In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

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Meise
In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

Well, they certainly did more than okay in the States. Have you not seen their sales, or chart-placings on Billboard? This 'not cracking America' thing is an utter myth. Sure, they haven't historically filled stadiums there, but an area-size band they certainly have been. This time around, however, they will be filling stadiums in America. In 2025, Oasis are more popular than the Stones!

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Meise
In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

Well if you were 14 in 1996 Oasis was the bollox and they were equally great in the UK as in Scandinavia, Japan and Argentina.

After George Harrison's dismissal of the band, saying Oasis are for teenagers and will soon be forgotten Noel gave a proper response at the press conference in Stockholm at the World Tour premiere in '97:

"-Well, he's obviously a senile old fool isn't he? Oasis ARE for teenagers. For someone to be considered to be the quiet one in the Beatles he oughta keep his mouth shut."

'Nuff said. Hadn't it been for Oasis I would never have bought Exile On Main St and never discovered our boys beyond Rolled Gold and Steel Wheels

(But the new drummer really doesn't do them any favours, wish they would have brought back Zak instead).

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MadMax


(But the new drummer really doesn't do them any favours, wish they would have brought back Zak instead).

He seems to be going for the minimalistic approach; check-out the drums during at the closing of of Little By Little for example. Alan White would be very busy during that part, with all his little rolls, etc. I know that Noel supposedly considered him to be a bit too much of a 'jazz drummer', but still. Zak was 'just right', and yeah, I'd have like Tony McCarroll to have been bought out for Supersonic.

Talentless morons

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stargroover
Talentless morons

Was this really necessary?

it's also just BS. Their backlog of songs is just crazy quality wise.

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Glimmerest

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stargroover
Talentless morons

Was this really necessary?

Wibbling Rivalry…the hate is rocket fuel

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Big Al

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MadMax


(But the new drummer really doesn't do them any favours, wish they would have brought back Zak instead).

He seems to be going for the minimalistic approach; check-out the drums during at the closing of of Little By Little for example. Alan White would be very busy during that part, with all his little rolls, etc. I know that Noel supposedly considered him to be a bit too much of a 'jazz drummer', but still. Zak was 'just right', and yeah, I'd have like Tony McCarroll to have been bought out for Supersonic.

It’s funny how much opinion differs across groups, in the Oasis communities I’ve been around online it’s commonly held that Zak was a bad fit (and McCarroll isn’t a good drummer at all). I’d much rather they still had Sharrock for the tour but apparently he said no.

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tommycharles

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Big Al

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MadMax


(But the new drummer really doesn't do them any favours, wish they would have brought back Zak instead).

He seems to be going for the minimalistic approach; check-out the drums during at the closing of of Little By Little for example. Alan White would be very busy during that part, with all his little rolls, etc. I know that Noel supposedly considered him to be a bit too much of a 'jazz drummer', but still. Zak was 'just right', and yeah, I'd have like Tony McCarroll to have been bought out for Supersonic.

It’s funny how much opinion differs across groups, in the Oasis communities I’ve been around online it’s commonly held that Zak was a bad fit (and McCarroll isn’t a good drummer at all). I’d much rather they still had Sharrock for the tour but apparently he said no.

Yep it's like Ronnie/Taylor discussions... Whitey was outstanding in 95-96 and during the Be Here Now tour but suffered after the tennitis. Folks who slag off Zak probably never catched them live, listen to the Nashville gig in 2006 (Cigs and Alcohol is just pure bleedin' Moon/Bonham stuff!), that's how Oasis always should sound after Whitey left. Sharrock was also good but I always felt Zak was the best fit after Whitey.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-08-27 21:30 by MadMax.

Guys! Someone selling one or two tickets for September 29 in wembley?

Drones over Soldier Field in Chicago, August 27



[x.com]



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Great pictures above. I suppose those are drones? Sometimes I really like technology.

I recall, in a magazine interview taken on the group’s first visit of Japan 1994, both Gallaghers slagged off the then drummer. Many readers thought his days were numbered.

FWIW I somehow like, at least I don’t mind, Tony McCarroll’s drumming in a not dissimilar way I like Steven Adler’s drumming on Appetite for Destruction.

Thought Zack was a powerful drummer when I saw him live, both with The Who and Oasis.

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Meise
In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

I’m Irish but felt the same when I heard Nirvana. We likes what we likes.

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Paddy

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Meise
In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

I’m Irish but felt the same when I heard Nirvana. We likes what we likes.

Right in the heart of Texas and Oasis is king at this ranch...even the livestock loves 'em...

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Paddy

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Meise
In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

I’m Irish but felt the same when I heard Nirvana. We likes what we likes.

From CA and agree with both of ya's.

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Munichhilton

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Paddy

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Meise
In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

I’m Irish but felt the same when I heard Nirvana. We likes what we likes.

