The band’s momentous comeback show was cathartic, emotional and packed with anthems
Oasis live at the Principality Stadium, Cardiff, 4 July
★★★★★
Rewind to August 1996 and Noel Gallagher strides onstage for Oasis’ first hotly-anticipated night at Knebworth proudly declaring “This is history! Right here, right now!”
Fast forward 29 years and that same feverish sense of expectation has returned – arguably even more so – for another momentous night as the band reconvene for the first of their reunion tour shows in Cardiff.
As the Gallaghers wander on stage, Liam takes his elder brother’s arm and raises it in the air – it’s a gesture of solidarity that every one of the 70,000 fans packed inside the Principality Stadium was yearning for.
Noel looks moved to tears by the crowd’s reception. Even with all the hoopla and build-up of the past year since this reunion was announced, he’s clearly overwhelmed when the full realisation of what he means to so many people finally hits home.
You can already see it in the streets of Cardiff in the hours leading up the gig. Every pub and bar in the city centre is rammed with fans in Oasis t-shirts, bucket hats and Adidas branded merch as the band’s tunes ring out from their various PAs. This isn’t just a big gig, it’s an invasion.
If Noel looks temporarily nervy at the enormity of what’s going down, Liam’s the polar opposite. He’s totally nerveless, revelling in the atmosphere. In fact, it feels like the power dynamic has now shifted among the Gallaghers. Liam is the dominant presence, grabbing the crowd by the scruff of the neck while Noel studiously goes about his business on guitar stage right with Bonehead acting as a buffer between him and his younger brother.
Picture credit: Harriet T K Bols
Emotional Buttons
As expected, the band kick off with a fiery Hello, the juggernaut-sized opener that perfectly fits the occasion. Liam’s immediately on point with his vocals with Noel still finding his sea legs. Acquiesce is the first heart-tugging moment of the evening with its “Because we need each other, we believe in one another” refrain pushing the requisite emotional buttons in light of the brothers’ rapprochement.
There’s a real thump and urgency to Morning Glory and it’s lovely to see Noel’s confidence on lead guitar duties re-emerge as he nails the solo for Some Might Say. In fact, the three-guitar assault of Noel, Gem Archer and Bonehead manages to up the ante of Oasis’ traditional wall of sound, which is no mean feat.
Bring It On Down is an absolute piledriver. Always a route one beast from Definitely Maybe, the staging here overhauls it as neon lasers and trippy visuals add a fresh lick of paint. Liam then asks the crowd to give each other a hug before the stadium is shaken to its foundations as Cigarettes & Alcohol bursts into life – it’s a visceral set highpoint.
And a hard rockin’ version of Fade Away makes for the first real surprise of the night, Noel even throws in a new solo to mark the occasion. Supersonic scores another huge reaction and a mini pogo breaks out for Roll With It, the new psychedelic visuals for the latter reinventing the song’s prosaic lyrics. Akin to U2’s Las Vegas Sphere shows, the cut-and-paste comic book-meets-psychedelic video projections here really bring these tunes to life. Oasis have thrown the kitchen sink at this new production and it really shows.
Picture credit: Big Brother Recordings
Halfway Point
We’re 10 songs in before Noel addresses the crowd, making a cheeky dig at the ticket pricing controversy before he begins his own mini-set. Intimate acoustic strumalong Talk Tonight is recast as a stadium ballad while Half The World Away is augmented by a perky brass section. Arguably, it’s Noel’s performance of Little By Little which is tonight’s most unexpected triumph. It’s the only track in the setlist later than the band’s Be Here Now era and prompts a huge singalong.
As Liam returns for D’You Know What I Mean?, new addition on drums Joey Waronker keeps it simple on the kit – he’s a much less busy presence than either Alan White or Zak Starkey and more akin to Tony McCarroll’s style. Make of that what you will in light of Noel’s criticism over the years about the band’s first sticksman.
Cast No Shadow is a swaying midset breather and Slide Away sees the stadium bathed in calming blue light. It’s nice to see Whatever get a run-out in the setlist, too, and it benefits from a rather lovely solo from Gem in the outro.
