Liam Gallagher Definitely Maybe Tour - Is it just as good 30 years on?
Taking on a 13-date, sold-out tour of the UK and Ireland, Liam Gallagher reincarnated the 7-time platinum, number 1 album after 30 years to celebrate the milestone and huge success it has brought the Gallaghers.
With four Manchester dates at the brand-new COOP Live Arena, it was inevitable that the whole city would turn out to experience one of the albums that paved their musical history. Witnessing a half an hour ceremonial countdown from the year 2024 to 1994, a trip back to the britpop-fanatic nineties was in order through a series of visuals cast across the arena, celebrating the glory Oasis’ debut album brought to the musical world.
Kicking the night off with the iconic ‘Rock N Roll Star’, it was important Liam started the night as he meant to go on, with crowds roaring with excitement and joy over hearing the track in full force. With not an empty seat in the arena and not an inch of floor space available, Liam compelled the entire 23,000 in attendance for a whole hour and 40 minutes. Mixing a multitude of hits such as ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’, ‘Columbia’ and ‘Half The World Away’ - sentimentally dedicated to his dog Buttons - the setlist was one to be adored by all Britpop fans, including b-sides and the iconic Oasis cover of the Beatles’ classic ‘I Am The Walrus’.
Whilst Liam’s set is everything an Oasis super fan would adore on paper, it has to be noted that unfortunately in my personal opinion this wasn’t the best I’d vocally heard the britpop legend this year, with his voice sounding slightly strained and lacking the nineties charm it possessed when the album originally landed - arguably to be expected 30 years on. Also, on the tone of critiquing the night, Gallagher’s son Gene’s band ‘Villanelle’ lacked the energy and excitement to be expected from a sell-out arena tour support slot and left both myself and many underwhelmed. The question of whether a band with no music released should be the support slot for an arena tour was asked by many both during and after their set. Was there maybe a better fit for the tour?
However, with that being said - the revival of the 30-year-old debut went down a storm with the multitude of fans present at the show and only goes to prove the quintessential impact both Oasis and the Gallagher brothers as their separate counterparts have had on the music industry to date.