Reporter Calum Corral was one of those to bag a lucky ticket for Liam Gallagher's stunning return to Glasgow's SSE for the 30th anniversary of the Definitely Maybe album by Oasis, and this is his review...
There is no doubting that one of Oasis’s main signature tunes is ‘Live Forever’ as Liam Gallagher stepped up for his big encore at the SSE Hydro.
These tracks will indeed stand the test of time as on the 30th anniversary of Definitely Maybe, it was being belted out by the sell-out crowd like a national anthem.
This was entirely appropriate given that Gallagher was praising the Glaswegian audience for missing the football as Scotland took on the Swiss, and shouted out to the crowd ‘Respect’, which was something manager Steve Clarke and his side were providing on the pitch, and it does indeed say it all, that the Hydro was sold out for such a blistering display of swagger, nostalgia and brilliance while the giant Euro clash was taking place in Germany.
"Is the score still 1-1?", shouted the Oasis frontman to the crowd, and, with a shout of 'Good Luck' to Scotland, and a shake of the maracas, we were into the next hit song!
(Image: Newsquest)
And make no doubt about it, Gallagher adds his majesty to these magnificent tracks from 1994 with a deep care and resonance which provided a happiness and a joy around the SSE Hydro which truly was uplifting.
The Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour is a celebration of an album which rocked the 1990s like no other, and was as bold a statement as any in the so-called Britpop scene, that a world force in Oasis had truly arrived in dynamic fashion like a juggernaut.
A globe kept twirling around the stage, just to remind us of that fact, as a dizzying array of videos and images were shown of the era in the build-up to whet the appetite, and it is appropriate that Gallagher himself is a force of nature and very much embodies everything that Oasis are all about.
Can there be any other album were a crowd know so many words and sing along even to B tracks?
As Liam strode out and opened to ‘Rock N Roll Star’, this glorious five minute opener almost felt like a 12 inch single release back in the day, which really got this party started in electrifying fashion.
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There followed a dizzying array of classic songs and B-tracks, 19 in all, as the master of Mancunian pop launched into a series of anthems of our generation from the raw beauty and hope expressed through the magnificent ‘Whatever’ to the barnstormer that blasted us back to the 1990s glory days with ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’.
One of the hallmarks of the Oasis era was how stunningly strong the ‘B’ sides were, and it was genuinely difficult to find a better exponent than Oasis as each new single sparked an excitement like no other, and felt like mini-albums with new tracks which have stayed in the public consciousness in a way that is very special indeed.
There was no mistaking ‘Fade Away’ and ‘Half a World Away’ as instant classics as soon as you heard them, and these songs had a timelessness and magic all of their own last night at the SSE Hydro.
Supersonic: Reporter Calum Corral, was joined by former AWP reporter David Walker, for the big Liam Gallagher show (Image: Newsquest)
The magnificent finale saw Gallagher completely in his element as ‘Supersonic’ resonated around Glasgow, and then with a nod to the crowd and a question, ‘Do you like the Beatles?’ we were giddily rushing into the final song with a majestic performance of 'I Am The Walrus' bring the set to a pulsating finish.
Gallagher was in his element throughout the show, providing an epic performance, balanced with some bright and breezy humour with the crowd.
At one point in that incredible finale, Gallagher looks up above to a point up above, and took in all the adulation of the crowd as the sell-out crowd echoed out timeless classic after classic.
It was one of many magical moments on the night which goes to show that these are much more than songs. They are anthems of a generation performed with a magnificence by Gallagher that truly will ‘Live Forever’ and yet still captures a magical moment in time that will never be forgotten, much like last night's gig itself.
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