North American leg Aug. 24 in Toronto.
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