Oasis (Finally) Take America: Up Close At The Rose Bowl, Pasadena

This article was originally published on Clash

In 2025, what’s left to say about Oasis that hasn’t already been said a hundred times? Nothing really, though this much is worth reiterating: there can only be one.

Somewhere between the “greatest ever” and “most overrated” crossfire, the Brothers Gallagher decided to call a truce. Now, the debate over their place in music is irrelevant — that was for when the band wasn’t together. All that matters at this point is they’re back with the single most impactful concert series of the year.

Over the weekend (September 6th and 7th), the Mancunian group played two nights at Pasadena’s Rose Bowl Stadium to close out the North American leg of their roadshow. Footballesque hooliganism, laddish drinking habits and more Adidas Originals gear than you will typically see in one place in the United States: all unfamiliar traits of a faraway land, yet it all felt natural in that habitat.

American crowds don’t roar or move the way they have been at these Oasis shows. With no distinct demographic, their fanbase across the globe comprises people of all backgrounds, shades and ages coming together for unadulterated rock ‘n’ roll. 50-year-old men and middle-school girls wearing shorts, bucket hats and light-blue tops (most Americans don’t even know who they’ve been tricked into supporting) — some might say that’s what unity truly looks like.

Halfway through their reunion tour, Noel and Liam seem to have eased back into their roles. From the shows in Pasadena alone, it’s clear as day that there’s no other way we’d rather have it. Between 2009 and 2024, a lot of Oasis fans listened to, watched and enjoyed Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Beady Eye and Liam Gallagher’s solo work. While a sizable chunk of that material was remarkable, none of it ever came close to being as exciting as just seeing both siblings standing next to each other.

In fact, Sir Paul McCartney made it out to Night 1 in Southern California to see it with his own eyes like a proud father would. It’s no secret that The Beatles are the reason Oasis exist in the first place, which is why the veteran’s presence might be the weightiest testament to this comeback’s enormity.

Back in 2014, Dave Grohl said about the group: “We’ve played shows with them before where I look at them and [go] like, ‘That’s the greatest rock band I’ve ever seen in my life.’ They just stand there; it’s not like they’re bouncing around the stage.”

Conversations about the “greatest” seem redundant in spaces that don’t quantify success. After all, you can’t truly win in music. Oasis, however, is the closest we’ve come to witnessing a triumph in that circuit over the past few years. In tune with what the Foo Fighters frontman said about them a decade ago, Noel and Liam don’t even have to try to be rock ‘n’ roll; they just are no matter what they do. The job was finished before they even walked out on stage that first night in Cardiff. Now, all they have to do is continue spreading the good word.

Of course, this tour is catered specifically to day-one fans. Majority of the setlist comprises songs from ‘Definitely Maybe’, ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ and B-sides compilation ‘The Masterplan’. From their last four albums, Oasis only performed ‘Little by Little’, which is nowhere near the best pick from that lot. The absence of tunes like ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’, ‘Layla’ and ‘Gas Panic!’, among several others, made cuts like ‘Bring It On Down’, ‘Fade Away’ and ‘Half the World Away’ seem unnecessary. Perhaps they’re leaving some for later, because as great as their sets have been, they still feel like the first part of a much larger project.

Of course, the average Oasis fan appreciates the band’s discography far more than Noel, who rightfully props up the first two albums but doesn’t give the rest enough credit (which is quite unlike him, considering he wrote most of the songs). With that being the case, it would be a shame for them to reunite and not go deeper into their discography should these concerts continue. They’ve given fans a taste and the demand is only proliferating.

This can’t be it. It better not be.

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