I can’t say that I’ve been a lifelong Oasis fan. Hell, I can’t really say that I was fan during their peak in the mid to late 90s. Sure, like everybody else, I knew Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova but never expanded past these hits that were seemingly being played everywhere during my prepubescence. On the flight back from Mauritius, on a whim to pass time, I watched the documentary on their Knebworth performance in 1996 and I was immediately hooked. Timing, apparently was everything because while I was digging deep into their discography, the Gallagher brothers announced in 2024 that they put their incredibly acromonious relationship behind them and were reforming the group after 15 years and going on a worldwide tour to recapture the magic of the late nineties, early naughts. So after setting an alarm for 3:00am, I was one of the nearly 1.4 million people to score tickets to one of their upcoming shows and I was incredibly fortunate to be able to attend one of their five homecoming performances in their home town of Manchester, UK.

It’s hard to describe the atmosphere of the city when we arrived. Outside of Manchester’s two football clubs (Manchester City and Manchester United) Oasis is what catapulted this town into the international spotlight. On the day we arrived, Oasis fever was permeating through every crack and crevice within the city. Adidas ads features the brothers were plastered nearly every building, bars were promoting ‘Champagne Supernova’ drinks and belting out their songs, every other person in the city was wearing some sort of gear, various Oasis exhibitions were spun up, including one at our hotel, merchandise shops were scattered throughout the city including one particular pop up shop that required a reservation to even enter the store. What dumbass would get a ticket and stand in a queue in the pouring rain just for the ability to shop? Well….that would be me I suppose. The pop up store was in the Spiningfields area of Manchester and two stories tall featuring exclusive merch and was completely overrun with fans.

It turns out that the day leading up to the concert was just a taste of what we were going to experience. The gig was located at Heaton park, a sprawling 200+ acre public park located just north of the city center where we were staying. Even though Oasis wasn’t scheduled to be on stage until eight the evening of the 16th, the gates to the park opened at three. At 1:30 we arrived at the Victoria train station to take the train to the park along with a hundreds of other ticket goers. Upon arrival, we made our way to the east gate and waited in high anticipation for the powers at be to open the floodgates.

I’ll pause here for a quick minute. You may be wondering why we would arrive so early to see a group that wasn’t set to go on until seven hours later, especially since we already had tickets. First, since Heaton Park is well, a park, there was no reserved seating, its all standing room general admission. Second, about a month ago the organizers asked ticket holders if they wanted to enter a ballot to upgrade their general admission ticket to front standing, ie a dedicated area in front of the stage. Having never won a ballot of anything in my life, I was surprised to get chosen and my tickets were appropriated upgraded. Normally, this wouldn’t mean any changes to our schedule but days leading up to the concert I discovered that the first 7,000 people in attendance of get their tickets upgraded again to not just be in a dedicated front standing section but that of the front pit, the area immediately in front of the stage. At any other concert, these tickets would be prohibitively expensive and booked by the most dedicated fans but thanks to our early arrival we secured those elusive wristbands and spent the rest of the evening within throwing distance of the stage.

There were two opening acts that hit the stage beginning at six. The first, Cast is an older British rock band that has had regional success in the UK and only played for half an hour. They were followed by Richard Ashcroft of The Verve whose set crescendoed to his most popular song, Bittersweet Symphony. Suffice to say, leading up to Oasis, the crowd was visibly pulsating, grabbing last minute pints and I had never felt more British than at the moment. Naturally when Oasis came on stage, the crowd erupted and we spent the follow two hours singing along with 50,000 of our closest friends.

There is something magical about being outdoors, with that many people who all have come together for one singular purpose. For long time and new fans alike, the anticipation of not just the set, but the the fact that nobody thought this reunion would even happen, culminated into an incredible and for many, an emotional evening. I’ve read reports that over 15 million people have attempted to get tickets for this tour. Oasis isn’t expected to continue the tour after this year’s is over but having that experience, in that place, on the most beautiful evening is something I will never forget.

Travel Post Details:

Post includes activities from July 14 – 16, 2025

Accommodation:

• Chicago O’Hare Hilton (Day Use for layover)
• Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Manchester

Flights:

• FSD > ORD (American)
• ORD > LHR (American)
• LHR > MAN (British Airways)

Food Notes:

• July 15- Dinner at Flat Iron. This is the same chain that we went to when we were in London last year for the 10k. Their menu is very small and only consists of a flat iron steak and a handful of sides. We had the garlic mash, truffle mac and cheese and fries
  • We got coffee at Black Sheep Coffee after visiting the Oasis pop up store, mainly to get out of the downpour but they had functional coffees, so naturally I got the mushroom blend. (great for mental health)
• July 16 –
  • Lunch: Fluffy Fluffy, a Japanese pancake restaurant. These pancakes are distinctive for being extraordinarily fluffy. Lauren at the ‘signature’ and I had the blueberry, both were absolutely delicious and even though our plate only had two pancakes they were still like eight inches tall…they’re THAT fluffy
  • Dinner: Since we had to be at Heaton Park so early, we ended up trying a bunch of the food at the park which closely resembled fair food. We tried garlic steak over fries with a light slaw and a pulled pork sandwich suspiciously called the WWII, but was very juicy and had a lovely barbecue sauce. Between the two, the sandwich was far better
  • Dinner x2: When walking back the five miles from the concert to the city center where our hotel was, we stopped by McDonalds, mainly for the convenience. Nothing special here but the restaurant was inundated with Oasis fans all of whom were belting out song lyrics

Oasis Set List:

• Fucking in the Bushes (Intro)
• Acquiesce
• Morning Glory
• Some Might Say
• Bring it on Down
• Cigarettes & Alcohol
• Fade Away
• Supersonic
• Roll with It
• Talk Tonight
• Half the World Away
• Little by Little
• D’You Know What I Mean?
• Stand by Me
• Cast No Shadow
• Slide Away
• Whatever
• Live Forever
• Rock ‘n’ Roll Star
• The Masterplan
• Don’t Look Back in Anger
• Wonderwall
• Champagne Supernova

Featured Image: Rock ‘n’ Roll Star late in the evening