Oasis, Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, 13th July 2005
The next time I saw Oasis was at Newcastle Arena in July 2005. They were on tour to promote their album “Don’t Believe the Truth” and called at Newcastle for two nights; Tuesday 12th July and Wednesday 13th July. The rest of the tour saw them selling out massive stadiums: three nights at the City of Manchester Stadium, two nights at Milton Keynes National Bowl and shows at Hampden Park, Glasgow and Southampton Rose Bowl. So the Newcastle concerts were small gigs in comparison and tickets sold out immediately. I went to concert on the second night at the venue.
It was a red hot summer night and the place was jam packed. The heat in the arena was stifling, and Oasis came on stage to one of the biggest roars I’ve ever heard. I was with David; we had standing tickets, and managed to get ourselves right into the thick of the crowd; everyone around us was going totally crazy. Oasis, and Liam in particular, were on excellent form. This gig was so much better than the first time I saw them at the Reebok Stadium; it wasn’t that the band were playing any better, but the sound was much clearer, louder and the atmosphere in the middle of the arena was much more exciting than it can ever be when you are standing up on the terraces at the back of a stadium. The set included the hits and tracks from the new album. They closed with an excellent version of the Who’s My Generation, showing their classic rock roots. Great stuff.
Jonjo McNeill summed it up well in a review of the time: “every single person in that room was part of the band tonight, every single one a Rock N Roll Star, and that’s why Oasis will always be the Best Band in the World to me” (Jonjo McNeill, PennyBlackMusic, 2005).
Setlist: Turn Up the Sun; Lyla; Bring It on Down; Morning Glory; Cigarettes & Alcohol; The Importance of Being Idle; Little By Little; A Bell Will Ring; Acquiesce; Songbird; Live Forever; Mucky Fingers; Wonderwall; Champagne Supernova; Rock ‘n’ Roll Star. Encore: Guess God Thinks I’m Abel; The Meaning of Soul; Don’t Look Back in Anger; My Generation (The Who cover)
Archive for the ‘Oasis’ Category
15 Jan
Oasis, Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, 13th July 2005
14 Jan
Oasis Reebok Stadium Bolton 15th July 2000
Oasis Reebok Stadium Bolton 15th July 2000
I came late in terms of getting to see Oasis in concert. They came up during a time that my gig going was at a low point, and it wasn’t until 2000 that I finally got to see them. By then I had missed (and regretted doing so) their massive Knebworth gig, so I was pretty keen to see what the Gallagher brothers were like live. When they announced their next tour, I bought tickets immediately for their (relatively) home town gig at Bolton Reebok football stadium. Marie and I travelled across to Manchester by train, staying at the Midland hotel, and taking the train across to Bolton. We arrived just in time to catch some of the first support act, which was ex-Smiths Johnny Marr’s new band the Healers. Next up were Shaun Ryder and his Manchester heroes the Happy Mondays. Both went down well with the home crowd and warmed everyone up for the main attraction.
This gig came shortly after the Gallagher brothers had one of their bust-ups which resulted in Noel walking out of the European leg of the Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants world tour, and the scrapping of French tour dates. The tour tcontinued with a stand-in for Noel, but luckily the brothers had made it up by the time the tour reached the UK. Oasis opened their set with Don’t Let It Out, and played for around 90 minutes, featuring all of their well known songs. We were up in the stands to the left of the stage, and the sound wasn’t great up there, but Oasis were still impressive.
However, my most enduring memory of the day comes from the journey back to Manchester. We left during the encores in the hope of getting a headstart before the massive crowds rolled out onto the trains. The station was walking distance from the Stadium. We got onto the platform without any problem, and stood waiting for the next train. And we waited and waited, as more and more people piled onto the platform. Soon the station was completely packed to the extent people were in danger of being pushed onto the tracks. Eventually a train arrived and everyone piled on. I’ve never been on such a packed train; it was so full you couldn’t move at all, with people up on tables and every inch of space taken; to the extent it was dangerous and pretty frightening. The short journey from Bolton to Oxford Road seemed to take forever. How we managed to squeeze our way out of the carriage I don’t know. Marie lost a shoe in the process and I literally had to pull her out of the carriage. She wasn’t in too good a mood travelling back the next morning with only one shoe 🙂 Very bad organisation, which left a bad taste after what was, otherwise a great gig.
From a review of the time: “Oasis just know how to rock an entire stadium. The entire crowd rocked when ‘Supersonic’ played, they jumped when ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ played, they laughed when Liam spoke, they reminisced about Knebworth when ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’ oozed from the giant speakers. You could see the atmosphere it was that rich.” Reblogged from: http://www.ciao.co.uk/OASIS_Bolton_Reebok_Stadium__44759
Setlist: Go Let It Out; Who Feels Love?; Supersonic; Shakermaker; Acquiesce; Step Out; Gas Panic!; Roll With It; Stand By Me; Wonderwall; Cigarettes & Alcohol; Don’t Look Back in Anger; Live Forever. Encore: Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) (Neil Young cover); Champagne Supernova; Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
24 Feb
Noel Gallagher High Flying Birds Newcastle Arena 23 February 2012
Noel Gallagher High Flying Birds Newcastle Arena 23 February 2012
Good showing on all fronts for Noel Gallagher last night. The place was packed, and the crowd gave Noel the sort of reception only long time heroes can expect. I missed the support and arrived just before Noel and his band took to the stage. The set was a mix of songs from his recent album and a few Oasis songs thrown in for good measure. He didn’t include as many of the Oasis hits, as I’d expected. This was by no means a greatest hits performance. None the less, His new songs are potential anthems in their own right. The crowd certainly knew the lyrics of every song and sang along with every word. Better than I expected. Great band, and an orchestra and choir for a couple of songs. 
