Oasis’ Cardiff Comeback: Miracles Can Happen For Cash
Biblical... but in what sense?
Last night, 75,000 people in Cardiff got a big surprise: Oasis actually went on stage and played a full, two-hour gig.
Sure, that’s what was supposed to happen according to the tickets we all paid too much for (mine was £200 for the back left corner of the middle bowl), but there wasn’t much evidence that it’d seriously come to fruition. Liam and Noel Gallagher uncharacteristically did zero press, and only a couple photo shoots from which most of the results look composited. They’ve barely spent any time in the same room as each other. Announcing a reunion tour doesn’t mean that they’ve mended their relationship, and I half-expected to fly across the ocean and find that the notoriously combustible brothers had broken up again.
But as the masses flocked to Principality Stadium (formerly Millennium Stadium) on Friday, it became clear that this silence was strategic. Letting the Gallaghers run their mouths would’ve been disastrous, because at least one of them would’ve said the quiet part out loud. During their 90s prime of being the biggest band on the face of the earth, Oasis and Britpop at large sold an idealistic dream of transcending one’s circumstances, of being able to become something. Now, Oasis sells the illusion that Noel and Liam don’t still hate each other’s guts, and getting either or both of them in front of an NME interviewer would’ve catastrophically destroyed that illusion.
No one knows exactly why they’re reuniting now specifically. Over those 15 years of estrangement and public insults, Liam was generally the desperate one while Noel refused to budge (maybe because the latter knew his younger brother wouldn’t allow a scissors player on stage). Then, Noel mysteriously softened out about it. Some speculate that genuine family dynamics centered around the brothers’ aging mother got the band back together. Much more likely, of course, is money. As Liam toured solo for Definitely Maybe’s 30th anniversary last year, Noel went through an expensive divorce (and some embarrassingly empty shows right before that), and an Oasis reunion would easily top off his fortune again. Noel has also considered selling his publishing catalogue to buy a yacht, and a reunion with all its attention would boost the value one last time for a nice lump sum from the highest bidder.
As the latest iteration of Oasis—Liam and Noel, original rhythm guitarist Bonehead, 2000s lineup veterans Andy Bell and Gem Archer, American session drummer Joey Waronker—took the stage to “Fuckin’ In The Bushes” and launched into “Hello,” it immediately became clear that this tour’s completion, especially once it goes international, is contingent on how much Noel actually wants that yacht. Is that yacht worth dealing with Liam? For how long? For years, I told everyone that if or when Oasis reunited, I had to be at the very first show, in case they fight on stage halfway through the set and break up again. I still get the sense that they could once again cease to exist in a month, but they made it through the first night in Cardiff, which still feels like a miracle. Turns out those can happen with enough money on the line.
Nothing could ever meet the biblical expectations of an Oasis reunion gig, especially when this band never had that much stage presence. But it was still fucking mega, to continue in Liam parlance. His voice sounds as good as it’s ever gonna get in the 21st century; in addition to fears about Oasis breaking up before the US leg, I also trekked over to hear Liam before any risk of him descending into Kermit the Frog again. Noel’s voice remains mostly ageless, and while he initially looked like he didn’t want to be there, he loosened up a bit as the night went on, especially during his mid-show lead segment when he didn’t have to deal with Liam on stage. That segment started with an utterly beautiful full band rendition of B-side “Talk Tonight,” which might be my favorite part of the show.
The entire band was in good form, especially with three guitarists: Noel playing most riffs and solos, Bonehead maintaining the rhythm parts (and standing as a buffer between Liam and Noel), and Gem Archer filling in the rest. However, I remain skeptical of Joey Waronker as Oasis’ drummer. Talented as he is, his playing was very directly on the beat and lacked the personality of Tony McCarroll’s amateurish mania on Definitely Maybe or Alan White’s almost jazz-drummer flourishes (some might say “overplaying”) on (What’s The Story) Morning Glory and Be Here Now.
Speaking of Be Here Now, the mass exodus for toilets and beer during “D’You Know What I Mean?” was disheartening, albeit representative of the crowd’s inconsistent enthusiasm. Many sang along the entire time, but only on the absolute megahits was the entire stadium roaring the way I’d expected. Patches of the crowd were surprisingly restless even during fan favorites like “Cigarettes & Alcohol” B-side “Fade Away,” though I admittedly tapped out during “Little By Little,” the only 2000s song they played. Mysteriously, two guys behind me stood completely expressionless for the entire show, which makes me wonder why they ended up there in the first place when there’s historic ticket demand from actual superfans. Of course, with that also comes casual listeners who mainly want to see what the hype’s about and/or brag that they were there.
A few more observations in bullet points:
The setlist was essentially perfect for what I’d reasonably expect, though I wish they played “Shakermaker” or “Columbia” instead of “Bring It On Down,” my pick for the worst song on Definitely Maybe.
The two back-to-back Be Here Now songs in the set, “D’You Know What I Mean” and “Stand By Me,” sounded a little flat without 30 guitars going at once, but it doesn’t excuse the former being everyone’s beer and piss break. Nothing excuses that. Not for “D’You Know What I Mean.” Also, they cut down the intro and outro, which I assume Noel doesn’t have the patience for.
The screen visuals were fine, not exceptional and not terrible, except at times it got way too psychedelic and corny. The screens during “Roll With It” made me think of Noel’s commentary on the “All Around The World” music video.
People especially cheered at the end of “Live Forever” when a picture of recently deceased Liverpool FC player Diogo Jota appeared on screen. Jota’s car crash death two days ago at age 28 is one of Britain’s biggest news stories right now. I landed here the morning of the Oasis show and it was everywhere.
I still wish I could say that every single person at Cardiff night one was mad fer it, but even a slightly disappointing UK crowd for this type of thing is way more active than I would’ve gotten had I waited for the American shows. Assuming those happen.
Someone on the floor at one point waved around a device releasing clouds of yellow gas, followed a couple minutes later by a sulfuric smell up where I was. No idea what that was about.
I missed Cast’s opening set, and unfortunately missed Richard Ashcroft open his set with “Sonnet,” but what I caught of him was alright. Sad that he rarely plays anything from The Verve’s A Northern Soul (by far the best thing he ever did, and what I consider one of the quintessential rock n roll albums ever), but at least I heard everyone singing along to the less sleepy Urban Hymns tunes.
Those going to the US shows will have to stick it out through fucking Cage The Elephant as opener, a bizarre “asses in seats” move that makes no sense. Oasis never broke America the same way they conquered Britain, but their years of inactivity and fighting have still drawn in new audiences, who don’t need Cage The Elephant added to the bill as a “value” proposition. In fact, I’d argue that Cage The Elephant as North American opener actually detracts from the show, as they have absolutely nothing to do with Oasis and are merely there to swing casual radio listeners who might be on the fence about it.
If you have the chance to see Oasis this year, do it. Who knows when or if it’ll happen again. Who knows if they’ll even get all the way to your show. Just keep your expectations in check. This is a full-on nostalgia cash grab where they competently play the classics, minimize interactions, and leave. It's not the performance itself that's biblical—it’s the fact they've even gotten on stage together again.
