Reviews of the first Oasis-reunion show at Wembley are in, and once again they're raves

[highplainsdem]

Critics are probably disappointed that the reunion hasn't blown apart yet, and the band sounds so good. But their fans are delighted, and at Wembley that will be a total of nearly half a million fans over 5 nights.

I'm happy about this, especially because this is a band getting attention, not a solo artist. And the emphasis is on the music, not dancing and/or costumes. Real music, not lip-syncing. (I'd been disappointed to see the Wings of Pegasus analysis on YouTube showing Taylor Swift lip-syncing during the Eras tour.)

From the Hollywood Reporter:

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/music-news/oasis-wembley-review-concert-liam-noel-gallagher-gig-1236329124/

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Let’s state the obvious first. This was always going to be a “best of” tour, filled with all of the music that fans have been dreaming of hearing live again for a decade-and-a-half now. The brothers performed their biggest hits and then some: “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Slide Away” and, of course, “Wonderwall,” which was aptly introduced by Liam: “It’s that song again…” They closed with “Champagne Supernova,” the entire 90,000+ crowd still hanging on to every lyric after two straight hours of passionate dancing. The ’90s visuals up on screen were every bit as nostalgic as you’d hope: clips of the two, in their heyday, messing around at the height of their fame.

None of this came as a surprise, but the emotion palpable in that arena was nothing short of overwhelming. The atmosphere was contagious, and on some occasions the ground shook from the weight of a sea of standing fans bouncing up and down (especially during 1995’s “Roll With It”). What was even more evident, however, was how meaningful this concert was to those in attendance. Couples kissed, strangers hugged and fist-bumped, men screamed like they were at a soccer match. Some were even crying. This was a homecoming for thousands of people… even if a lot of alcohol was consumed.

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The brothers were constantly exchanging jabs over the years, with Liam especially taking pleasure in calling Noel “a potato” and slamming his musical talent. Noel, on the other hand, famously told The Guardian not long ago: “I liked my mum until she gave birth to Liam.” So when the news broke that the pair had patched things up — at least, long enough to go on tour — a lot of people were surprised.

Yet, there was no trace of ill-feeling on stage Friday. Liam and Noel walked out hand-in-hand, after an opening montage played that poked fun at the years-spanning press coverage on Oasis. In the moments that Liam was being particularly cheeky — such as, when he told the crowd to sort out their “sulky faces” — his older brother could be seen giggling in response. Concerns over Liam’s vocals should also be overruled; Oasis are back to their best, and so obviously missed playing together.

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The Gallaghers walking onstage, hand in hand - which they've done at other shows on this tour - and then Noel bowing down to Liam, which I hadn't seen reported at any earlier shows:

The last minutes of the show - and Noel's "Up the fucking Blues!" is for his and Liam's favorite football team, Manchester City, which they've sometimes been booed for praising on this tour.