Oasis and Wembley Stadium go way back. The iconic football stadium in northwest London is, for many, the pinnacle of an artist’s career. Everyone from Taylor Swift to Michael Jackson have dominated the 90,000-capacity ground. Come late August, Coldplay will hold the record with 16 sold-out shows.
Back in 2000 the Gallagher brothers swaggered Wembley Way for their maiden appearance — but Liam was distinctly unimpressed. “If you think I’m over the moon to be here, then you must be trippin,’” he said on the second of their two-night stand, later calling it a “s—t hole.” This was prior to the stadium’s renovation, and the band returned in 2009 on their final tour.
But that 2000 show — dubbed one of their most “disastrous” shows — still lives long in the memory. It was immortalised on the Familiar to Millions live LP and broadcast live on U.K. television. The show included instances of LG mouthing off about his divorce (“I don’t even have a f—g teabag to my name”) and whatever substances were rattling around the dressing room (“I’m in one of them moods,” he warned). The performance itself was sloppy and languid compared to their previous highs at Maine Road and Knebworth in 1996.
A quarter of a century later, the vibes could not be more different. The band’s Live ‘25 tour — which has so far visited Cardiff and Manchester — has seen them on red-hot form: Liam’s vocals are on top notch, Noel and the rest of the band’s playing is as unified as its been for decades and, thus far, no dramas from the pair. They’re sounding crisper and more energised as the tour rolls on, and the U.K. public are properly mad fer it, as they dominate the Albums Chart once more and the populus proudly sport Oasis-branded clobber.
These were the best moments from Oasis’ opening night on Friday (July 25) at Wembley Stadium on the band’s Live ‘25 reunion tour.
“Acquiesce”
Over the years, “Acquiesce” has only grown in stature. The 1995 song was a B-Side to “Some Might Say,” their first U.K. No. 1 single, and became a firm fixture in their live sets. Over the decades it has become utterly beloved and the shared vocals between Noel and Liam sum up their messy love-hate relationship: “Because we need each other/ We believe in one another.” Before the second chorus, Noel gave a little hand wave to encourage the audience to sing louder than they ever had before — they obliged, of course.
The Boys’ Banter
The tour’s kick-off in Cardiff earlier this month (July 5) had an air of mystery — and tightness, perhaps. Now the boys are feeling comfortable back on stage together, arriving on stage arm-in-arm again, and chatting with the audience just like old times. “I seem to get myself in a lot of trouble these days,” Liam said, perhaps referencing his quip about the Coldplay kiss cam scandal earlier this week. Before “Don’t Look Back in Anger” Noel paid tribute to his favourite boozer The Chiltern Firehouse in London, which suffered a fire earlier this year, and dedicated the song to all the barmaids. We weren’t getting this level of chat on opening night.
“Cigarettes & Alcohol”
Mockingly dubbed “the hokey-cokey” by Liam, the crowd performing the “Poznan” has become a highlight of the Live ‘25 reunion tour. The celebration adopted by their beloved soccer team Man City involves facing away from the stage, linking arms and bouncing up and down in unison. It made for a bizarre but brilliant sight as the T Rex-aping riff kicked into gear — and even won over fans of some of City’s biggest rivals.
“Little by Little”
Their 2002 LP Heathen Chemistry isn’t quite considered a classic, but it does pack bursts of greatness and some of their best post-90s material. “Little by Little” is one such song, a bitter, furious ballad that brought to a close Noel’s section in the middle of the set (alongside “Talk Tonight” and “Half the World Away”) and gave one last look in daylight as the sun set on the Wembley crowd. “Stand By Me,” which featured on a bank advert in the U.K. in recent years, was sung (and screamed) with similar gusto.
“Cast No Shadow”
The group’s Live ‘25 tour dates thus far have been opened by Britpop band Cast, and Richard Ashcroft formerly of the Verve. The latter served as the inspiration for “Cast No Shadow” from 1995’s (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, and paints a picture of a man caught in the wrong time and place but stumbling through life against the tide of adversity. Ashcroft’s peaks as a songwriter in the ‘90s were as high as Gallagher’s (“Bittersweet Symphony” and “Sonnet”), and it’s only right that he’s in the room to witness the outpouring of love for a song written in his honour.
“Live Forever”
Few rocked harder than the late Ozzy Osbourne — and Liam and Noel know that. During “Live Forever,” the band paid tribute to the Black Sabbath singer who died on July 22, aged 76, by placing an image of him on screen during the song’s outro. The following song “Rock’n’Roll Star” was dedicated by Liam to the Prince of Darkness, too.
“Wonderwall”
The band’s 1995 song is something of a parody of itself — how can a song like that get so big and still remain sincere? Even Liam acknowledged it as he jokingly introduced it as “that wretched song.” The crowd didn’t seem to mind, and when Liam stepped away from the mic during the chorus to let the audience sing the words it sent chills through the body.
