Oasis play first show of long-awaited reunion tour

In front of 74 thousand people devoted to their anthems that transcend generations, the emblematic Britpop band Oasis began this Friday (4), in the Welsh city of Cardiff, their long-awaited comeback tour, more than 15 years after their separation.

The Manchester band, who shook up the music scene in the mid-1990s with hits such as “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova”, will travel across four continents on this tour which will include stops in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico.

In the first of their two performances at the Principality Stadium in the Welsh capital, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher performed their greatest hits back-to-back, leaving the 74,000 attendees ecstatic.

“It was fantastic, everything we had dreamed of,” said Sebastian Vyrtz, a 37-year-old Danish fan. “Fantastic songs, no frills. It was like a festival of hits,” he added.

“A long time” has passed, vocalist Liam acknowledged shortly after starting the two-hour show that included classics like “Stand by Me” and “Supersonic”.

Protagonists of numerous fights that led to the band's separation, the Gallagher brothers held hands when they went on stage, and even sang the song “Roll with It” together.

At the end of the show, the band thanked the fans for “hanging in there all these years.”

“It was more than a show. I found myself hugging complete strangers,” explained Frank Gonzales, a 49-year-old Californian who said he was “emotionally impacted.”

Big football fans, the Gallaghers paid tribute to Liverpool's Portuguese player Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident on Thursday and whose image was shown on the big screens during the final notes of “Live Forever”.

The Oasis Live '25 tour features 41 shows in cities including London, Manchester, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Sydney, Mexico City, São Paulo, Santiago and Buenos Aires.

Ever since the group split in 2009, following yet another fight between the Gallagher brothers at a festival outside Paris, many had not expected to see them back on stage together.

Omar Llamas, 39, flew in from Mexico for the event. "It's going to be a life-changing experience," he told AFP as he entered the stadium about three hours before the show began.

“It’s just incredible to be here. I have no words!” added her compatriot Cynthia Flores, 30.

Just hours before kick-off, Cardiff city centre was already echoing with the excitement of fans, who were singing along to the band's hits on the balconies of packed pubs, wearing their Oasis t-shirts.

Mark Cassidy, a 31-year-old American, traveled “just for that” from New York with a friend.

Charlotte Abiset, a 37-year-old Frenchwoman, has been a fan “for 25 years” but has never seen the band perform.

“I'm very excited, I still can't believe that I'm going to experience this historic moment,” she said.

Oasis fans at the first show of the band's reunion tour in Cardiff, UK (Photo: Oli SCARFF / AFP)

The band announced their return in August 2024, days before the 30th anniversary of their first album, “Definitely Maybe”.

After the split, the Gallagher brothers continued their careers on their own, never achieving the glory of the Oasis era, and frequently clashed in the media.

The surprise announcement of their return has sparked a frenzy among fans, old and new, to snap up the nearly 900,000 tickets sold in just hours for the UK and Ireland shows.

But the chaotic online sales process and the excessive increase in ticket prices through a “dynamic” system have sparked controversy and an investigation by the British regulator.

“Are you guys having fun? Is it worth the £40,000 you paid for the ticket?” joked Liam Gallagher from the stage.

As she left the stadium, Debbie Bonfield, a 65-year-old Welshwoman, said that “the prices charged to fans were ridiculous” but that “the atmosphere made up for it”. “It was amazing, I loved it,” she said.

The tour is set to be very profitable. Barclays bank has estimated that Oasis fans could spend more than £1 billion (around R$7.4 billion, at the current exchange rate) on tickets and related expenses, such as transport and accommodation.

According to British media, the band returned to playing several months ago and held rehearsals for the most recent performances in London. New members such as a keyboardist and a drummer were added to the ensemble.