CARDIFF, Wales (AP) 鈥� Oasis ended a 16-year hiatus on Friday with a punchy, powerful trip through one of Britpop's greatest songbooks, kicking off a in Cardiff, Wales to a crowd ecstatic for the band's 1990s hits.
And was there brotherly love between the famously feuding Gallagher siblings? Definitely maybe.
Liam's swagger is undimmed
Fans traveled to the Welsh capital from around the world for a show that many thought would never happen. Guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and his singer brother Liam, the heart of Oasis, had not performed together since their acrimonious split in 2009.
One fan banner summed it up: 鈥淭he great wait is over.鈥�
After a montage of headlines about the was capped with the words 鈥渢he guns have fallen silent,鈥� Oasis appeared on stage to a deafening roar, opening with the apt 鈥淗ello鈥� and its refrain of 鈥渋t鈥檚 good to be back.鈥�
The brothers had a brief hand-in-hand moment but largely kept their distance onstage. Noel, 58, focused on his guitar while a parka-clad Liam, 52, snarled into the microphone with a swagger that has not dimmed in the 31 years since the band released its first album, 鈥淒efinitely Maybe.鈥�
A crowd of more than 60,000 in the Principality Stadium was treated to a well-paced two-hour set that drew heavily on the first album and its 1995 followup, 鈥�(What's the Story) Morning Glory,鈥� alongside a smattering of later tracks and fan-favorite B-sides.
Song like 鈥淪upersonic,鈥� 鈥淩oll With It鈥� and 鈥淩ock 鈥榥鈥� Roll Star鈥� sounded as thunderous as ever and sparked mass sing-alongs.
鈥淧ut your arms over each other like you love each other,鈥� a tambourine-clutching Liam exhorted the crowd before launching into 鈥淐igarettes and Alcohol."
There was poignancy on 鈥淟ive Forever鈥� when an image of Liverpool Football Club player , who was killed in a car crash on Thursday, was projected above the band.
Noel took his turn on lead vocals for several songs, including the touching 鈥淗alf the World Away,鈥� and the show ended with encores featuring some of Oasis' most enduring tracks: 鈥淒on't Look Back in Anger,鈥� 鈥淲onderwall鈥� and 鈥淐hampagne Supernova.鈥� The brothers shared a half-hug as they ended the final song.
Multicolored, sometimes faintly psychedelic projections formed the main technological accoutrement to a show where the focus was squarely on the songs. There was little banter, though Liam paused between songs to check the audience was having a good time.
鈥淲as it worth the 40,000 pounds you paid for the ticket?鈥� he quipped at one point, referring to the scramble for seats that saw some fans pay hundreds to see a show.
From the roar of response, it was.
鈥榁ery, very special鈥�
The show in Cardiff kicked off a 19-date Live '25 tour in the U.K. and Ireland. Then come stops in , ending in Sao Paulo on Nov. 23.
Before the show, the streets around the stadium filled with fans who gathered in groups to sing along to the band's hits and snapped up Oasis-branded bucket hats at 35 pounds ($48) each.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very, very special 鈥� emotional," said 44-year old Rob Maule from Edinburgh, Scotland. "I鈥檓 here with three of my friends, childhood friends, and we used to see Oasis across the country.
鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 a generational thing. It鈥檚 a chapter of our lives," he said. "And then the second generation, as people are taking their kids. It鈥檚 really special.鈥�
Vicki Moynehan came from Dorchester, in southwest England. She said her life has changed since she bought her ticket almost a year ago.
鈥淪even months pregnant 鈥� ain鈥檛 gonna stop me,鈥� she said.
Sing-along rock choruses
Founded in the working-class streets of Manchester, England, in 1991, Oasis was one of the dominant British acts of the 1990s, releasing eight U.K. No. 1 albums.
The band鈥檚 sound was fueled by sing-along rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher 鈥� a Beatles and glam rock-loving musician with a knack for memorable tunes 鈥� and younger brother Liam.
Then and since, the brothers have often traded barbs 鈥� onstage, in the studio and in interviews. Liam once called Noel 鈥渢ofu boy,鈥� while Noel branded his brother 鈥渢he angriest man you鈥檒l ever meet. He鈥檚 like a man with a fork in a world of soup.鈥�
After a backstage bustup at a concert in France in 2009, they long resisted pressure to reunite, even with the promise of a multimillion-dollar payday.
Now they have agreed on a tour that sees hem joined by former Oasis members Paul 鈥淏onehead鈥� Arthurs and Gem Archer on guitar, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Joey Waronker.
'An absolute unbelievable blast'
The announcement of the U.K. tour in August sparked a , complete with error messages, hourslong online queues, dashed hopes and anger at prices that surged at the last minute.
The ticketing troubles sparked questions in U.K. Parliament, where Arts Minister Chris Bryant criticized 鈥減ractices that see fans of live events blindsided by price hikes.鈥� Britain鈥檚 competition regulator has since threatened Ticketmaster 鈥� which sold around 900,000 Oasis tickets 鈥� with legal action.
No plans have been announced for Oasis to record any new music, and the tour is being presented as a one-off.
Music writer John Aizlewood said that it鈥檚 an opportunity for Oasis to 鈥渢end the legacy鈥� of the band, and remind people of the power of the Oasis brand.
鈥淭here should be a sense of huge joy and life affirmation about these shows. And I think if they can just play it right, then that can be a massive burnishing of their legacy,鈥� he said. 鈥�(There is) this enduring love for Oasis 鈥� and love means money.鈥�
Fans were determined to enjoy the moment.
鈥淚鈥檓 the oldest sibling of four brothers, so I know they鈥檒l fall out,鈥� said Stephen Truscott, from Middlesbrough in northeast England. "(But) the first night, they鈥檙e going to have an absolute unbelievable blast. It鈥檚 going to be the best.鈥�
Jill Lawless, The Associated Press
