I'm not the biggest Oasis fan. I originally didn't like them, I found Liam Gallagher's voice actually quite annoying. Then I heard Wonderwall and I realized...they were pretty good, for what they set out to be, a no frills rock and roll band. The fact that they were huge fans of the Beatles and their music (so much sa as to occasionally mention some Beatles tidbits in som of their lyrics) helped warm them up to me as well. I was eventually won over by their album "(What's the story) Morning Glory?" along with the rest of the world, and since then I have made it a point to semi-follow their musical career with every album they churn out..good and bad.
So when the opportunity came to actually watch them live, I jumped at the chance. In a nutshell, it was everything I expected it to be, nothing more, nothing less, which in itself is basically what Oasis is all about...they don't pretend to be anybody else (except maybe the Beatles on occasion), just a straightforward, "meat and potatoes" rock and roll band....anyway, I just made some observations about the show and the band....
1) Oasis is essentially the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, it doesn't really matter who's playing bass, second guitar or drums....the rest of the guys in the "band" could have been cardboard cutouts on stage as they hardly ever moved. Well ok the drummer was pretty animated w/c was cool....at one point he tossed his drum stick in the air during a song...and DROPPED IT! thank God for extra drumsticks, he didn't miss a beat. I also found their "extra" member, a keyboardist amusing as he looked like Jesus Christ (no blasphemy intended) and was introduced to the audience by Noel Gallagher as a "direct descendant" of Gandalf.
2) Their drummer was new...he was good and as I mentioned quite animated....made up for everyone else just standing around. Just a bit of trivia though, their former drummer was Zack Starkey who is actually the son of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr...how cool was that?
3) Liam Gallagher for some reason manages to have stage presence by NOT haveing any stage presence. He has only TWO stances on stage. One where he stands feet apart with hands in his pocket leaning into the mic and singing, and the other where he stands feet apart with hands in his pocket standing straight looking onto the audience when he's not singing and Noel Gallagher is soloing. Oh ok, he HAS a third pose...occasionally he'll pick up a tambourine and SHAKE IT! yeah!
4) Liam Gallagher may have the characteristic sneer and nasaly voice that many associate with the band's sound, but actually, I think Noel Gallagher actually has the better voice and is more engaging to the audience, plus he writes most of their songs. I think Liam recognizes it as fact that Oasis could actually continue on without him with Noel leading the band and have some semblance of success while the band would probably crash and burn if Noel left and it was just Liam.
5) When Noel Gallagher would sing lead on a song, Liam would basically leave the stage, w/c is understandable, I found it odd though that Noel would remain on the left side of the stage and not take center stage. Maybe he does it in "respect" to his brothers "official position" in the band...who knows? I just found it odd watching the stage with no one in the middle.
6) Sadly, Oasis has yet to come up with an album as memorable as their first 2 albums Definitely Maybe & Morning Glory....but then again, isn't that the case with most bands?
7) "Don't Look Back in Anger" is a far superior song than "Wonderwall"
8) I figured the show was over after "Champagne Supernova" ...I mean how do you top that? Simple...play a song by the Beatles...duh. They closed the show with "I am the Walrus" WOOOOOOOOOOO!
9) WTF moment of the night. Liam (to the crowd): You guys are great! (cheers)......but we're better! (silence) ha ha ha ha
10) I actually knew all the songs they played! ok except one....w/c was perfect for a bathroom break. Notable songs they DIDN'T sing though were: "Live Forever", "Go Let it Out", "Cast no Shadow" , "D'you Know what I mean" & "Acquiesce".
