{"id":96120,"date":"2025-08-25T15:09:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T15:09:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/96120\/"},"modified":"2025-08-25T15:09:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T15:09:12","slug":"a-reunited-oasis-supernovas-a-soggy-nostalgic-crowd-at-torontos-rogers-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/96120\/","title":{"rendered":"A reunited Oasis supernovas a soggy, nostalgic crowd at Toronto\u2019s Rogers Stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Liam Gallagher performs at the first of two sold-out Oasis shows at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on Sunday.Nick Iwanyshyn\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Making the first stop on the North American leg of its long-awaited reunion tour, Oasis played the first of two Toronto concerts in a windswept, rain-pelted Rogers Stadium on Sunday. Before the final song, singer Liam Gallagher thanked the audience, saying it must be a \u201cnightmare\u201d to be a fan of the band. (The Manchester rockers test their supporters\u2019 resolve by spatting and splitting apart regularly.) <\/p>\n

\u201cRespect,\u201d the 52-year-old frontman said, paying it with that word. <\/p>\n

Opinion: Oasis is finally reuniting. Older fans, please don\u2019t gatekeep its music<\/a><\/p>\n

The feuds between him and his older brother, guitarist Noel Gallagher, are legendary. The current ceasefire ended a 16-year hiatus and allowed for the current Oasis Live \u201925 Tour, which began in Cardiff last month. The only fireworks on Sunday were the pyrotechnics that screamed and popped into the soggy night after the concert-closing 1995 hit Champagne Supernova.<\/p>\n

(In the same way Champagne is only authentic if it is produced in the Champagne region of France, Champagne Supernova is the real deal only when performed by Oasis. Otherwise, it\u2019s just sparkling Britpop.)<\/p>\n

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Fans were pelted with rain at the first of two Toronto Oasis shows.Nick Iwanyshyn\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and Oasis fans are very fond indeed. According to the Greater Manchester Police, more than 300,000 people attended five concerts at the band\u2019s hometown Heaton Park in mid-July. <\/p>\n

Oasis followed that up with five sold-out performances at London\u2019s Wembley Stadium. Some 80,000 fans each night set a record by drinking more than a quarter of a million pints of beer per concert, according to figures shared by Delaware North, the company that operates the catering at the massive soccer stadium.<\/p>\n

Judging by the trail of empty cans of beer and other alcoholic beverages littering the pathway leading to Rogers Stadium, Toronto fans started consuming early. The concert began before the rain came, with Oasis introducing themselves with, what else, Hello, from the band\u2019s second studio album, 1995\u2019s (What\u2019s the Story) Morning Glory?. <\/p>\n

It was typical of the rock numbers that populated the setlist, all mid-tempo stomp and layered guitars churning through an unambitious chord progression to the delight of the crowd. Verses set up soaring, anthemic choruses. <\/p>\n

When it comes to soloing, some guitarists belong to the \u201cless is more\u201d school. Noel, a basic player, seems to be of the \u201cless is less\u201d mindset. Oasis today is just as musically uncomplicated as we left them. Never underestimate what attitude and a well-placed Em7 can do. <\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

The Oasis Live \u201925 Tour began in Cardiff last month after a 16-year hiatus from the British rock band.Nick Iwanyshyn\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Liam has fun with lyrics. Rhyming \u201cI\u2019m feeling supersonic\u201d with \u201cgive me gin and tonic\u201d always makes me smile. He still sings with his hands behind his back, as if he were a hostage. His sneer is iconic \u2212 it is as if he heard John Lennon on the Beatles\u2019 I Am the Walrus when he was young and just assumed that was how one should sing. It works for him.<\/p>\n

Oasis does not deny its appreciation of the Beatles. The Fab Four knockoff Whatever was topped off with a snippet of Octopus\u2019s Garden. <\/p>\n

A sense of existential despondency lyrically threaded its way through the material. \u201cNobody ever mentions the weather, can make or break your day,\u201d Liam sang on Hello. \u201dNobody ever seems to remember, life is a game we play.”<\/p>\n

And on the very next number, the crunchy, squalling riff rock of Acquiesce: \u201cThere are many things that I would like to know\/ and there are many places that I wish to go\/ but everything\u2019s depending on the way the wind may blow.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was banter. From Liam: \u201cIt\u2019s nice to be in Legoland,\u201d an apparent criticism of Rogers Stadium, a temporary venue built by concert promoter Live Nation Canada in Toronto\u2019s Downsview area. Later, he sarcastically suggested he loved the \u201cchaos\u201d of the rain: \u201cAll that sunshine. Not good for ya.\u201d<\/p>\n

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

A four-song encore set at the Rogers Stadium on Sunday ended with Noel Gallagher’s beloved Wonderwall.Nick Iwanyshyn\/The Globe and Mail<\/p>\n

Footie fan Noel practically spit the words \u201cice hockey.\u201d Before strumming an acoustic guitar and leading the stadium-sized singalong Half the World Away, he asked if anyone was from old England.<\/p>\n

The concert marked the first Oasis appearance in Toronto since 2008, when a man attacked Noel on stage<\/a> at Virgin Festival at Toronto Island Park. The assailant pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm and was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest<\/a>. The guitarist suffered three broken ribs, causing the cancellation of a number of concerts. <\/p>\n

The band also included Paul (Bonehead) Arthurs, Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Joey Waronker. A horn section made appearances. The Toronto shows are the only Canadian dates on the reunion tour.<\/p>\n

The night\u2019s penultimate number was Noel\u2019s beloved Wonderwall, a minor key ballad that is as much a reminder of the 1990s as flannel shirts, Beverly Hills, 90210 and aggressive body piercings. <\/p>\n

The softly psychedelic finale Champagne Supernova, lyrically reflective and vaguely wistful, surely stoked a collective sense of nostalgia. \u201cWhere were you when we were getting high?\u201d the song asked. Of course, the fans were right there with you, Oasis. They\u2019ve been there the whole time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Open this photo in gallery: Liam Gallagher performs at the first of two sold-out Oasis shows at Rogers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":96121,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,208,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-96120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-review","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96120","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=96120"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/96120\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96121"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96120"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=96120"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=96120"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}