Right in the heart of Texas and Oasis is king at this ranch...even the livestock loves 'em...

That's great! One of the best Oasis shows I saw was at The Verizon Arena in Houston in 2006. IF they record a new record it'd be cool if they returned to Austin to record it.

Chicago last night….
WOW!

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Meise
In my opinion, Oasis has never been a great band. Every song/tune sounds stolen—melodies, instrumentation, vocal lines, guitars... I never understood the hype surrounding this band. Aside from their big-mouthed babble, there was nothing substantial. Even the concerts are boring, and the whining that passes for singing has never been really appealing to me.

No wonder they never made it in the States ... pure UK attraction, nothing more or less.

from Chicago. (I admit I never saw them - and never wanted to.)

Oasis Blast Chicago Fans With Sonic Overload at First U.S. Reunion Show: ‘We Invented All This Madness’

The Gallaghers were in top shape during Thursday night's (Aug. 28) two-hour hit parade in the first of five American shows.

By Gil Kaufman
August 29, 2025

[www.billboard.com]

My problem with this band is strictly musical. If I’m in the car listening to the Stones, all the parts of my body not busy with driving automatically start moving to the rhythm. That has never happened to me with Oasis. Having been used to swing all my life, Oasis’s coldness leaves me indifferent.

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emotionalbarbecue
My problem with this band is strictly musical. If I’m in the car listening to the Stones, all the parts of my body not busy with driving automatically start moving to the rhythm. That has never happened to me with Oasis. Having been used to swing all my life, Oasis’s coldness leaves me indifferent.

That's cool. Not everybody digs the same hole. Its not so much a rhythm band as a guitar driven band. Probably why they go through drummers like candy...The wife hates 'em cause of Liam's arrogance (past tense) which is strictly not a musical reason

I urge you to try 'Keep The Dream Alive' as its a song that grooves. But that won't change your mind. Just a cool song.

An unenthusiastic review in the Chicago Tribune:
Review: Oasis goes through the motions and gets paid in a ho-hum reunion show at Soldier Field
[www.chicagotribune.com]

A more favorable review in the Chicago Sun-Times:
Review: Oasis rewrites history with unified performance signaling second coming of Britpop band
[chicago.suntimes.com]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-08-30 05:17 by bam.

Bam, any chance of pasting the Chicago Tribune review, here? I click the link, only to be told it’s ’not available in my region’

Review: Oasis goes through the motions and gets paid in a ho-hum reunion show at Soldier Field
?
Bob Gendron August 29, 2025 at 11:10 AM CDT

Nearly a year to the day after Oasis announced its reunion tour, the British band arrived Thursday at a sold-out Soldier Field and turned the venue into the equivalent of a massive pub stocked with oversized screens on which to view the action on the pitch. Or, in this case, the stage — though the real excitement was in the audience.

Thirsty for Britpop greased with glam-rock riffs, high decibels and cascading melodies, fans drank up stadium-ready anthems tailor-made for hoisting beverages, high-fiving mates and swaying arm-in-arm. All that happened regularly, along with plenty of fist-pumping and cheering on songs that celebrated fundamental escapism, as well as optimism and the permission to be yourself.

Led by oft-feuding siblings Noel and Liam Gallagher, Oasis played its part in the communal experience. Nothing more. Which means that the band supplied steady if routine renditions of catchy, familiar music that seldom deviated from the recorded versions, and avoided noticeable errors during a tightly scripted performance planned down to the minute.

No word if Oasis placed a running clock, a la Chuck Berry, in its view during the two-hour concert. But from sharing the exact same setlist as preceding dates to the basic visuals and sonic shortcomings, the show had many trappings associated with reunions done mainly for financial gain — or what the group’s British predecessors the Sex Pistols cleverly dubbed “filthy lucre” during their cash-grab tour in the mid-’90s.

Sure, the Gallagher brothers made a grand entrance to remind everyone of their mended relationship. Strolling onstage with hands joined and arms held high, the optics mirrored the triumphant proclamations of tabloid headlines that flashed on three giant screens and served as the introduction to an event billed with the line: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”

Arrogance, attitude and extravagance have always been part of Oasis’ stock-in-trade. Yet any further visual evidence of chemistry between the brothers ended as soon as the lead notes to the apt opener “Hello” peeled from Noel’s guitar. As for the rest of the collective, expanded with a few auxiliary instrumentalists and Joey Waronker on drums? However rendered anonymous by the muddy mix, guitarists Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Gem Archer at least looked as if they didn’t mind being there.

