The Daily Star Ireland
The Gallagher brothers brought their long-awaited reunion tour to Dublin on Saturday night, delivering a show at Croke Park that was equal parts euphoric nostalgia and sharp professionalism. Thousands packed the stadium for the first of two nights, embracing the rare chance to see Oasis back together after more than a decade apart.
As dusk settled over GAA HQ, the roar that greeted the band’s arrival was deafening, a sound closer to a championship-winning celebration than a concert. For Peggy Gallagher, watching from an executive box, it was a particularly special moment—she has often been credited with helping push her sons toward reconciliation.
Although Oasis last performed in Ireland in 2009, the excitement surrounding this return had been building for years, with Saturday’s show touted as one of the most anticipated Irish gigs in recent memory.
A Reunion Marked by Professionalism
From the moment Noel and Liam walked out side by side at 8:15 p.m., fists raised in a carefully choreographed gesture of unity, it was clear that this Oasis is not the chaotic band of old. Instead, fans got a tightly drilled, two-hour, 21-song performance that felt as much business as pleasure.
Gone are the days of volatile clashes between the brothers. The show was slick, polished, and executed with precision—evidence of Noel’s firm hand on the reins. Outside of the opening moment of brotherly solidarity, the Gallaghers barely interacted, keeping any lingering tensions well hidden.
Liam, though, stayed true to form. Between songs, his banter was cryptic and brash, reminiscent of his Twitter feed—by turns playful, biting, and incomprehensible. He labeled the crowd “lunatics” and “the bollocks,” rarely straying from his trademark stance at the microphone in what he calls “stillism.”
A Setlist for the Faithful
The night leaned heavily on Oasis’s early catalog, with nearly all songs drawn from their first two albums and their beloved compilation The Masterplan. Fans looking for surprises in the setlist found little, but the faithful were rewarded with the classics they came to hear.
“Acquiesce” set the tone as an opening anthem, while “Some Might Say” and “Cigarettes and Alcohol” ignited the crowd despite their rebellious themes feeling far removed from today’s younger generation. A ferocious rendition of “D’You Know What I Mean?” proved a standout, showcasing the band’s mid-career bite.
One of the night’s biggest crowd reactions came from “Roll With It,” a track often overshadowed in Oasis’s catalog but clearly embraced as a singalong anthem.
Noel’s solo interlude offered a contrasting mood, with stripped-back versions of “Talk Tonight” and “Half a World Away” highlighting his melancholic side. The band then roared back into full force with “Supersonic” and “Live Forever,” songs that reminded everyone why Oasis became an era-defining band. The sound quality was strong throughout, carrying even to the stadium’s highest seats.
More Than Just Nostalgia
For all the longing that has surrounded their reunion, this concert showed Oasis as a band determined not just to relive the past but to control it. The performance was a careful balance of nostalgia and stagecraft, delivering the iconic songs fans craved while presenting a more disciplined version of a once-infamously unpredictable group.
The Gallagher brothers may never fully reconcile onstage, but for two hours in Dublin, they put aside differences to remind a multigenerational crowd why their music still resonates.
Saturday night’s show was proof that Oasis can still command stadiums with ease—older, sharper, and perhaps more calculated, but no less powerful.
