“I can’t believe what I’ve just seen”, “life-changing”, “best gig ever”, “still processing what we’ve just seen”…just some of the reactions from our group who went to the first Manchester Oasis show last night.
I’ll second that it was genuinely the best gig I’ve ever been to. The mix of the occasion, it being in Manchester, the amazing performance from the band and the overall day itself all contributed to that.
We went to Cardiff last week for the first show back, just the two of us, and it felt more like disbelief that they were on stage together. That was an occasion, historic because of what it meant, and it made headlines around the world.
At the time that was the best gig we’d been to until last night, but on a personal level having 6 of our nearest and dearest with us for the gig, plus seeing other close friends earlier in the day pushed this one over the edge.
It also helped being in a field setting, giving it a festival type feel where you could look around and watch the sea of people as far as the eye could see. The stadium show was great because it was like an indoor gig with the roof being closed, but there’s something about having so many people united by the music.
And the atmosphere was unbelievable, as it always was for an Oasis gig before their 16 year split, but this was more remarkable because of the way the field was split. 8 of us got the dreaded confirmation that we would be in the general admission area at the back, while the other 8 ended up in front standing.
When we saw that we were gutted, and, after having been to Heaton Park before, I had serious reservations about what the sound and atmosphere would be like that far back. But, I can assure anyone who has GA tickets not to worry. The sound was left where we were, dead centre not too far from the middle barrier, and the atmosphere was incredible. Considering how far back we were, the place was bouncing.
Big shout out to the general organisation too. When I saw The Stone Roses there the bar queues were beyond crazy, there was no chance after the second support act even. But there were 7 (big) bars in general admission alone, and it took longer to walk through the queue barrier than it did to get served when you got there. Brother’s Cider was a nice surprise too! There were loads of pretty good food options too, Steph got paella from the same stall as Glastonbury and I got a great burger from a farm shop stall. A far cry from the old days of one dodgy burger van and a noodle stall!
Support acts
Choosing Cast and Richard Ashcroft as support has caused some controversy, with people suggesting that newer bands should’ve been given a chance. I get that argument to an extent, but considering the nostalgia of the gig anyway and the quality of the two supports, I think the right decision was made.
I’m a big fan of Cast, and seeing them rattle through their singles at both gigs was great. They just did all the big ones, and were a perfect warm up.
A few of us were saying we’d pay for Richard Ashcroft on his own, and probably will whenever his inevitable tour gets announced. It was honestly the best I’ve ever heard him sound, and he seemed to genuinely honoured and happy to be part of the event.
The crowd responded so well to him, singing along as if he was the headliner. ‘Sonnet’, ‘Lucky Man’, ‘The Drugs Don’t Work’ and ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ all got the reaction that 4 of the best songs of the 90s should get. I imagine ‘Space and Time’ will be getting a lot more streams over the coming weeks as more people hear it, one of the most underrated songs of that time period for me. ‘Song for the Lovers’ and ‘Break the Night With Colour’ were his only solo tunes and they also got good reactions which I’m so happy to see.
Oasis
Now to the main event. I mean where do we even start with this. They sound unbelievable, genuinely better than anything I saw from the band between 05 and 09 when I was lucky enough to see them previously, and those gigs were still up there as being some of the best I’ve seen. They seem to have stepped it up a level, somehow.
They sound so BIG, with three guitarists and Liam’s voice being the best I’ve ever heard him. That’s saying a lot because I said similar things about his post-pandemic performances at Leeds and the Etihad Stadium, and on the whole DM30 tour last year. This isn’t a cash grab at all, you’re getting what you pay for, one of the best bands in the world sounding the best they’ve ever sounded after their decades of experience, both individually and together.
Going back to disbelief, it was evident on the faces of everyone around us. None of us thought this was ever going to happen and had resigned ourselves to only experiencing the solo shows, which were great but they weren’t this. There were tears, mainly my own this time as my disbelief happened at Cardiff and it completely hit me in the last half hour of this show that we were finally seeing our favourite band again.
The setlist is beyond anything I could’ve hoped for. The obvious ones are all played, but the unexpected ones make it even more special. ‘Some Might Say’, ‘D’You Know What I Mean’, ‘Bring it on Down’, ‘Whatever’ and ‘Fade Away’ (one of our favourites and a very surprising addition to this tour) all sounded immense. ‘Roll With It’ had the place bouncing. ‘Acquiesce’ has a new meaning now and I’m so happy they played it, especially for my brother as it’s his favourite.
I’ve seen Noel so many times on his own, but the likes of ‘Talk Tonight’, ‘Little by Little’ and ‘The Masterplan ‘took on new significance when played as Oasis, with Bonehead playing on them alongside the rest of Noel’s band.
All the little touches make such a difference, Noel playing lead guitar on some of the iconic songs, both of them looking so happy, the pictures we see of them laughing together as they walk on stage. It’s what we’ve all wanted for so long.
The last half an hour was like a victory lap of their biggest hits, and I completely lost it, I was pretty much crying from ‘Live Forever’ onwards. It really sunk in then. ‘Champagne Supernova’ was every bit as epic as I’ve been imagining over the years, and is probably my favourite ever song. The massive firework display at the end was stunning.
We all seemed overwhelmed by it, and that’s what music is about. It was everything I could’ve ever hoped for, surrounded by friends and family in Manchester for an Oasis hometown gig.
I know they’ve said this is a one off for now, but I really want this to continue into future years, there’s so much more they can do. The entire setlist apart from one song was 1997 and earlier, and there are plenty of others, even UK number 1s, that a lot of us would love to see live again.
But if that is it, they’ve left us with a gig the likes we’ll never see again. If there is a victory lap in Knebworth or something in the future, we will be there without a doubt.
It was everything I wanted and more.
I wasn’t expecting a lot. Oasis are my favourite band of all time, I’d seen them quite a lot in the past, and had seen them at Heaton Park in 2009 when it was… a bit rubbish.
BUT OH MY LORD. What a day, what a gig, what an experience. The crowd, the atmosphere, the weather, the support… Oasis themselves… Truly the best gig I’ve ever been to, and my main feeling in the aftermath was of complete jealousy of the people who were off to see them on the Saturday night.
In the words of the bald messiah who was also in attendance: IN. CRE. DI. BLE.