It’s been said countless times since Liam and Noel Gallagher buried the hatchet last year to launch their rapturously received Oasis Live ’25 reunion run, but the formerly quarrelsome siblings who used to make Cane and Abel look like the Kelce brothers have found that special magic again. And then some.
When the tour finally hit U.S. shores on Thursday night (Aug. 28) at a sold-out Soldier Field in Chicago for one of only five American dates, there was an unmistakable, heart-warming majesty to the display of true brotherhood between the Gallaghers. From their now signature hand-in-hand walk out to subtle nods and hip-check nudges between them, the years of estrangement seemed like an ancient memory, leaving in their place a dedication to playing their most beloved songs as loudly, brashly and tightly as ever.
Despite the unwavering setlist and even somewhat similar between-song banter, the first Oasis show on U.S. soil in nearly 17 years made it feel like no time at all had gone by the second the band’s signature party-starting go song — the beat-attack, mostly instrumental “F—kin’ in the Bushes” — blared from speakers to a jubilant mob geeked for the return of the Britpop kings.
One thing that hasn’t changed is singer Liam Gallagher’s punkish swagger, as evidenced by the shades that never left his face for the duration of the two-hour, 23-song gig and his playful shout-out to the “drug takers” and “glue sniffers” before “Bring It On Down.” Whereas in years past the band’s formerly volatile vocalist might have tossed the occasional tambourine or maraca in frustration — he’s now banned from letting any instruments fly for safety reasons, if you can believe it — the closest he got to maligning one of his instruments in Chicago were the few times he playfully clamped his tambo between his teeth during instrumental passages.
The professionalism extended to the sharp, all-black ensembles worn by the entire band, which gave off an us-against-the-world gang vibe as tight as the song’s arrangements. When Liam leaned into the microphone to howl the chorus of “Morning Glory” as the 60,000-plus crowd expertly backed him with an elongated “wellll,” it was clear American fans have studied the tapes from the group’s U.K. and Irish gigs last month and came prepared to do their part.
And boy did they. From the unending sea of Adidas stripes on track suits, football jerseys and sneakers, to what must have been a Midwest record for the most bucket hats in a single place at once, the crowd came to sing along and hoover up as much merch as possible. And off course they did the turn around and jump up and down Poznan dance during “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” making the ground shake like a Britpop earthquake.
In the bad old days, Liam would sometimes wander off stage, or sulk on the drum riser during his vocal breaks over some perceived slight or agitation. But what a difference time has made, as 2025 Liam now blows kisses before “Some Might Say” before making the sign of a cross after dipping his fingers in his water bottle to get some holy mojo rolling.
He joked “we invented all this madness” before brother Noel unleashed the primal roar of “Supersonic,” peeling off the gigantic, clear-as-a-bell riffs that had Liam swaggering over after “Roll With It” to give his older brother a friendly hand slap. The band’s songwriter and occasional singer returned the favor by giving Liam a break during a mid-set ballad showcase featuring the Noel-led “Talk Tonight,” “Half the World Away” and clear crowd favorite “Little By Little.”
The Stones-y opening set from Bowling Green, Ky. brother band Cage the Elephant set the stage with a tight, kinetic performance that had singer Matt Shultz leaping into the air and bounding from one end of the stage to the other like a Bluegrass State Jagger, with no signs of the 2024 foot injury that had him scooting around stage in a medical boot for a while. In keeping with the sibling revelry on display all night, at one point Shultz sauntered over to older brother guitarist Brad Shultz and gave him a sweet brotherly shove after a bit of teasing.
Liam didn’t say much to the crowd, but when he did speak it was to spread the love, telling his Chicago fans that it was “f–kin’ mega to be back in America,” noting that “we always loved ya” as the band dove into 1997’s Be Here Now classic “Stand By Me.” There were other playful gestures, such as the “c’mon now” flick of the ears urging the audience to sing along to that song or his cheeky search for “any lovers in the house” before the 1994 Definitely Maybe track “Slide Away.”
For a band that used to be dogged by obvious Beatles comparisons, Thursday’s show felt less wedded to Fab formula and more focused on delivering waves of sonic overload and straight-up melodic stadium rock, as when “Live Forever” roped tens of thousands into reaching onto their tiptoes to get high enough for the falsetto “You and I we’re gonna live forever” bit.
“Rock ‘N Roll Star” needed no such encouragement, with the audience doing the heavy vocal lifting on the track that ends in a swirl of psychedelic eddies. There were still the low-key, subtle nods to the Beatles, though, as in the familiar inclusion of a bit of Ringo Starr’s “Octopus’s Garden” at the end of “Whatever.”
But truth be told, this set was mostly focused on giving the people what they came for, packed in one of the most epic show closers in rock. Noel took lead vocals on 1998’s “The Masterplan, a lesser-known track that got No. 1 hit treatment from the passionate audience, who jumped up and down and pumped their fists with a kind of polite mayhem that never tipped over into loutish behavior.
On a perfect 65-degree night, Oasis landed the plane with the undisputed murder’s row trifect of encores, beginning with the unmistakable rolling piano and drum roll intro to “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” a song so titanic that Noel didn’t even have to sing lead on the chorus. That kind of artistic abdication can sometimes come off as lazy, but in this case there was something heartwarming about letting the enthusiastic crowd carry that weight with joy and high fives all around.
His hoodie now up over his head so his face was nearly obscured, Liam returned for a pair of songs that are basically eternal Great Britpop Songbook classics at this point beginning with a majestic “Wonderwall” and ending with an absolutely levitating “Champagne Supernova.”
Oasis have nothing left to prove. Their songs have, and do, stand the test of time. Their rancorous days seemingly are behind them, they have mastered the art of turning a football stadium into a pub sing-along with 60,000+ of their closest fans. But perhaps most impressive of all, they returned from a potentially career-killing hiatus just as strong, if not stronger than they were, minus the baggage and plus the hard-earned wisdom to trust that the songs are more than enough.