Not that Liam appeared miserable. Or thrilled. Or bothered. Positioned a fair distance away from Noel and seldom glancing his way, the singer seemed not to give a fig about much at all. A kindred spirit, then, with the narrators of many of the group’s songs. Wearing an anorak and sunglasses, Liam occasionally banged a tambourine, shook maracas and struck cocksure poses to stave off indifference. He also exhibited the proper manners in expressing gratitude. And though somewhat unintelligible, he offered breadcrumbs of banter that put a human slant on a show that unfolded with no surprises.

Gone from the scene since 2009, when constant sparring between the Gallagher siblings reached a point of no return in the form of a physical fight, Oasis never enjoyed the same popularity in the States that spoiled the band in its native England. There, the collective was treated akin to royalty, its reality TV-ready mix of internal drama and boorish conduct fodder for media chronicling the group’s every move. For a stretch, the degree of worship approached that of modern America’s obsession with Taylor Swift.

Absence apparently caused hearts to grow fonder. When the 2025 trek went on sale, 14 million people reportedly tried to get 1.4 million total tickets for an initial slate of U.K. and Ireland dates. Across the pond, Oasis booked only nine shows in North America. It could’ve booked more, yet who knows how much time the Gallaghers can tolerate spending together.

Chicago has witnessed the fallout of their temperamental flare-ups. In August 1996, Oasis opened its U.S. tour at the Rosemont Horizon (now Allstate Arena) without Liam, who remained in England, allegedly to look for a house while his older brother assumed lead vocal duties on several tracks. Two weeks later after Liam joined the tour, an argument ensued, dates got canceled and breakup rumors flew. In 2017, Liam left local fans in the lurch again by cutting his Lollapalooza set short by 40 minutes and leaving the stage without explanation.

On good behavior Thursday night, Liam gave no indication that chaos or ill-will ever entered his universe. Primarily standing motionless with his arms clutched behind his back, he sang with his head bent slightly back and upper body leaning toward the microphone as if venturing an answer to a question on a game show. With his tone and deliveries barely varying from song to song, Liam’s pronounced nasal register conveyed the brashness, confidence and irreverence of youth. His lip-curling sneers and elongated vowels suited Oasis’ most immediately swaggering and rip-roaring statements — particularly “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” “Acquiesce,” “Bring It on Down” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.”

As Liam occupied center stage and exuded haughty cool, Noel stood to the side and underpinned the arrangements with workman-style guitar work. Not only did he construct the bridges and hooks that led to huge choral payoffs, he also sang background on most numbers and took the lead on several tracks that saw Liam disappear backstage. The few glimmers of soulfulness owed to Noel’s contributions, as did a detour into pop psychedelia (“The Masterplan”) and an acoustic-based stab at confessional balladry (“Talk Tonight”).

Noel fared better than his 52-year-old brother in terms of revealing a hint of emotion. However, neither Gallagher bothered to crack their hardened shell. Or alter their apparent aversion toward making a full effort. Noel handed off all the chorus duties to the crowd on the smash “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” Liam adhered to that strategy on some of the explosive parts of multiple songs, including “Wonderwall.”

Those favorites, and all but three other cuts, stemmed from a two-year creative burst in 1994 and 1995. By shunning everything save the jangling “Little by Little” released after 1997 and ignoring three albums’ worth of material, Oasis seemed to admit just how quickly its songwriting quality and commitment went south. That said, every band warrants one shot at a reset and rehash of the past. Whether Oasis builds on this opportunity remains to be seen, though signs suggest otherwise despite Liam remarking “we’ll see you again” shortly before the closing “Champagne Supernova” exited with a blaze of overhead fireworks.

If it continues in any way apart from a nostalgia act, the group owes its supporting cast and potential audience the courtesy of investing in a sound system better than the thudding, echo-prone arrangements that hindered a majority of Thursday’s affair.

Put simply, fans who shelled out hundreds for tickets, purchased souvenir bucket hats by the armful and hollered their lungs out, serenading a group they paid to see deserve better.

Bob Gendron is a freelance critic.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2025-08-30 16:49 by bam.

Nice to read a non-hyperbolic review for a change.

Thank you, bam.

It’s not an entirely unfair review, I suppose. The static set-list is typical, yet still a disappointment. Not being a Brit, with tinted glasses, this American critic is allowed to be entirely objective. Even I, as a big fan, do acknowledge that so much of oasis’ lure is down to a wanting desire for yesteryear and a longing nostalgia for a better time. For us, Oasis are the tonic.

Yeah, exactly, Big Al, it was quite refreshing to read a review that was uncoupled from the cultural resonance that is such a huge part of Oasis in the UK.


(I was a medium fan back in the 90s, saw them at Knebworth, and loved Be Here Now)

The review seems like its from somebody who never saw them in the heyday. Live25 Oasis are sober and professional. They were neither ever before. I’m just thrilled Fade Away is in the set list. The YouTube stuff shows a solid band playing what needs to be played. Not unlike an older band people talk about…