Event Calendar

06 December 2008

Oasis (Oracle Arena, 3 December 2008)

My obsession since 1994, Oasis played Oracle Arena last Wednesday and brought me back to those halcyon days of my youth. Now, 14 years later (!!!), I am still as Mad Fer It as I was in 1994. Oasis will always be the BEST band of the world to me.

I arrived at Oracle Arena and ran into friends. Definitely helped since I went to the concert by myself and this is definitely not the type of place where you can easily find people. There was at least 10,000 people there, so it was a small Oasis show by their standards. I got my seats on the floor and was just anxious for the show to get started. With beer in hand, and a shot of J&B to go along with it, the lights dimmed and the familiar sounds of "Fucking in the Bushes" came on. Once those drums blasted through the speakers, everyone on the floor stood up, and I yelled for Oasis as if I was 20 again.

The boys look good. Liam had an amazing bowl cut with his sideburns going all wild. I wish I had hair like that guy. Noel looked good in his black leather jacket. Gem had his familiar Penguin-brand windbreaker on. Andy Bell was Andy Bell. And Chris Sharrock was amazing on the drums throughout the show. Tony McCarroll and Whitey don't even compare.

Oasis started off with "Rock n Roll Star." A song that Oasis typically end their main set with, but it was fitting as the beginning. When those guitars started, I was jumping up and down in my little space and yelling. I assumed my Liam pose and sang every single verse with him. My friend Jason was singing along as well and we sang in tandem when the line "Tonight, I'm a rock n roll star!" came up. While Liam didn't say, "I'm a rock n roll star...in Oakland" like I did, he did say something. I don't know what it was. The crowd was energized and ready for more.


"Lyla" and then "Shock of the Lightning" followed. Oasis' backdrop was three three or four video screens -- a set up that Coldplay and Radiohead have been using in their live sets. I really didn't care for the background visuals, but they were interesting. Especially during "Lyla". But man, these songs were just amazing live. Especially "Shock of the Lightning" with the boys in top form. And Chris at the drums banging away as if his life depended on it. And when Liam wasn't singing, he was standing on stage biting on the tambourine, or just standing there looking all cool.

The crowd yearned for more of the classics, and they got it with "Cigarettes and Alcohol." This is THE song that defines Oasis and their fans. This song never gets old and the lyrics are just brilliant. With beer raised up high, I sang my heart out with this song. Noel remarked after the song that someone was so excited for the song that the person fainted.

Now here comes the new stuff with the short yet sweet "Meaning of Soul," the psychadellic "To Be Where There's Life," and the Noel sung "Waiting for the Rapture." I especially loved "To Be Where There's Life," and Gem was having a fun time playing it (especially since he penned the song).

At this point, Noel is playing his set of songs. "The Masterplan" was a pleasant surprise and it was so brilliantly done. Unlike past tours, Oasis songs live sound very similar to the album versions. Noel's voice was spot on for this song, and I got shivers when he sang the chorus.

Liam comes out after the song, strutting out as if he owned the place. And he did. Although not my favourite song, "Songbird" live was a nice and cheery change to the rockin' songs. That quickly changed when "Slide Away" was played afterwards. Of course I yelled, "What for!!!?" afterwards.

It was then followed by the best live rendition of "Morning Glory" that I have ever heard. I could have died a happy man at that point.

"Ain’t Got Nothin’" and my least favourite Oasis song in the past few years "The Importance of Being Idle" was played. The beautiful, Liam penned "I'm Outta Time" was next. If this was released in the 1990s, this song would have surpassed "Wonderwall." Speaking of which...

"Wonderwall" was next and this drove the crowd bananas. As Liam said in a recent Q interview, he wants to puke after he sings this song. But there were no signs of bitterness here. Probably the best "Wonderwall" I've heard in recent memory.

At this point, I was like, "what's next?" and then I was absolutely floored when "Supersonic" came on. It was fucking amazing! At this point, I had no voice left and I was running up and down the aisles just singing this out loud. Putting my arms around random people and my friends totally feeling supersonic! Best "Supersonic" I've heard.

It was encore time and Noel came out and played a beautiful semi-acoustic version of "Don’t Look Back in Anger." After "Falling Down," Liam came out and sang the BEST live version of "Champagne Supernova" I have ever heard. At this point, my arms are around my mates as we sang the song line-by-line. I then ran two sections over and found my other friends and we all sang "I Am the Walrus" together.

No tambourine tonight. No setlist either. But it was by and large the BEST Oasis show I've seen since Philly. My God, I was just in Oasis heaven. This surge of youthful exuberance possessed me for the entire evening and a grin like Jack Nicholson's Joker was plastered on my face. On BART, I was just all smiles. In the car, I sang the songs over and over again. I'm not over it yet, but I'll come down soon enough.



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