Following a contentious break-up and a fifteen-year hiatus, fans of iconic ‘90s music never thought they’d see the day Oasis reunited. Yet on July 4, Oasis, led by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, took the stage at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.
This was the first of 41 shows on the Oasis Live ‘25 tour, nine of which were in North America. Additionally, the tour encompasses shows in Europe, Asia, Australia, and South America. Nearly 90,000 people attended some of these performances, including those at London’s Wembley Stadium, where the band performed seven times.
The band was formed in 1991, originating from Manchester, England. Liam Gallagher formed the band as the lead singer, and later recruited his older brother, Noel, to assume the role of lead guitarist and primary songwriter. When the band formed, the original lineup consisted of Noel and Liam Gallagher, along with Paul Arthurs, Paul McGuigan, and Tony McCarroll on guitar, bass, and drums, respectively. From its formation to its breakup in 2009, the band saw numerous members come and go, but the Gallagher brothers remained the only consistent presence throughout Oasis’s entirety.
Throughout the band’s eighteen-year run, Oasis released a total of seven studio albums. Their first album, titled Definitely Maybe, was released on Aug. 29, 1994, ultimately reaching No. 1 in the United Kingdom. But it wasn’t until the next year, with the release of their second album, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? that Oasis became widely known in the United States.
Oasis embarked on many a tour in their original eighteen years, playing upwards of 800 shows. Yet during their original run, the band was not only known for their music, but also for their conflicts.
One of their well-known and earlier conflicts came in 1994 in Los Angeles, as Noel fled the Whisky a Go Go, a Hollywood music venue, after Liam launched a tambourine at his head. Noel left the band for a short time, with accounts varying on where he sought sanctuary.
From tambourines to the head to sparring in interviews, the two brothers engaged in quarrels long before what fans presumed to be their final departure in 2009. Noel and Liam Gallagher did not shy away from airing their opinions and insults of each other to the public, especially the press. Maybe one of the most notable incidents was the time in which Noel compared his brother to “a man with a fork in a world of soup.”
Oasis released their final album, Dig Out Your Soul, in 2008. It was on the Dig Out Your Soul tour that the Gallagher brothers engaged in a spat they could not come back from. The band was in Paris for the Rock en Seine festival on Aug. 28, 2009. Yet, Oasis never made it to the stage, as a backstage fight between the brothers ensued beforehand. Liam’s clothing line, Pretty Green, was newly launched, but to Liam’s irritation, Noel did not want the line advertised in the festival’s program unless Liam was willing to pay. Liam did not like this gesture, entering in what Noel later recalled as a state of violence and smashing a guitar. The fight ultimately resulted in Noel leaving the band, with him stating, “I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”
Of course, following this split, fans of the band did not think they’d get to see the Gallagher brothers together in concert. Noel and Liam both went on to pursue solo careers, while Liam simultaneously continued with the rest of Oasis’s band members under the new name Beady Eye.
The news of the Oasis Live ‘25 tour came on Aug. 27, 2024, as the band wrote on social media, “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”
This announcement sent a shock through the scene, as fans did not think reconciliation was possible for the Gallagher brothers. However, when the opportunity presented itself, many fans felt that attending the tour was a necessity.
Ticketmaster crashes ensued, with an estimated 14 million people attempting to get tickets for the original 17 shows in the United Kingdom and Ireland alone. Of these 14 million, around 1.4 million people were able to get tickets. With the addition of 24 more shows spanning multiple continents, Oasis will have performed in front of over two million fans by the end of the tour.
Undeniably, a large majority of this crowd is made up of those who knew of and followed Oasis in their prime. But the tour has seen interest from younger generations as well. Oasis has seeped its way into the next generation, whether it be hearing the music from parents or being introduced to iconic songs such as “Wonderwall” and “Live Forever” through modern media forms. Polls have shown that the greatest excitement surrounding the Oasis reunion has stemmed from Gen Z fans.
As Oasis takes the stage each show, the two brothers will enter with their hands clasped, high in the air, greeting an electric crowd. And as each night draws to a close, with fireworks erupting over the venue, Noel and Liam cross the stage for an embrace, signifying the peace that has fallen between them. After all, they are the band that advised not to look back in anger—advice they are taking to heart.
