As a legendary British band known for tumultuous sibling spats and years of silence, Oasis sounded anything but distant as they stormed the Rogers Stadium on Sunday and Monday night – and fans are flocking to social media to share their epic experiences.
Oasis hit Toronto for the first and only leg of their North American tour after nearly 17 years, leaving fans reeling from the “Wonderwall” of hype, nostalgia, and undeniable stage presence.
The British rock band performed in front of two sold-out crowds, with an estimated 50,000 concert-goers travelling from far and wide to witness the long-awaited reunion and hear some of their favourite Oasis tracks performed live.
The band, known for their biggest hits including “Wonderwall,” “Supersonic,” and “Stand by Me,” played 23 songs spanning their robust catalogue and career, tapping into their 90’s setlist, with few of their 2000’s songs hitting the stage.
Rain fell over the open-roof venue on Sunday as the band performed “Stand by Me” halfway through the concert, but it was not enough to completely dampen the mood of Oasis fans – it seemingly added to the atmosphere.
As some fans looked for coverage from the cold, intensifying rain and gusty wind, the Gallagher brothers took a moment to address the crowd.
“It’s only a bit of rain, man,” Liam Gallagher said to the packed stadium.
“We’re from Manchester,” referring to the rainy climate of their native country.
And while Oasis fans found creative ways to stay dry – using plastic bags, ponchos, umbrellas, and venue stairwells – the concert carried on, with concert-goers singing along with the band, word for word.
How did the band close their legendary reunion tour? With a literal bang – ending the night with a bright display of yellow, orange, and red fireworks lighting up the cloud-filled sky.
Formed in Manchester in 1991, the band, initially known as “The Rain,” quickly rose to rockstardom as one of the most influential bands of the 90’s Britpop movement.
Brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher led the band, releasing several critically acclaimed albums including Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, which have produced anthems that remain staples of rock radio and festival stages around the globe.
Despite many years of rocking success, Oasis’ journey has been no stranger to internal tensions and violent sibling feuds, with brothers Liam and Noel turning ongoing tensions into a violent backstage fight at the Rock en Seine Festival in Paris. This eventually led to the band’s split in 2009.
16 years after a notorious onstage attack from a fan abruptly ended their 2008 Toronto performance, leaving Noel with three broken ribs and a cancelled tour, Oasis finally made the decision to return to the main stage, with both Gallagher brothers in attendance and on seemingly good terms.
Meanwhile, fans took to social media to share their epic Oasis concert experiences, capturing the nostalgia of the long-awaited, highly anticipated reunion show, with some drawing comparisons between performances held in Toronto and the U.K.
“Such a great vibe!!” one Reddit user said.
“Amazing. I was in the front of stage Gas,” another user added.
“The concert was an absolute blazer!! The camera work and digital designs were outstanding! And the boys did not disappoint even as a middle aged man Liam maintained his angry young man stance…” one user commented.
“Manchester night 3 (Wednesday) and Toronto night 1 (Sunday). I was basically in the pit tonight and was a bit further away but still in the front section at Heaton Park (just less centered). Energy level was comparable. Crowd was singing along as hard as ever. I was not disappointed in my fellow countryfolks tonight,” one Reddit user said of both shows.
“British guy. Was there tonight in Toronto. Crowd was fantastic. Not going to be the same as UK but that’s not always bad. Very happy vibe, everyone around me knew every song. Fantastic night,” another user added.
Meanwhile, others expressed disappointment around the audio system at Rogers Stadium.
“Was on the east side section 108 and it was genuinely one of the worst sounding concerts I’ve been to unfortunately. Still super glad I went and got to see Oasis, but the sound quality was absolutely horrific,” one Reddit user said.
“We were on the floor toward the front of the cattle fences separating GA sections, and the sound wasn’t clear. When I listen back to videos that were taken from the back of the stadium, it was much, much better,” another user commented. “I was in the stands north and the sound wasn’t great for Cage the Elephant.
It was also cold af and I was dreading the evening. My sis had bought the tickets,” another Redditor added.
