Oasis Reunion Tour Kicks Off After 16-Year Hiatus

After a 16-year separation, the iconic British band Oasis is reuniting, launching their highly anticipated tour tonight at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. Fans have been waiting for this moment for 5,795 days.

Soundcheck Excitement

The stadium has been abuzz with activity all week as soundchecks and rehearsals took place. Those nearby got to hear snippets of classic Oasis tracks such as Cigarettes & Alcohol, Wonderwall, and Champagne Supernova.

According to Noel Gallagher speaking on talkSPORT radio, “It’s sounding huge. This is it, there’s no going back now.”

Ticketmaster Controversy

The Oasis Live ’25 tour generated unprecedented demand, with over 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to purchase tickets. About 900,000 tickets were sold, but the process was marred by controversy when Ticketmaster re-labeled standard tickets as in demand, increasing their price from £135 to £355 plus fees.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation, suggesting Ticketmaster may have violated consumer protection laws. The CMA ordered Ticketmaster to change its labeling and pricing practices, to which Ticketmaster said it welcomed the advice. Notably, as of 2023, the average concert ticket price across all genres in the U.S. was $104.39, marking a 16.2% increase from the previous year (Statista).

Global Fanbase Descends on Cardiff

Despite the ticket debacle, excitement remains high in Cardiff. Fans from around the globe, including Spain, Peru, Japan, and the United States, have traveled to attend the opening night.

Jeff Gachini, a fan from Kenya making his first trip to the UK, said, “For me, Oasis represents an overwhelming optimism about being young and loving music. To write simple music that relays the simple truth of life is very difficult. For me, they do that better than anyone.”

The Band Line-Up

**Noel** and **Liam Gallagher** will be joined by former Oasis members **Gem Archer**, **Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs**, and **Andy Bell**. Drummer **Joey Waronker**, who has worked with Beck and REM, and backing singer **Jess Greenfield** (from **Noel’s** High Flying Birds side project) will also perform.

Possible Setlist

Rumors about the setlist have circulated, with one Reddit leak suggesting the band will open with Hello and close with Champagne Supernova. Other potential highlights include Acquiesece, Roll With It, Live Forever, and Supersonic.

Oasis’ Rise to Fame

Oasis became Britain’s biggest band between 1994 and 1997, achieving massive sales with their first three albums: *Definitely Maybe*, *(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?*, and *Be Here Now*. Their music revitalized British guitar music, offering an alternative to Seattle grunge.

Hailing from Manchester, the band was formed as a way to escape working-class limitations. **Noel Gallagher** once said, “In Manchester you either became a musician, a footballer, a drugs dealer or work in a factory. And there aren’t a lot of factories left, you know?”

Originally **Liam’s** band, The Rain, **Noel** joined and became the primary songwriter and leader. This led to worldwide fame, including two significant open-air concerts at Knebworth House in 1996. Nearly 5% of the UK population applied for tickets, with 125,000 people attending.

However, tensions between the **Gallagher** brothers often resulted in conflict. The band split in August 2009 after an argument before a festival performance in Paris. **Noel** stated, “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”

Reconciliation and Reunion

Since their split, both brothers pursued solo careers while facing constant questions about a reunion. **Liam** considered it inevitable in 2020 and suggested reforming to support NHS workers during the pandemic. However, he claimed **Noel** declined despite a substantial offer.

**Liam** said, “There was a lot of money knocking about. It was £100 million to do a tour. But [Noel] isn’t into it. He’s after a knighthood, isn’t he?”

After another five years, the brothers reconciled. Tabloid newspapers speculated that **Noel’s** divorce led to improved relations, while others suggested a desire for a more positive ending to the Oasis story.

**Tim Abbott**, former managing director of Oasis’s record label, Creation, remarked, “I’ve heard everything is honky dory and they’re getting on great. I’ve worked with bands in the past that had separate limos, separate walkways onto the stage. I don’t think they’ll get to that. They’re grown men.”

The sold-out tour includes 41 shows between July and November in the UK & Ireland, North America, Oceania, and South America.

**Alec McKinlay**, Oasis’s co-manager, told Music Week, “Probably the biggest and most pleasing surprise of the reunion announcement is how huge it was internationally. Honestly, we knew it would be big here, and that doesn’t take much intuition. But looking outside the UK, we knew they had a strong fanbase, we did all the stats. We were quite cautious about what that would mean when it came to people actually buying tickets but we were just bowled over by how huge it was.”

**McKinlay** clarified that there are no plans for new music, describing this tour as their last time around. The band is scheduled to perform at 20:15 UK time tonight.