The wait is finally over. Sixteen years after its last appearance on stage, Oasis, the emblematic English group of the “Britpop”, rebaned guitars and amps on Friday July 4 in Cardiff, in Wales, for the first in a series of forty -one concerts around the world.
The ashes had time to fall since the explosive separation of the Manchester combo, in August 2009, after yet another dispute between the two brothers, Liam (52) and Noel Gallagher (58), upstream of the concert they had to give to the Rock in Seine, in the Paris region.
“Manchester sets the mood in the region”launched, on Friday, the singer, Liam, in front of an ecstatic crowd of 74,000 people gathered in the large stadium of the Welsh capital shortly after being on stage.
The brothers held their hands briefly but have kept their distance during the two hours of the show. Noel focused on her guitar while Liam, dressed in a parka, sang by reproducing his singular posture – hands in the back and slightly inclined bust – and this dilettante attitude which borders, for its detractors, to arrogance.
“It was fantastic, everything I dreamed of”launched Sebastian Vyrtz, a 37 -year -old Danish, after the performance that lasted two hours: “Super songs, no chichis. It was like a hit-Parade. »» The leader of the group The Verve, Richard Ashcroft, who performed in the first part, proclaimed his pride to participate in a “Historical evening”.
An unexpected reformation
After two evenings in Cardiff, the Gallagher brothers and their acolytes will give five concerts in their hometown of Manchester from July 11. They will then play at the Wembley stadium in London or that of Murrayfield in Edinburgh, before their international tour which will lead them to the United States, Japan, Australia and Brazil.
For this return to stage, Oasis has largely drawn into its first two albums, extremely popular, Definitely Maybe (1994) et (What’s the Story) Morning Glory ? (1995), but also gratified the public with pieces released later, and B faces present in particular on the compilation The Masterplan.
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The group launched the show with its title HelloThen Acquiesce et Morning Glory. In the list of twenty-three songs, were also Roll With It – a duo of the brothers -, Cigarettes And AlcoholStand By Me et Supersonicthe song that launched their careers in 1994. During Live Forever (“Live forever”), an image of the Liverpool FC Diogo Jota player, who died in a car accident on Thursday was broadcast on the giant screen.
Oasis obviously closed the evening with his mega tubes Don’t Look Back in Anger, WonderWall et Champagne Supernova As a reminder.
Since the disappearance of the training, in 2009, little thought of seeing his founding brothers together on stage. At the end of the concert, the group thanked its fans for “Having supported us all these years” Despite the blunders.
Frank Gonzales, 49, who came from California, told the Agency France-Presse (AFP) that he was overwhelmed by “Emotion”. “I had seen them several times [avant leur séparation] But to see them together, I would never have thought of reliving it. It was beautiful “he explained.
In the afternoon, the Cardiff center resonated from the excitement of fans-from all over the world-, which were in chorus the group’s tubes on the terraces of crowds, carrying oasis t-shirts.
Mark Cassidy, a 31 -year -old American, left New York with a friend to attend the reappearance on stage of his idols. “Overxities”they had planned “Drink a few pints and relax” Before the big moment.
Rush on tickets and controversy on prices
The group, whose style is very widely influenced by the Beatles, announced its return in August 2024, a few days before the 30the anniversary of his first album Definitely Maybe. After their hectic separation, the Gallagher brothers continued a career, each on their side, without really knowing the glory and regularly mimicked by interposed media.
The surprise announcement of their return sparked a fans on tickets, 900,000 of which were sold in a few hours. The online sale for concerts in the United Kingdom and Ireland had turned to chaos, with millions of people trapped in endless virtual queues without being able to access the website. Ticket prices outbreak, generated by a dynamic pricing process »aroused controversy. And pushed the British competition regulator to open an investigation into the practices of the Ticketmaster sales platform.
Liam had fun with this controversy, asking spectators: “Do you have a good time?” It was worth 40,000 pounds [46 000 euros] For the ticket? »»
Debbie Bonfield, a 65 -year -old Welsh, denounced “A scam” made to fans but “All this is forgotten with the atmosphere” of the concert. “It was great, I loved it”she told AFP.
“We were raw and nervous guys”
This tour is a boon for the group as for the British economy. Fans should pay more than 1 billion pounds (around 1.16 billion euros) in tickets and for transport or accommodation, according to an estimate of Barclays. Several dozen of these millions will go directly into the pocket of the two brothers.
According to the British media, Liam and Noel started playing together several months ago and started rehearsals in London more recently. In a program distributed upstream of the first concert, the second evokes the success of the group with a new generation which “Understand that Oasis was not manufactured”. “It was chaotic, imperfect and not technically brilliant. We were raw and nervous guys, just out of the rehearsal room, and people understood it ”he says.
In 2025, the dirty kids were again gathered. But for how long, before the next argument?
