Music

MARVIN Exclusive: Oasis takes over Soldier Field for an unforgettable night in Chicago

Photo by Joshua Halling

Story by Daniel Kohn

By the time Liam and Noel Gallagher walked on the Soldier Field stage at 8:45 pm, the energy that engulfed Chicago for the better part of the day hit a fever pitch. The brothers, raising each other’s arms when they led the band on stage, were greeted by a deafening roar, usually reserved for modern pop giants like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, or Sabrina Carpenter, Oasis, a band best known for its undeniable impact on mid-’90s rock. Yet, here we are, nearly 30 years since the band’s peak, and it felt like we were transported back in time in Doc Brown’s DeLorean to a simpler time. A time when Gen X was coming of age, when political panic wasn’t an existential crisis, and cigarettes and alcohol were to be consumed instead of scoffed at.

Oasis is a definitive rock band that is a snapshot of a particular period in time. Yet, since the Gallagher brothers announced their improbable return after nearly 16 years apart (and playing their first U.S. show since George W. Bush was wrapping his presidency), nostalgia was in the air. Yet, the band (which also features guitarists Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Gem Archer, bassist Andy Bell, and new drummer Joey Waronker) felt as vital – if not more vital – since their heyday.

Photo by Lewis Evans

Back then, compared to the rest of the world, Oasis never quite broke through in the States. At their peak, arenas and amphitheaters were a given. But stadiums? Not quite.

What a difference 30 years makes.

To put it in perspective, when Oasis played two iconic Knebworth shows in August 1996, 4% of British citizens attempted to get tickets. Oasis fever waned since then, but the fervor for these shows put the band back in the pop culture lexicon since that heyday.

Photo by Joshua Halling

The excitement for this tour, for a rock band, is unlike any in recent memory. There hasn’t been a reunion this improbable since Axl Rose joined with Slash and Duff McKagan to reform Guns N’ Roses in 2016. Though the situation was combustible in its own right, some might say that Liam and Noel putting aside their lifetime of disagreements was even more unlikely.

Yet, here were 52,000 people, singing (or screaming along) in unison during “Acquiesce,” the second song of the night, and Oasis’s powerhouse rallying cry that encapsulates the band’s spirit. “Because we need each other/We believe in one another,” Noel sang, which the crowd buoyantly agreed. During “Cigarettes and Alcohol,” the energy was so strong that the maraca-wielding Liam (whose vocals were in prime form all night) got the crowd to participate in a Poznan ritual, and after the song, snarled that critics thought Americans wouldn’t do that. “Of course they will,” he said, and his belief was affirmed.

Photo by Lewis Evans

Despite the set being the same as the band’s in the U.K. and Ireland (culled primarily from the band’s now-legendary first two albums, 1994’s Definitely Maybe and 1995’s (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?), it didn’t take away anything. In fact, serving the crowd the best of what they had to offer was exactly what they wanted. As far as the band goes, Oasis was ready for the moment and showed Chicago why they deserve to be considered the biggest band in the world.

What always differentiated Oasis from their Britpop rivals and American alt-rockers was their attitude. There wasn’t (still isn’t) a duo more quotable and hilarious than the Gallaghers (See my conversations with the brothers here and here). On this night, there were no biting quotes, jabs at those who annoy them—only joy and appreciation for everyone in the stadium.

Photo by Harriet T K Bols

Oasis is only playing in three American cities (five dates overall), and with none on the docket (for now), this could be the only chance to see the Britpop giants in person. Whatever happens next, the Gallaghers can finally, and truly, proclaim that America is finally theirs, even if it took far longer than it should have to happen.

“Fuckin’ mega to be back in America. I know you think we don’t like ya…but we fuckin’ love ya,” he said in his Mancunian accent after performing 1997’s “Stand By Me.” “We’ve always loved you.”