Oasis To Reunite, Possibly Live Forever

Our long international nightmare is over. Oasis, our generation’s greatest rock band from Manchester, has officially announced a reunion after 15 years. Liam and Noel Gallagher will perform a series of shows in the UK next summer, most notably several nights at Wembley Stadium, which has a capacity of 90,000. Rumors say the tour will continue in North America, hitting several cities, including Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Toronto. I predicted this day would come on Twitter in 2023, after Noel Gallagher announced his divorce and several UK publications said he would be paying out upwards of 20 million pounds. I have never been happier to see a marriage end.

I saw Oasis once, at Lakewood Amphitheater in 2005 in Atlanta. At the time, Cartel, the band I was managing, was labelmates with Oasis, and our product manager sorted out some prime tickets for me. My friend Mike Peters and I smoked a blunt in my car and rolled in as God intended, high as kites. Our seats were 10 rows back and dead center. They played “Cigarettes and Alcohol,” “Acquiesce,” “Live Forever,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” and, of course, “Wonderwall.” Liam was sporting one of his wilder shag haircuts and wearing a long white parka. He balanced a tambourine on his head and stood in his signature arms-behind-the-back, chin-out stance. I had been to many shows at this point, but this was the first time I had witnessed a real-life superstar.

The excitement around the reunion has come at me from every angle: texts from people I haven’t talked to in years, DMs, emails, and phone calls. I knew they were popular, but, at least in America, their popularity has increased tenfold since their backstage bust-up at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris in 2009. I am not sure where to point the finger, but I think a lot of it comes from the band’s style. The 1990s worship on Instagram is real, and no one looked cooler than the Brothers Grim. They had endless swag that felt natural and cool. It wasn’t about designers or labels or fit pics. It was about feeling good in the pub and onstage. Stone Island, Clark’s Desert Treks and Wallabees, Umbro jumpers, raw Levi’s jeans, Adidas shoes of all sorts, Burberry, Lacoste polos—their go-to’s are wearable, and I should know because I have been trying to emulate them since high school.

We are at the tail end of Brat summer. Charli has single-handedly resurrected partying and pure and unadulterated fun. So, who better to usher in Britpop fall than Oasis? They have huge anthemic songs, great clothes, and seem like they can still put back several pints and gin and tonics in one sitting. I hope this doesn’t just engage elder millennials but turns young people on to an essential genre of music that helped shape an entire generation. I don’t expect everyone to have a “Live Forever” tattoo like me, and I don’t expect Cool Britannia to return, but it’s time for guitar music to make a triumphant comeback. I will be making the trek to Wembley, no matter the cost. Until then, I will be listening to the Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary reissue, making sure I still know all the words.