If you see a member of Gen X walking around in a bucket hat or adidas this week, please forgive them. They’ve just had a religious experience. They were transported back to their 90s, to Oasis mania, which overtook Australia. And I am one of them.
Euphoric doesn’t cut close to what it was like to see a band who were such a formative part of my youth. We loved every Manchurian music-soaked minute of the newly reunited Gallagher brothers’ world tour. We joined 140,000 others in Sydney (and a further 180,000 in Melbourne) at the band’s first time Down Under in 20 years.
Oasis and 90s Britpop and indie rock and grunge – the likes of Radiohead, Blur, Ride, Pulp, The Pixies, the Breeders, Nirvana, along with The Cure, Jeff Buckley and Aussies Powderfinger to name a few – were the soundtrack to my teenage years. They helped me through high school, first love and heartbreak. Without them, I wouldn’t have coped with the associated anxieties and also insecurities that come with growing up.
As I walked into Accor Stadium on Friday night with my 2000s-era former flatmate Alice, I bumped into my British-Australian friends the Robinsons, who I’d spent many a night partying in London circa 2006, with Oasis blaring in the background. We were united in our relief to have seats (welcome to middle age!) but beyond ecstatic to finally be seeing a band whose music we have listened to for over three decades.
Even in the nosebleed seats, it didn’t matter. To the right of us was a couple who arrived as the band came on and left during the encore to relieve their babysitter. To the left of us were fellow Gen Xers with their teenage children – introducing a new generation to one of the world’s best bands. This is how we rock n roll in our 40s, and we absolutely love it.
Oasis and the swaggering Manchurian brothers Gallagher had us all in the palms of their hands. Right from the moment they exploded onto the stage with “Hello” with its fitting chorus “it’s good to be back”. For the next 90 minutes, we danced, jumped, hugged, cried, and sang at the top of our lungs along to all the classics. “Morning Glory”, “Supersonic”, “Roll With It”, “Rock’ n Roll Star”, “Cigarettes & Alcohol”, and “Half the World Away” were all on the roster.
At one point, I spotted two middle-aged lads in bucket hats and Oasis t-shirts – everyone was wearing the adidas-sponsored merch – arms around each other, heads tilted back, singing to the heavens to “Live Forever”. It was a beautiful sight. Strangely, unlike most concerts, there were hardly any mobile phones aloft. We grew up as the last pre-mobile phone generation. Even during the pub favourite “Wonderwall”, when the entire stadium sang every word, everyone was present, soaking it in and singing along. It was an emotional, poignant moment for a stadium concert.
The last time I had a similar euphoric music experience was at Taylor Swift’s Eras tour last year. But this one was for the grown-ups.
Australian musician Ben Lee, dissecting the concert on his podcast with wife Ione Skye, described Noel as the technical and craftsmanship genius and Liam as the maraca-shaking showman and spiritual guru. I couldn’t agree more. We didn’t understand a word of the banter Liam said on stage. But it didn’t matter; we would have followed him anywhere. The only thing I understood was this touching remark: “Sydney is a top gaff, you’re lucky, you’ve got a lovely f***ing country! Take care of it”.
As the last chords to “Champagne Supernova” faded and the stage was spotlighted with Liam standing, famous hands behind his back pose, wearing an Aussie cork hat and a tambourine on his head, fireworks exploded into the sky. It was something extra special.
There was nothing but smiles as people left the stadium. Out on the street, the crowd broke into a spontaneous choir of thousands singing “Don’t Look Back in Anger”.
Afterwards, our social feeds exploded with Oasis content. The next day, we bought tickets to see Pulp at the Sydney Opera House next year. Here’s hoping Radiohead are next.
The 90s nostalgia is here to stay. And yes, I’m still wearing my pink adidas sneakers as I write this.
