The world’s most anticipated reunion, of one of the greatest bands to ever do it, the brothers duo of the Gallaghers and their generation defining music with Oasis.
A band that has had more than its fair share of ups and downs, they seem to finally be mostly up rather than down, from Liam abandoning the band for two Irish gigs back in the 90s, to the bands breakup in the late 00s that made headlines worldwide, to the gap in the world of music left by them until now.
This is a tour that anyone with a bit of knowledge could’ve seen coming, as I walked out of the 3Arena after Liam Gallagher toured for Oasis’ first album “Definitely Maybe”, I told my friend, also named Liam, there was no way they wouldn’t reunite for the anniversary of “What’s the Story (Morning Glory)”, and I was right.
As opposed to most other people I got my tickets on the morning of general sale, without much hassle and at a reasonable price, but I would’ve payed hundreds more had I known what was in store.
The brothers Gallagher sound as good as they ever have, and seem miles better than they were in the last decade of Oasis, this may truly be the peak of the band, which coming 30 years after their biggest album, is saying something.
A setlist stocked with fan favourites, deep cuts and smash hits, 23 songs in total, a 2 hour show, which you don’t get off many acts these days.
Opening with “Hello” and going straight into “Acquiesce” gives whiplash that feels severe enough for surgery, in the best way possible.
The setlist was crafted perfectly, with every song feeling like it was in the perfect place.
Highlights for me include “Slide Away” (One of the greatest love songs ever written) and Noel’s solo section in the middle consisting of the heartstring tugging “Talk Tonight”(Also one of the greatest love songs ever written), into “Half the World Away” finishing with “Little by Little”, before Liam joins him back for the second half of the show.
Oasis filled a void that thousands across this country didn’t know they had until it was fixed by the pure, unadulterated, raw, rock and roll sound the world needs.
Stage Setup: 9/10, A massive stage with massive screens behind it, showing footage of the band, interspersed with visual effects and images made a feast for the eyes.
Band performance: 10/10, I have watched many, many live videos of Oasis, from when they first released “Definitely Maybe”, up until their last shows in 2009, and I genuinely can’t find another instance where they sounded more cohesive than they do now.
Support: 10/10, I don’t think I’ve seen a better support lineup at a concert, not only were they big names many would recognise, but they were pulled right from the same era Oasis came from. Cast (A personal favourite band of mine, who I’ll be seeing later this year) were the opening support slot, and delivered a classic upbeat rock show, then up next came Richard Ashcroft, former lead singer of The Verve. Ashcroft came out and gave off the energy of a man who was actually headlining Croke Park, a lot of times support bands have a hard time playing properly to a stadium, when everything is clearly setup for a different band, but Ashcroft knew exactly what he was doing and just how to do it.
Merchandise: 9/10, The merch stand at the concert wasn’t particularly appealing to me, but that was because I had already visited the dedicated Oasis store that opened up in St. Stephen’s Green, which had an amazing selection of Merch, I personally picked up a bottle, keychain and a hoodie. All very good quality and amazing designs.
Crowd: 9/10, I’m sure down if I was down in standing getting covered in pints that people were throwing, be they of alcohol or something else I won’t mention, that my rating would be lower, but the crowd immediately surrounding us in the stands were some of the nicest people I’ve met at a concert, two people infront of us who flew in from Japan for the gig, who were incredibly nice, and some people behind us coming down from Belfast, significantly closer than Japan, who were also a great bunch to be around.
Overall: 9/10, Oasis prove once again why they are one of the best to ever do it, and even if they break up tomorrow, their legacy is cemented in music forever.
Next up: Robbie Williams 23/8/25
Jays Concert Blog 