Oasis at MetLife Stadium

I went to see Oasis’s long-anticipated show at MetLife Stadium tonight. It was a sea of bucket hats and Adidas track jackets! I didn’t think they were that popular in America and yet they sold out two nights!

For the uninitiated, Oasis is a British band that was popular in the ’90s, consisting mainly of two brothers, Liam and Noel Gallagher, who, apart from their music, are most famous for fighting with each other. The band broke up in 2009, so it was major news when they announced they’d be touring this year.

To be honest, I’m not a big Oasis fan. But somehow, songs like “Champagne Supernova” and “Wonderwall” were ubiquitous in the ’90s. I heard them on DARE.fm (formerly WLIR/WDRE), but where did everyone else hear them? (I vaguely recall seeing their videos on MTV.)

It was instructive seeing them live, though, to see how Liam and Noel traded vocals and how Noel backed Liam up on vocals and guitar. (Liam doesn’t play any instruments, unless you count maracas and tambourine.)

I kind of preferred Noel’s vocals. Liam seems to perform all his vocals in the key of sneer. He’s also not the most exciting performer. He usually plants himself behind his mic stand with his hands behind his back and just stands there. It’s not exactly a Madonna concert, where every move is choreographed. (The video projections helped immensely.)

It was basically a greatest hits show that came in at about two hours. Other highlights included “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Live Forever” (although they didn’t play my favorite song of theirs, “I’m Outta Time”).

But here’s the thing about stadium concerts: the audience has become the star. It’s bad enough they now watch entire concerts through their cell phones. They now sing louder than the band onstage (and often out of tune).

The most charitable thing I can say about such concerts is that they show how music can bring us together.

In these troubled times, you have to take your pleasure where you can.

Liam

Liam

Liam

Noel

Noel