Cardiff, UK: After more than 15 years apart, Oasis will reunite spectacularly tonight, launching their Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, an event fans have been waiting for exactly 5,795 days.
Soundchecks all week gave passersby a preview of classics like Wonderwall, Cigarettes & Alcohol, and Champagne Supernova. “It’s sounding huge, this is it, there’s no going back now,” Noel Gallagher said.
The Live ’25 tour marks the largest concert ticket launch in UK and Irish history, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries attempting to buy tickets when sales opened last summer.
— Oasis (@oasis) July 3, 2025
The band has sold 1.38 million tickets for 41 shows across the UK, Ireland, North America, South America, and Oceania. 900,000 tickets were sold for the UK and Ireland alone, but fans were outraged when £135 standard standing tickets were rebranded as ‘in demand’ and surged to £355 on Ticketmaster without added benefits.
This led the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to conduct an investigation. The CMA determined that Ticketmaster may have violated consumer protection law by promoting ‘platinum’ tickets without clearly explaining the pricing or lack of perks. Ticketmaster was ordered to improve transparency and said it ‘welcomed’ the CMA’s guidance.
Nonetheless, the controversy hasn’t dimmed enthusiasm. Fans have flown in from countries including Spain, Peru, Japan, the United States, and Kenya. Among them is Jeff Gachini, a first-time UK visitor from Nairobi who said that, “Oasis represents an overwhelming optimism about being young and loving music. They simply express life’s truths that’s powerful.”
A mural made entirely of bucket hats depicting Liam and Noel Gallagher has been unveiled in Cardiff city centre, adding to the celebratory atmosphere.
The lineup features the Gallagher brothers, joined by Gem Archer, Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, and Andy Bell, all former Oasis members. The band is supported by drummer Joey Waronker, who has played with Beck and REM, and backing vocalist Jess Greenfield, known from Noel’s High Flying Birds project. A brass section has also been added for the tour.
Although the full setlist has been kept secret, leaked details on Reddit suggest they’ll open with Hello and close with Champagne Supernova. Other hits expected to appear include Acquiesce, Roll With It, Supersonic, Live Forever, and Don’t Look Back in Anger. Noel is also expected to take lead vocals on a few songs, including Half The World Away and The Masterplan.
From 1994 to 1997, Oasis dominated the British music scene, selling tens of millions of records. Their albums Definitely Maybe, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, and Be Here Now defined an era. Liam’s snarling vocals and Noel’s explosive guitar work reignited British rock, shifting focus from US grunge back to Britpop.
The beginning of Oasis
Raised in working-class Manchester, they formed the band while unemployed. “We started the group because we were all on the dole and we thought we were pretty good,” Noel once remarked.
Oasis was originally Liam’s project, called The Rain, but Noel joined on the condition that he would take control of songwriting and leadership.
That decision propelled them to superstardom, culminating in two legendary shows at Knebworth House in 1996, where they performed to 125,000 fans a night. A staggering 2.6 million people, about 5 percent of the UK population, applied for tickets.
But the Gallagher brothers’ notorious conflicts also defined the band. In 2000, Noel quit mid-tour after a backstage fight in Barcelona, during which Liam allegedly questioned the legitimacy of Noel’s daughter.
The final blow came on 28 August 2009, when Oasis broke up just before their set at Rock en Seine in Paris. Noel later claimed Liam had wielded a guitar like an axe and nearly struck him in the face.
In the years that followed, both pursued successful solo careers, though speculation about a reunion never waned. Liam called the idea ‘inevitable’ in 2020 and proposed reforming to raise funds for NHS workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. He claimed promoters offered £100 million, but Noel declined, with Liam joking, “He’s after a knighthood, isn’t he?”
While the brothers have not given interviews about their reconciliation, tabloids speculate that Noel’s 2022 divorce from Sara McDonald softened tensions. Others believe they wanted a better closing chapter than the infamous dressing room bust-up. Tim Abbott, former managing director of their label Creation Records, said that, “I’ve heard everything is honky dory. I don’t think they’ll need separate limos. They’re grown men.”
Co-manager Alec McKinlay confirmed that there are no plans for new music, describing the reunion as ‘the last time around.’ McKinlay said that the global response was stunning, especially outside the UK, and added that, “We knew they had a strong fanbase, but we were just bowled over.”
Economists estimate the tour could generate £400 million in ticket and merchandise sales. The first show began at 8:15 PM UK time, with fans erupting as Oasis took the stage together for the first time since 2009. Ever unpretentious, Noel Gallagher reportedly arrived by train, shunning rock star luxury as the band embarks on what could be their final chapter.
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