On the flipside, it’s followed by setlist shoo-in Live Forever with Noel absolutely nailing the solo, another fillip for his confidence. Touchingly, it’s dedicated to Liverpool’s Diogo Jota who died in a car accident with his brother André Silva the previous day.
There’s another nice touch when Tony McCarroll makes it into the video montage behind Rock ’N’ Roll Star, a blistering end to the main set where Waronker finally lets loose and thrashes about the drum kit.
Noel namechecks “under fuckin’ legend” Bonehead before the brass section returns to fill out the sound for first encore song The Masterplan and two enormous crowd singalongs seal the deal, Don’t Look Back In Anger and Champagne Supernova.
Picture credit: Harriet T K Bols
Uncharacteristically Slick
With all the money on offer if Oasis make it through the full 41 dates of their tour, this was a high-stakes affair. Some naysayers have bemoaned the fact this first reunion show lacked edge, that usual feeling it could combust at any moment and one that made Oasis such an unpredictable prospect back in the day. There’s an element of truth in that – this was more polished than I’ve ever seen them before – but who on earth could begrudge the band this victory lap. It seems churlish in the extreme to hope this tour goes pear-shaped. Whatever the reasons for it finally coming about, it’ll make millions of people’s lives a whole lot better.
If the rumours are true that Noel’s in charge of the setlist, it’s perhaps no surprise it was heavily skewed towards the band’s first two albums. A dash of the stomping Lyla or emotive Stop Crying Your Heart Out wouldn’t have gone amiss, but it’s hard to pick holes in any of the 23 songs played here.
Picture credit: Big Brother Recordings
Supporting Cast
It’s been overlooked in other reviews, but both support acts made a fine job of warming up the crowd.
With John Power leading the way in his denim Reni hat, Cast get the show off to a flier. Sandstorm is a solid opener and Finetime’s chunky riffs also punch through the night air. Power grabs an acoustic guitar for the show’s first lump-in-the-throat moment, a beautiful treatment of Walkaway dedicated by Cast’s Liverpool fan frontman to Diogo Jota, a nice touch that was repeated in Oasis’ main set. The band then pick up the pace for a stomping version of Guiding Star and by Alright Power is skipping around the stage. It’s a breezy 30-minute set with plenty of firepower.
Richard Ashcroft also benefits from the bass-heavy thud of the stadium’s impressive soundsystem. Opening song Sonnet is an instant crowd anthem while Space And Time feels much heavier than in previous live shows with his current band, buoyed by a terrific solo from lead guitarist Steve Wyreman.
The sweeping strings that decorate A Song For The Lovers are a little lost amid the thumping drums but it’s no dealbreaker. Meanwhile, Break The Night With Colour’s harpsichord melody comes across much clearer in the mix, and Wyreman’s gnarly (almost metal) solo transforms the song’s midsection. It’s undoubtedly an improvement on the refined studio version.
Cameraphone lights transform the stadium into a sea of twinkling stars for huge crowd singalong The Drugs Don’t Work and Lucky Man is equally anthemic. By now, there’s a noticeable gear shift in atmosphere among the crowd as Ashcroft peaks with a transcendent Bittersweet Symphony.
Arguably the finest rock’n’roll singer of his generation (sorry Liam), Ashcroft’s vocals are superb throughout. No surprise there. The band, though, are a revelation. A much beefier and harder-hitting proposition than we ever hear on record.
Picture credit: Angus Jenner
OASIS SETLIST
Hello
Acquiesce
Morning Glory
Some Might Say
Bring It On Down
Cigarettes & Alcohol
Fade Away
Supersonic
Roll With It
Talk Tonight
Half The World Away
Little By Little
D’You Know What I Mean?
Stand By Me
Cast No Shadow
Slide Away
Whatever
Live Forever
Rock ’N’ Roll Star
ENCORE
The Masterplan
Don’t Look Back in Anger
Wonderwall
Champagne Supernova
Featured image credit: Big Brother Recordings
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