Hello! It’s good to be back

Oasis

July 20th, 2025. The day has come. Not being lucky enough to get tickets to the last Manchester show at Heaton Park, we won the raffle to be front of stage! The front standing area was divided into 2 for security reasons; the first 9K people arriving will be the chosen ones to be front-front standing. With that in mind, we prepared ourselves with some sandwiches and some beer cans for the wait.

It was 11 am, and it was raining, but no rain or storm would prevent us from getting there. We made it, front “FRONT” standing after hours in the queue outside Heaton Park. Dropped the beers out of panic when the queue started walking, and we got inside the park, but still outside the doors. We even had to pass the only security guard who took his job thoroughly seriously. We were not only front of stage, we are centered, we are AT the spot. People bursting into tears, including us, we cannot believe it. It is happening!

Everyone is happy, even the security guards are infected with the happiness, one offered himself to fill up the water bottles for us. The waiting is not over; it has just begun.

And so, 18hrs. Cast, the same band who opened the legendary Knebworth shows, came back to open for their friends. With a short set of 7 songs, starting the set with Free Me from their album Mother Nature Calls (1997), and Sandstorm from their first album All Change (1995). Their set was a bit of a nostalgia nod to the Britpop fans. A running smoothly set with good vibes and energy to prepare the crowd for what was to come.

19hrs. Richard Ashcroft came to the stage, the legendary frontman of The Verve, a band who “could have been as big as Oasis, only if they didn’t do so much heroin”, in the words of Natalie. And I agree, The Verve had it all, reaching their peak with Urban Hymns (1997), and Richard knows it. Focusing his 7 song setlist on bangers from that mythical album, starting with Weeping Willow and Space and Time, only to include one of his solo career songs, Break the Night With Colour from his album Keys To The World (2006), followed by a series of jams and dedications. The Drugs Don’t Work, Lucky Man, dedicated to Maradona, and then Sonnet to Bonehead and his family. And to close his supporting set, the “National Anthem”, as some called it, Bitter Sweet Symphony. I couldn’t come up with a better song to precede what was about to come.

20 hrs. The screens turned on. A set of visuals in a collage was played. Fuckin’ in the Bushes blasted the park speakers. I looked at the back of the stage, the black velvet curtain on the right opened, and I saw them, the Gallagher brothers holding hands, entering the stage -It’s happening!- I screamed, face full of tears and euphoric ecstasy.

Hello marks the beginning of the set, a perfect song to greet the long-waiting fans –Hello, It’s good to be back-. Some people waited a lifetime for this moment. And it was about time for them to be back.

The guitar intro of Acquisce followed next. There was one point where the sound was “off”, not in a bad manner, the crowd had turned into a sea of jumping heads and waving arms. We are all a coral particle bouncing through the sound to find our spot. This is our spot. The line we all wanted to hear since the Reunion announcement –Because we need each other, We believe in one another-, and damned! They indeed uncovered what’s sleeping in all our souls.

The unmistakable roar of Bonehead’s guitar announces Morning Glory in their cocky way to tell that they’re the greatest rock band, the lyrics go –Today’s the day that all the world will see-. We all need a little time to wake up from this trance. Chaos and camaraderie all around, hugging unknown people, singing along as if we were life-long friends, and in a way, we were. We were united by this pair of siblings who once hated each other.

Noel’s guitar started with Some Might Say, a bit of an “ease” of mood, but we are all in a ~sugar~ sound rush, we are all keeping the jumps to the rhythm. –Some might say we will find a brighter day– I cannot fathom something better than this, ironically, the day wasn’t bright at all, it was all cloudy and the rain hadn’t stopped for hours, the drops ended up forming part of the show as the wind and speakers to the top made them dance with us.

Liam stopped for a second to dedicate the following song to “the people in the back”, Bring It on Down, frenziness started, and we all got it. People who couldn’t get a ticket were so passionate about it that not even a ticket would stop them from enjoying their favorite band’s show. At the back of Heaton Park was a hill where one could see part of the stage but listen to all of what was happening. The city decided to put a big wall to avoid that, but this set of “outcasts” didn’t mind and baptized the hill as “Gallagher Hill”. Later, I found out that the band, recognizing this, sent a bunch of T-shirts for these people. Class.

Next, Liam asked the crowd to turn their backs to them. It was time to do “The Poznan” and jump in unison to Cigarettes & Alcohol –Is it my imagination, or have I finally found something worth living for?– speaks for all of us. “After this, I won’t be depressed anymore”, Erin told me.

Another conspicuous guitar intro from Definitely Maybe (1994), Fade Away started playing –We only get what we will settle for-, and we never settle for a world without them, the dreams we had as children actually didn’t fade away. We made it, we are here.

