It genuinely feels like Oasis are a bit of an anomaly. Both underrated and overrated, talented and basic, raw and polished. The absolute frenzy that ensued when the announcement of a reunion tour finally was confirmed could be likened to any flavour-of-the-week pop star currently doing the circuit, and not to a rock band that was relevant in the 90s and haven’t had a hit in more than 20 years. However, that initial excitement was still palpable from the sea of bucket hats as I made my way into the frustratingly isolated Accor Stadium – more than 12 months after the reunion was announced. What was I about to witness? Two aging rockstars phoning it in for a pay check? Or the reunion tour that many had dreamed about for so many years delivered as anticipated?
Home-grown rockers Ball Park Music kick off proceedings in stylistic fashion, busting out their best British-rock-inspired impressions for an entertaining 45mins. The crew from Brisbane do incredibly well to hold the attention of the English-heavy crowd, selecting choice cuts from across their 8 albums (not bad for 14 years!), however focusing mostly on 2014’s Puddinghead, including closing tracks She Only Loves Me When I’m There and Struggle Street. Having heard of the band before but not being familiar with any of their tracks, it was a suitably impressive set – full of energy, improvisation and confidence. Lead singer and guitarist Sam Cromack does a great job. It can’t have been easy to deal with the expectation from a crowd who are desperately eager to get through to their 90s rocker heroes set. I don’t think there would have been many in the crowd who weren’t left feeling very curious to hear more; myself included.
Since 2000, there has rarely been a show that hasn’t started the same way for Oasis. Everyone knows it’s coming. Tonight, just prior to the official start – the words THIS IS NOT A DRILL appear on screen, with an announcer blaring through the loudspeaker proclaiming the imminent arrival of the band. A db meter soon follows, cheekily playing with the crowd between loud and soft. Then, what everyone had been waiting for – the drums drop for that absolutely iconic introduction song F*ckin’ In The Bushes. It’s literally perfect, as expected as it might have been. As the song plays through, the screens are adorned with newspaper articles, photographs, online comments and more regarding the Oasis reunion, and as the song moves towards it’s triumphant crescendo – the brothers appear, arm in arm, before a warm embrace as they set their marks. It’s genuinely poetic and one of the greatest gig moments I’ve ever borne witness to. Whether you’re a fan of the band or not, seeing Liam and Noel Gallagher put aside their pettiness and indifference for each other, truly reconcile, and bring back the much-loved anthems to their adoring fanbase is surely one of the all-time great moments in music history.
And boy, don’t the crowd know it. Within seconds of opener Hello, the jam-packed Accor Stadium crowd is bouncing and singing in unison. It’s a cracking start, with Liam belting the not-so-subtle refrain lines of “Hello, hello, it’s good to be back” with a smirk on his face (and being gloriously justified). With barely a second to breathe, Acquiesce soon follows, and this time it’s Noel‘s turn to get the crowd going with that unbelievably well written and sung chorus (“Cause we need each other, we believe in one another”). It’s almost as if the song was written for this moment, and again the crowd are completely lapping it up – bouncing up and down with hands in the air, all at full voice. It’s during this song that I stop and stare in awe at the floor of Accor Stadium from my vantage point from the old man seats. There is barely a single person stood still – and I can only recall seeing something like it 3 times out of ~210 odd gigs (two of those times were Rage Against The Machine, the third being Dizzee Rascal at Big Day Out). It’s such an incredible sight to witness.
There’s hardly a quiet moment throughout the entire night. It’s a jam-packed 23-song greatest hits set, which is exactly what they needed to deliver. It’s a testament to the longevity of the band that they write so many quality tunes – genuinely the masters of the chorus. Morning Glory, Some Might Say, Supersonic, Roll With It, Stand By Me, Cast No Shadow, Slide Away, Live Forever, Rock ‘N’ Roll Star all featured within the main set of the night, which also included a neat Noel-led set of Talk Tonight, Half The World Away and personal favourite Little by Little, whilst Liam took a break. Noel sounds as good as ever, the consummate professional and the mastermind behind many of the band’s hits. He’s the solid foundation of a strong duo. But oh man, when Liam opens his mouth that nostalgia just hits different. Whilst Liam has done his best to adjust his voice to age and mis-use, he’s still sounding great and making sure he’s hitting all the right parts well. There’s a few times where it’s disappointing he’s forced to adjust a higher melody in an iconic part, but it’s understandable and probably not all that noticeable to the regular punter. It’s just such a joy to hear him singing again. He and Noel harmonise fantastically well.
The night certainly comes to its crescendo during the encore. Without Liam in sight, Noel takes us through The Masterplan before stopping to address the crowd. He asks who has never seen Oasis before – to which many cheer in acknowledgement of their first time. He muses about why people might come along, and what makes it special – but he thinks he has the answer, and begins to play Don’t Look Back In Anger. What a moment. This song is truly something special. You’ve seen the videos and the memes, you’ve heard the anecdotes – nothing compares to hearing a crowd sing that chorus in unison. I don’t even know that it makes sense, but that’s the beauty of music – it doesn’t have to. All anyone knew is that they were there together in that moment sharing the same feeling. The night is topped off with casual favourite Wonderwall, before Champgane Supernova rings out and ends the night, complete with a firework display and a half-serious proclamation of ‘seeing us again soon’.
Tonight was truly one of those gigs where I’ll look back when I’m old and grey and be able to say “I was there”. Biblical.
4.8/5
Oasis, Accor Stadium, Sydney, Saturday November 8th 2025
- Hello
- Acquiesce
- Morning Glory
- Some Might Say
- Bring It On Down
- Cigarettes and Alcohol
- Fade Away
- Supersonic
- Roll With It
- Talk Tonight
- Half the World Away
- Little By Little
- D’You Know What I Mean?
- Stand By Me
- Cast No Shadow
- Slide Away
- Whatever
- Live Forever
- Rock ‘N’ Roll Star
- The Masterplan
- Don’t Look Back in Anger
- Wonderwall
- Champagne Supernova
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