See Oasis at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, August 31st and Monday, September 1st!
Formed in Manchester, England in 1991, Oasis originally consisted of guitarist Paul McGuigan, drummer Paul Arthurs, bassist Tony McCarroll, and singer Chris Hutton, before quickly removing Hutton and replacing him with Liam Gallagher. After their first show, Liam’s brother Noel approached the band about joining, as long as he becomes the leader and only songwriter. With Noel bringing many finished songs to the table already and the potential to write more, the band agreed, and the lineup was complete.
After playing for over a year, Oasis was offered a contract by Creation Records, allowing them to start releasing official singles and their debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994. The album was met with critical acclaim and helped turn the band into a true sensation right out of the gates. Topping UK’s Albums and Independent Albums charts, as well as the US Heatseekers Albums chart, Definitely Maybe was a smash hit, and it’s claim to the fastest selling debut album in the UK at the time shows that.
In 1995, the British press helped create a rivalry, deemed “The Battle of Britpop”, between Oasis and fellow British group Blur. While there was originally no real rivalry, the mix of the media’s coverage as well as both bands releasing singles on the same day, the feud slowly became real, with both bands going from mutual praise to making public jabs at each other. Eventually when the fervor died down, the groups would reconcile with members on both sides holding each other to high praise.
The single in question was “Roll with It” off of Oasis’ second album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (1995). While the album didn’t blow critics away, that didn’t stop it from being a commercial home run, topping album charts around the world, and when it wasn’t on top it was in the top 10 (except for Hungary, where it was number 32). From Australia to Zimbabwe, the world fell in love with Oasis’ sophomore album. With three of their biggest tracks of all time in “Champagne Supernova”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, and the behemoth “Wonderwall”, it’s no surprise the album did well.
Album sales weren’t’ the only big numbers for Oasis, as the group earned, and still holds, the title for the highest demand for a show in British history. This comes after selling out two nights at Maine Road stadium and two nights at Balloch County Park, when the band announced two shows at Knebworth House. The two shows sold out nearly instantaneously, with 2.5 million people trying to get tickets and only 125,000 a night being sold.
Oasis released their third album Be Here Now in 1997, at first keeping up with the success of the band’s previous releases and becoming the fastest-selling album in British history, a title held for nearly 20 years until Adelle’s 25 in 2015. However, after the hype of the release began to die down, as did opinions of the album, with Noel, who wrote the album, agreeing with the critical and negative opinions.
After a lineup shakeup as well as the closing of Creation Records, Oasis still pushed on, creating their Big Brother label and bringing in Colin “Gem” Archer and Andy Bell to fill the new holes in the band. With the new lineup and new label set, the band released Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in 2000 which did moderately well in the first week before dipping in sales shortly after. In 2002 they released Heathen Chemistry, the first album to actually feature the new members as the previous release was recorded prior to the departure of Arthurs and McGuigan.
In 2005, Oasis would release Don’t Believe the Truth, which was regarded as the band’s best album since (What’s the Story) Morning Glory ten years prior. The album contained two number one singles in the UK with “Lyla” and “The Importance of Being Idle” and earned them Best Album at the Q Awards. The ensuing tour was also one of the band’s most successful in over a decade, selling out shows in Mexico City, Madison Square Garden, and the Hollywood Bowl. The tour also spawned Lord Don’t Slow Me Down, a rockumentary film released in 2007.
In October of 2008, Oasis released their seventh and final new album Dig Out Your Soul. The album was met with further positive reviews, showing the band appeared to be on an upswing after their string of underperforming albums. What followed was even more touring, as well as the band receiving the NME Award for the Best British Band in 2009.
Despite the explosive success of the band, trouble was constantly brewing, especially between the Gallaghers. Right out the gate Noel nearly left following an on-stage outburst by Liam, and while touring after the release of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory, Noel and Liam began to fight again, this time extending throughout nearly a whole tour. After on and off fighting for years, during the 2009 Rock en Seine festival, it was announced that Oasis’ set was cancelled, with Noel later saying “…I quit Oasis tonight…I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”
Over the years, Liam and Noel both followed their own solo careers, swearing that a reunion would never happen, usually followed with jabs at the other brother. Despite not being together, Oasis still won Best British Album of the Last 30 Years at the 2010 Brit Awards for (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. There has also been anniversary and remastered editions of albums, compilation albums, and even a documentary released in the time after the band split.
Now, as Oasis put it on their social media, “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over.” In August of 2024, the reunion everyone wanted but didn’t see coming was announced, with a handful of shows being announced in the UK and Ireland. Almost a month later, the band has now also announced their North American leg of the tour, taking them to only five locations, three in the US as well as Toronto and Mexico City. They have also stated the other continents will receive their own dates, and that a new album has been finished.