By now, we are all feeling Supersonic. We can have it all, and I can tell we want it with all of our hearts. The crowd’s screams and shouting are mind-blowing. I got one of many reality checks where I could barely understand what was going on and where I was. A fantastic feeling of being everywhere and nowhere, I was –feeling supersonic-.

Following the astonishment, we just –gotta Roll with It–. Let ourselves enjoy, take our time. Liam left the stage to let his brother shine. Noel sat us down and told us –I wanna Talk Tonight-, and we listened as we all saved the lives of each other.  

Next, in what felt like an intimate conversation with Noel, he confessed to us –My body feels young, but my mind is very old-. Probably an inside reflection on how we were Half the World Away, all these years without them, and them without us.

Still, now that they’re back, they –gave [us] everything [we] ever dreamed of-, Little by Little, song by song of this amazingly curated setlist. I looked down at my sis’s face, and her excitement answered the same question Noel left hanging by the end of the song, –Why am I really here?-, I’m here for her, for myself, for ourselves.

All I wanted to tell my sis when struggling was –Get up off the floor and believe in life-, D’You Know What I Mean?. And this gig has brought her not only up, but raised her soul to the brightness she has always displayed. This was cathartic, this was redemptive.

By now, I’d lost count of the reality checks and tears dropped down. I couldn’t hold all the excitement and gratitude of experiencing this with my sister. I broke and hugged her along with Liam while singing –Stand by me, nobody knows the way it’s gonna be-.

No longer –bound with all the weight of all the words [I] tried to say-, as I’m writing them down right now. Cast No Shadow plays in the back and reminded me of that mythical unplugged session of Oasis, where Liam didn’t show up and left Noel to perform alone. Crazy times, siblings fighting for probably stupid reasons. But not anymore, they’re closer and happier than ever. We are closer and happier than ever.

Suddenly, Liam broke all this self-reflective moment with a joke about the meme of the week, assuring us that they’re not gonna do any of Coldplay’s camera shit, so we just gotta enjoy it. This one was for the lovebirds. Slide Away comes immediately. –All I know is [they, Oasis] can take me there (slide away)-. Anyway, I’m free to say Whatever I like.

Next, one of my favourites, have I mentioned I’ve cried countless times?. Well, you can imagine what happened with this one. Live Forever, it just reminded me of the fragility of life, and also the strength of unconditional love of motherhood. If you ask me about a forever wish, the answer is that –You and I are gonna live forever-.

Liam, mocking the crowd, mentioned this was the last song, only to go for a short encore, and dedicate the next song to all of us Rock ‘n’ Roll Stars. –The day’s moving just too fast for me-, what do you mean it’s the encore time already? I’m still excited to the top, –I need some time in the sunshine-.

We could barely notice the encore as the emotions were still at the highest point. It might serve the band to –Take the time to make some sense-, the band comes back to the stage without Liam, anyone worried? It was all part of The Masterplan. It was just another song to let Noel shine. And he did.

Then, the moment we were craving for. Sing along to this anthem. –Slip inside the eye of your mind, Don’t you know you might find a better place to play?– There is NO better place to play than this. 80K people with a ticket, a couple of thousands more in the surrounding areas, outside the doors, and some more thousands at Gallagher Hill. I would say nearly 100K people chanting in unison –My soul slides away! But Don’t Look Back in Anger! I heard you say-. All those voices and souls sliding away could be felt through each pore of our skin.

This is the rock n roll band we all put our lives in the hands of, and they didn’t throw it all away. They are here, together, because and for all of us. –Because maybe, [They]’re gonna be the one[s] that saves [us]-. Liam’s back on the stage, and put on a hat to complement his flawless outfit. Not a single soul was missing to sing the next song. After all, they’re our Wonderwall.

Finally, the song I was more afraid to listen to, as it only meant it was time to wake up from this dream. Or maybe not, and –Someday, you will find me caught beneath the landslide. In a Champagne Supernova in the sky-.

Destroyed and blown away, we walk for 2 hours to arrive home. The tram line was madness, and it was less painful to keep moving than standing. Made a short stop in a convenience store, got some chips and beers, and started walking.

We were standing since 11 am. We arrived home at almost 1 am. We lost a bucket hat, a camera, and some dignity, too. Still worth it. And would do it 100 times (at least 2 more, for sure).

I’ve never done so much for a show, and I believe it was completely in line with the expectations and what we got. Simply, a Biblical night.

I want to thank Erin for existing and for being the sister she is. We made it!
And Natalie for the great company and for picking Oasis concert before anything else.