Sydney was a sea of buckethats and bravado over the weekend, as 80,000 “mad fer it” fans descended on Accor Stadium to see the beat event of a lifetime.
It was the reunion Australia had waited two decades for: Brit-pop legends Oasis were in town. After mending their feud, Liam and Noel Gallagher exploded onto the stage to play their final two tour dates Down Under, and it was one many won’t forget in a hurry.
But was it worth the wait? Did Liam sound as beautifully raspy as he used to, and was the atmosphere really as good as everyone claimed?
To get the definitive answer, we quizzed five people from the nine.com.au office who were lucky enough to nab tickets (myself included) to get to the bottom of it.
What is your one-sentence analysis of Oasis’ reunion in Sydney?
Marc Dodd: Polished but near-perfection.
Carina Rossi: The brothers, the sound, the crowd and all-round vibes were perfect!
Ben Glover: The best karaoke night of your life. Outstanding musical performance but would have liked a little more energy on stage.
Tim Rose: Everything I wanted and a miracle it was actually this good.
Nicole Douglas: The single greatest night of my life, it’s all downhill from here.
READ MORE: Bizarre luxury tech Aussies can’t seem to get enough of
READ MORE: ‘The question no one dare ask Princess Anne during her Australia tour’
READ MORE: Kate makes unexpected appearance for Remembrance Sunday
READ MORE: Aldi shoppers confess to hilarious mistake with ‘confusing’ product
What was the best moment of the night?
Marc: Once the first few chords to Acquiese kicked in, you knew it was going to be a great night.
Carina: If I had to pick one moment, the encore plus fireworks. You had to be there.
Ben: Call me a walking cliché but I loved the encore. The all-time classics being belted out by a full stadium, complete with fireworks show behind the stage, was excellent.
Tim: Hard to nail just one, the vibes were high. But ending with Champagne Supernova with fireworks ripping off, Liam posing with his tambourine on his head and wearing a cork hat, pretty iconic.
Nicole: The first few seconds when the drums kicked in and we knew Liam and Noel were about to get on stage, holding hands. I rarely get butterflies over things anymore, but seeing that with my own eyes was just sensational.
What didn’t you enjoy about the concert?
Marc: I guess the fact around 70,000 people were basically wearing the same Oasis T-shirt reminded you of the huge commercial driving force behind this.
Carina: There was nothing I didn’t enjoy, but if you need an answer I didn’t like that it ended.
Ben: I know it’s asking for a lot when they barely talk off stage, but I would have liked a bit more interaction between Liam and Noel, even if it turned ugly.
Tim: Getting out of Accor Stadium – it was more than an hour from leaving the venue to even getting on the train. Heard more than once from people asking how it could be this bad given the gig was hardly a surprise.
In terms of the show, having the same setlist each night (and seeing videos from other Australian shows), it did feel a little bit too slick and produced. I get the sense you could go any night and have an almost identical experience, which is either a good thing or a bit disappointing, depending on your mileage.
Nicole: Nothing. That I didn’t book the Friday gig as well.
Best song performed on the night?
Marc: Slide Away is their best song full stop and the singalong lived up to all expectations.
Carina: Champagne Supernova was pretty amazing, but I also loved Whatever and Stand By Me.
Ben: I’m a Don’t Look Back in Anger guy and I wasn’t disappointed.
Tim: What I liked about the setlist was how they were grouped – the early part of the set had two of my favourites in Acquiesce and Morning Glory to get things going, and the closing run of the karaoke hits to end the show with a 70,000-strong singalong was pretty special, Don’t Look Back In Anger being the peak. But my favourite run might have been the Noel section in the middle – Stand by Me and Little by Little especially, which surprised me.
Nicole: Little by Little actually made me tear up. Phenomenal.
What do Oasis mean to you, and did the reunion live up to your expectations?
Marc: Growing up in the ’90s in the UK, they were the soundtrack to our lives. Who would have thought that 30 years on Britpop would be ruling the world again? But here we are.
Carina: I grew up listening to Oasis, they were the soundtrack to my formative years. Despite that, I never entertained the thought of seeing them live – the brothers were fighting, as if they were going to reunite and tour Australia.
By some divine miracle, Noel and Liam patched it up, announced their tour and their Sydney show (night 2) surpassed my expectations, I’ve never had as much fun at gig as I did watching Oasis for the first time.
Ben: My high school and uni days were soundtracked by Oasis. I missed out when they last toured so had thought I’d never see them live and was over the moon to be able to scratch that itch.
Wasn’t the best gig I’ve ever been to, but am still very happy to have gone.
Tim: My earliest memories are of the first two albums in my dad’s car CD stacker (which was a thing in the ’90s) on long road trips. Something about the phrasing “what’s the story morning glory?” really stuck with me as a kid of maybe seven, even though it was definitely going over my head.
I also saw them at Festival Hall in Melbourne in 2005 when I was in high school. They were definitely more raucous and ragged then, a bit more of the old Liam swagger and unpredictability. You got the sense it could go off the rails at any time, that rough edge has been sanded down a bit in the old age I reckon.
Nicole: Live beat is the greatest thing in the world, and no one does it better than Oasis. I’m British, and listening to Oasis makes me feel like I’m home – so to be surrounded by thousands screaming the lyrics to the sound of my childhood is something I’ll never forget.
Inside the biggest band feuds of all time
Best crowd moment you witnessed?
Marc: I just loved seeing all the different generations coming together – kids, mums, dads, teens in one glorious singalong.
Carina: The poznan! Watching it with my very own eyes was insane. Did I do it? No, it felt too dangerous in the seated section.
Ben: My wife being hoisted onto the shoulders of a 6 foot 4 northern Englishman for Cast No Shadow. Ironically, given her diminutive stature, it was one of the few times she’s ever cast a shadow on anyone else.
Tim: The train to the stadium, funnily enough. It became a big singalong as more people got on, with people banging on the roof as they belted the hits out. Once we were in, it was lots of earnest hugs and mates telling each other they loved them. Arm-in-arm with strangers in Champagne Supernova.
I also loved you could tell different songs meant different things to different people – the Cigarettes and Alcohol lads taking that literally vs the more heartfelt Talk Tonight or Half the World Away. Had a sweaty hug from an Englishman who I’d seen demolish half a dozen cans in no time at all.
Nicole: A young lad came with his family and was on the row behind me and they weren’t really dancing. I saw he was itching to get up but didn’t know if he should, so me and my friends grabbed his hand and we danced the night away with him. His mum thanked me after for getting him involved, and it was a lovely wholesome example of how beat can bring everyone together.
Would you go again, and what do you think is next for Oasis?
Marc: I’d like to take my kids when they are older. But also happy to remember the band like that in their prime. I don’t think they’ll ever sound better.
Carina: 1000 per cent yes! I think Oasis will hide away again for another decade or so, wait for an insane offer, and tour one more time before they’re done.
Ben: I would definitely go again. Next for Oasis I’m picturing a revival of the Liam v Noel feud and a bank vault back in their Manchester homes, similar to Scrooge McDuck’s.
Tim: I would, but you get the sense the Gallaghers have made their squillions from this tour and will never need to work again. You wouldn’t say they showed a lot of affection on stage for each other either, so maybe the end of the feud was a business decision as much as anything. The cost is not an everyday thing either but no regrets.
Nicole: Yes. Liam’s already hinted they’ll be touring again next year, and frankly that can’t come soon enough. Magical.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the up-to-date in celebrity, lifestyle and opinion via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
About the Author
