Concert Review: The Triumphant Return of Oasis

"Hello, Hello, It's good to be back..."
After a sixteen year absence, Noel and Liam Gallagher have brought the legendary Oasis back to life. They brought their "Live '25" Tour to MetLife stadium on Sunday night. It was glorious. This is a tour that most fans never thought would happen. Many bands have acrimonious splits and then get back together for reunion tours. Those bands aren’t Oasis. They don’t have the history and family dynamics that the Gallagher brothers have. East Rutherford was the third city on a short North American run that will see them hit just four cities. Oasis opened the tour with a two-night run in Toronto before heading to Soldier Field in Chicago. The only remaining shows in the United States are tonight in East Rutherford and two shows at the iconic Rose Bowl in Pasadena next week. Every date on the tour sold out within minutes of going on sale, wreaking havoc on online ticketing platforms. Scoring tickets to this show was like winning the lottery for many rabid fans.
“THIS IS NOT A DRILL.”

Those five words appeared across the absolutely enormous video screens on either side and behind the stage. 80,000 or so fans lost their collective minds. A montage video of news headlines, magazine articles, tweets and social media posts blazed to life across the screen. Finally the words “THE GREAT WAIT IS OVER, THIS IS IT” lit up the screen as the Brothers Gallagher walked on stage hand in hand, arms raised in triumph. There may be no better way to kick a show like this off. Any questions about the state of their relationship and how it may or may not affect their performance were answered before the first note was played. The band has been playing the same 23 song setlist since they reunited, which they have perfected. They sounded arguably better than they have on previous tours. The setlist leans heavily on the band's first two albums. Definitely Maybe and What's the Story Morning Glory may be one of the best debut and sophomore album one-two punches in the history of rock.

Liam, the charismatic front man stepped to the microphone. With his feet firmly planted, his hands behind his back, head tilted to the sky, he belted out the set opener, “Hello” from 1995’s What’s The Story Morning Glory. There couldn’t be a more perfect song for the occasion. When Liam sang “Hello, hello, said it’s good to be back,” you could just tell that he meant it. The feeling was mutual with the crowd singing every word right back at him. The crowd threatened to drown him out. You just knew it was going to be a special kind of night.

They quickly segued into "Acquiesce," a B-side that really connected with the crowd. Liam and Noel traded off vocals with Liam holding down the verses while Noel handled the soaring choruses.

"Morning Glory" led into a spirited "Some Might Say." They followed with a Definitely Maybe era deep cut, the raucous "Bring It On Down."

Liam asked the fans to turn their backs to the stage prior to kicking off "Cigarettes and Alcohol." He explained that he wanted everyone to bounce up and down to the beat. This is The Poznań, a football stadium celebration where fans turn their backs to the pitch, link arms with their neighbors, and jump up and down in unison, creating a wave-like chain reaction of celebration. It originated from fans of the Polish football club Lech Poznań during a 2010 match against Manchester City, and was popularized in England by Manchester City fans. The majority of the fans in the general admission pit did as asked. Beers could be seen flying through the air as the crowd bounced in unity. It was sight to behold. Strangers became instant friends, arms wrapped around each other, celebrating the music and celebrating life. Liam seemed pleased. "They said you wouldn't do it America. You did it. Congratulations."

With very little in between song banter, they hammered out "Fade Away," "Supersonic" and after a rollicking version of "Roll With It." Liam ceded the microphone to his brother for a three song stretch that included softer songs "Talk Tonight" and "Half the World Away." The third song was one of the highlights of the night. "Little by Little" is an anthem perfectly suited for the situation. During the choruses, Noel stepped back and let the fans take over.

"D'ya Know What I Mean?" kicked off the second half of the show. "Stand By Me" once again had the fans singing on top of their lungs. The energy dipped a little bit during "Cast No Shadow," "Slide Away" and "Whatever." Liam dedicated "Live Forever" to the victims of the recent mass shooting in Minneapolis. The main set ended with "Rock 'n' Roll Star." They returned with a four song stretch which started with "The Masterplan." Then it was time for what might be arguably the best three song run to end a concert. Prior to launching into an epic "Don't Look Back in Anger" Noel asked fans to raise their hands if it was their first Oasis show. "You might have wondered what it is like to sing this next song with 60 or 70,000 of your fellow fans. Well you're going to find out what it feels like." What followed was transcendent. I doubt there was a person in the stadium not singing along. There are a lot of sore throats today in the NYC area.

Liam announced the next song simply; "Anyway...Wonderwall." After the chorus Liam said one word that summed up the whole night, "spiritual." All night I was thinking of a word that could explain what we all experienced. "Spiritual" hit the nail solidly on the head. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, it was an almost religious experience. This band was the soundtrack to most of my life. Based on what I saw last night, I am not alone.

The show closer "Champagne Supernova" was capped off with an incredible fireworks display over the stadium. It was odd not to see folks heading for the exit before the encore was over. Nearly everyone stayed in their place, enjoying every last second. It was a night that nobody wanted to end.