Oasis at Cardiff Millennium Stadium
How long have we been waiting for this moment? It’s not just the 16 years since their last gig, it feels more like an entire generation has been waiting. When Oasis abruptly stopped touring, guitar music was still thriving, and the Gallagher brothers had become just one of many bands on the road. But now, as rock bands have lost their audience – partly due to the declining influence of radio stations and the preference of streaming platforms for catchy, digitally-produced songs – it feels like we’re witnessing a historic music comeback. And we hope this is just the spark that reignites a scene that’s slowly fading away.
With anticipation through the roof, all eyes are on tonight’s Cardiff show, with clandestine livestreams across Instagram and TikTok turning the 70,000-strong Millennium Stadium performance into a global event followed by millions. Rumour had it the concert would start with Acquiesce — “because we need each other” — but instead, they opened with the more classic Hello, its lyrics still resonating deeply: “Hello, hello, it’s good to be back, it’s good to be back”.
What immediately stands out is the solid sound of a band that’s only had about a month to rehearse together. And yet, it sounds as fresh and tight as in 2009 – if not better. While it was never likely that the guitar skills of Noel Gallagher, Gem Archer, and Bonehead would falter, any doubts about Liam’s voice were quickly swept away as the frontman delivered the opening track of What’s the Story Morning Glory? with power and conviction.
Designing the setlist must have been an impossible task, yet every choice landed perfectly. The heavy solos of Morning Glory whipped the stadium into a frenzy, followed by one of the ultimate fan favourites: Bring It on Down. One of the more aggressive songs in the band’s catalogue — rivalled only by Headshrinker, which sadly didn’t make the cut this evening.
Iconic may be one of the most overused words in journalism and communication today, but it’s the only one that fits Supersonic – the unmistakable single that helped define Oasis’ early sound. Then came Noel Gallagher’s moment, when the singer-songwriter took centre stage for heartfelt renditions of Talk Tonight, Half the World Away and Little by Little. If you closed your eyes, it felt like time had stood still since that summer of 2009.
Liam returned for the Be Here Now segment, performing D’You Know What I Mean and Stand by Me back-to-back. Moments later came the first true highlight of the evening, Slide Away: a perfect blend of melody, raw intensity and early Britpop brilliance. It was absolutely wonderful, and only a song as good as Whatever could follow it.
The momentum continued with an emotional rendition of Live Forever, poignantly dedicated to the late Diogo Jota. Rock ’n’ Roll Star – another song that shaped Oasis’ sound – closed the main set, before the band returned with Noel to perform fan-favourite The Masterplan. The chorus instantly became one of the biggest singalongs of the night.
Despite Bonehead rejoining the band for the first time in nearly 30 years, all eyes were on the brothers – whose chemistry, despite all past difficulties, hasn’t faded a bit. The biggest hits were saved for the finale. Don’t Look Back in Anger — the quintessential Oasis anthem and arguably the unofficial hymn of the country — and Wonderwall mesmerised both the crowd in the Welsh capital and the hundreds of thousands watching around the globe. But the farewell belonged to another What’s the Story Morning Glory classic: “Someday you will find me, caught beneath the landslide, in a Champagne Supernova in the sky.”
What a night. What a moment. What a tour this will be.
Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor
Photo: Courtesy of Oasis
Oasis will play concerts across the UK — in Cardiff, Manchester, London, and Edinburgh — in July, August and September 2025. For further information and to book tickets, visit the website here.
Watch the video for Live Forever here:
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