How to survive the Oasis reunion tour — little by little, song by song

Oh my God it’s happening. The long, long wait is finally over. The concerts most of us once thought impossible are about to take place. Whether you were there the first time around in the mid-1990s when Oasis were genuinely life-changing, or if you loved them in 2002 during the chaos of the notorious Finsbury Park gig, or if you’re a newer fan that’s never seen them before and thought you never would - these are without doubt the gigs of the century.

It’s almost a year since the UK went into meltdown trying to get tickets for these events; the chaotic scenes of ballots, waitrooms, desperately refreshing websites and dynamic pricing causing headline news and only serving to increase the fervour around the warring Gallagher brothers’ most unlikely coalescing. They’ve been sold out ever since - even now a pair for any of the concerts will run you into the thousands on resale sites.

But if you were somehow lucky enough to get your hands on those golden passes, your time has come. Whether it’s Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Heaton Park, Wembley, Croke Park or Murrayfield you’re heading to, get ready to dust off that bucket hat, slip on a pair of Sambas and blast the finest Oasis songs at a volume akin to that of a Space X flight taking off next door.

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Here’s the thing though. We care about you at Shortlist and we want this to be memorable. These should be concerts you cherish for a lifetime. We don’t want you going all-in way too early and falling asleep clutching a can on a park bench at four in the afternoon mumbling about being mad for it and missing the whole gig.

So here’s your step-by-step Oasis comeback gig survival guide - now let’s have it!

8am — Track to play: D’You Know What I Mean

Up and at ‘em. The day is finally here. Jump out of bed, pull your faded Oasis T-shirt on and feed those butterflies with a full English breakfast (or a Scottish, Welsh or Irish one - so long as it has plenty of calories) before sticking on one of the greatest comeback singles of all time in the shape of 1997’s D’You Know What I Mean.

How would Noel possibly follow (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, the album that sent Oasis spiralling into rock history and contained the globe-spanning Wonderwall? The answer was with a towering eight minute epic that referenced The Beatles and Bob Dylan, featuring morse code, drums sampled from NWA and lyrics in which Noel described God sitting on his shoulder asking him for advice. The accompanying music video required millions of pounds and the use of several military helicopters. Of course it did.

11am — Track to play: Acquiesce

“Because we need each other, we believe in one another” you message to the Oasis gig Whatsapp group, slightly tearfully while listening to one of the band's more astonishing B-sides from 1995, the brothers swapping singing duties on verses and choruses after a colossal electric guitar-riff intro.

Acquiesce is truly a song to be bellowed out with one arm firmly slung around your best mate's shoulder. But try to avoid the temptation of getting over-excited and having a morning beer by spending an hour or so perusing the Oasis official store where you can pick up some special T-shirts and Hoodies designed by Adidas (if they’re not all sold out by then.)

1pm — Track to play: Supersonic

It’s 1pm, which means it’s probably ok to have a bevvy, but make it one, or at the most two. There’s a long way to go and you need to keep your wits about you as you get ready to head to the gig.

Maybe go for a (sensibly-poured) gin and tonic and a play of Supersonic - the debut Oasis single released some 31 years ago and the first time we heard Noel’s genius on the radio: backed by our kid Liam’s sneering vocal introducing him as the rock vocalist of a generation. Written and recorded in a single day for just £100. That’s basically the cost of a pint in London now.

By the way, if you’ve got a tote bag handy it might be worth taking along - there are pop-up shops in each city selling limited edition, coloured vinyls of every Oasis album to celebrate the 2025 tour.

3pm — Track to play: Champagne Supernova

Time to get some more food in you to line the stomach, maybe (definitely) accompanied by a fitting celebratory glass of bubbly, while the opening sounds of a tide washing in and out on a beach herald Champagne Supernova, the glorious final song on What’s The Story… and traditionally one of the most spectacular live Oasis tunes.

The screaming guitar solo at the song’s crescendo was originally played by Paul Weller on the record, but has been handled at past Oasis gigs by the likes of John Squire of the Stone Roses and The Smiths legend Johnny Marr. Who knows who you might get!

One thing we do know is that experts reckon almost 9 million beers are going to be served at the gigs, meaning an awful lot of lager (or worse) getting thrown around - so think about investing in a poncho if you’re in the standing section.

 5pm — Track to play: Cast No Shadow

Into the stadium you go, pulse quickening, ready to get back to the magic of the ‘90s with the support acts: first Cast and then the mighty Richard Ashcroft, the Verve frontman who was there at the very start and inspired the eighth song on Oasis’ second album: Cast no Shadow. It’s the calm before the storm in heaven, a moment to be a bit reflective of what’s about to occur.

Noel himself said of the tune: "He always seemed to me that he was not entirely happy with the things that were happening around him. So the lyrics 'bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say' was ‘cos I always felt that he'd been born in the wrong place at the wrong time, and always tried to say the right things, but they went wrong. When I first sang the song to him he was near tears."

8pm — Track to play: Fuckin’ in the bushes

You’re a few drinks down inside the arena. The atmosphere is palpably on the brink of outright chaos. Anticipation doesn’t even begin to cut it as a noun. Is this really going to happen? Sixteen years of thinking it never could. You smile at your friends and pause to appreciate the moment.

And then suddenly out of the speaker stacks the first snare hit of F**kin’ in the Bushes echoes around the place like a colossal gunshot and all bets are off. Plastic glasses are launched into the sky, the screams and roars of the assembled thousands are deafening, the air is punched into oblivion. Oasis are seen walking to the stage on the big screens.

Here. We. Go.

11pm — Track to play: Live Forever

A few glorious hours later and it’s all over. They returned. You never stopped singing your heart out, but all things come to an end. Although back in the day the traditional Oasis gig-closer was either Champagne Supernova and/or I Am The Walrus, it’s Live Forever that seems to be a fitting send off this time around. It’s the song that changed everything for Noel, for the band, and the one that made the world take notice. John Lennon’s face projected on the giant stage. Liam turning his back and silently contemplating the Beatle in reverence.

Just like that it’s done. Spilling out down the steps into the dark you go, with thousands of others, toward packed trains and coaches and cars, ears ringing and feet unsteady, maybe with work tomorrow. Back to real life. That doesn’t matter though. The music is what matters, being with your friends, nights like this one. “You and I are gonna live forever”.

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