Some cheeky banter from Noel, who even had the nerve to tease the crowd about the Sports Direct Arena issue, brave man; only he could get away with it! Setlist: (It’s Good) To Be Free; Mucky Fingers; Everybody’s on the Run; Dream On; If I Had a Gun; The Good Rebel; The Death of You and Me; Freaky Teeth; Supersonic; (I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine; What a Life!; Talk Tonight; Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks; Broken Arrow; Half The World Away; (Stranded On) The Wrong Beach; Encores: Whatever; Little By Little; The Importance of Being Idle; Don’t Look Back In Anger
5 Mar
Beady Eye Manchester Apollo 6 March 2011
Beady Eye Manchester Apollo 6 March 2011
Great gig. Miles Kane was a good support, his material sounding a little like last Shadow Puppets as you might expect. He did a great version of the Beatles’ Hey Bulldog.
Laura and I were upstairs in the circle, where the crowd seem a little more subdued than I had expected. Still there was some singing along to the tracks played over the sound system: Satisfaction, Revolution, Children of the Revolution, God Save the Queen, I can see for miles and I am the resurrection (lots of singing along for this one) were all blasted out to us before the main man took to the stage. Everyone was up for it, but not going mental (expect things were different downstairs). Liam had the usual swagger and was in great voice. The set was all new songs from the album, with no Oasis tracks. The new songs sounded great, and everyone around us knew all the words (we didn’t!). A lot has been said about the songs and many comparisons made with Oasis; to me some sounded great (The Roller, Four Letter Word, The Morning Son, Bring the Light) and the others were OK. The anthems are there, we just haven’t got used to them yet.
Setlist:
Four Letter Word
Beatles And Stones
Millionaire
For Anyone
The Roller
Wind Up Dream
Bring The Light
Standing On The Edge Of The Noise
Kill For A Dream
Three Ring Circus
Man Of Misery
The Beat Goes On
The Morning Son
Encore: Sons Of The Stage
http://www.beadyeyemusic.com/
ticket
14 Jun
Oasis Sunderland Stadium of Light 10 June 2009
Oasis Sunderland Stadium of Light 10 June 2009
So Oasis came to the Stadium of Light. This is the second concert at the Stadium after Take That kicked things off earlier in the week. A very different crowd (of course) for this one. Oasis are exactly the right working class heroes sort of band to come to Sunderland; and fit well with the ethos of the city. The stadium is chocca and trying to get to the bars for a drink proves an impossible obstacle course. We arrive as the Enemy are finishing and don’t get a chance to see them properly. Kasbian go down well but the sound is pretty ropey from where we are sitting in the east stand.
Oasis take the stage just before nine and seem really up for it. The sound is loud but very clear. The set is the same as that which Laura and I saw at Sheffield last year. A good mix of old songs and new ones from the recent album. The crowd on the pitch looks pretty wild but there is no trouble (which many were fearing). Some beer and other things getting thrown around, but not a lot actually. Oasis really were on top form tonight. We (me, Marie, Laura) enjoy it. It don’t get much better than this. Oasis remind me of the Who at their best in the 70s; it brings back memories of the two Charlton shows when the Who were on pretty top form. Same sort of solid guitar-based rock and great songs.
So a great start to concerts at the Stadium of Light. There is talk of more next summer. I can’t wait.
programme
ticket
12 Oct
Oasis Sheffield Arena 10 October
Oasis Sheffield Hallam Arena Friday 10 October 2008
Oasis are back and on top form. A new album, and a new tour which sold out in the first hour. To the fans who have followed them over the years, Oasis are THE band. So there is an air of heavy anticipation around in the cavernous Sheffield Hallam arena on Friday night.
Laura and I drove down to Sheffield on Friday night; traffic wasn’t too bad given it was a Friday. In fact we arrived there with plenty of time to spare. Laura bought her customary t-shirt and I bought my programme. Then, after a couple of pretty mega size hot dogs, we took our seats which were at the back of the arena, opposite the stage. The support act was a band called Twisted Wheel, who niether of us had heard of before. They were OK I suppose, pretty average actually, sounded like a cross between old school punk (doesn’t everyone nowadays?) and the Arctic Monkeys. After they have finished there’s a short wait before Oasis take the stage to a might roar from the Yorkshire crowd.
The sound is pretty clear from where we are; maybe could be a little louder. Liam’s voice is really strong, and he looks pretty cool on stage. The set is a mixture of old and new. The songs from the new album are very strong, and the old favourites go down well with the crowd. Lots of singing along. Lots of beer flying aroundon the floor and on the lower terraces. Luckily we mostly escape this.
In the encore we get Don’t Look Back in Anger sung largely acoustic by Noel, and a great version of Champagne Supernova. The last song is I am the Walrus which nearly takes the roof off. And then its over, seemed like they had only been on stage 5 minutes, although it had been almost 2 hours in reality. The drive back to Newcastle is straight forward; road is clear.
So the lads didn’t let us down. They follow in a great line of British rock bands. Just like seeing the Who, the Faces or the Kinks on a good night. Roll on next Summer (now where will the mega gig in Manchester be?) ; can’t wait.
Set list: Rock N Roll Star ; Lyla ; The Shock Of The Lightning ;Cigarettes And Alcohol; Meaning Of Soul ;To Be Where There’s Life; Waiting For The Rapture; The Masterplan; Songbird; Slide Away; Morning Glory; Ain’t Got Nothing; The Importance Of Being Idle; To Be Where There’s Life; Wonderwall; Supersonic
Encores: Don’t Look Back In Anger (Acoustic); Falling Down; Champagne Supernova; I Am The Walrus
website: www.oasisinet.com
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