Don’t Look Back in Anger: Oasis Live 25 in Dublin
When Oasis announced their Live 25 Tour I knew I had to be there. It had been 20 years since I last saw them live, 2005 at the Tweeter Center in Boston, one of those blurry drunken summer nights where what sticks is screaming along to Don’t Look Back in Anger and later finding the old ticket stub in my collection.
My first Oasis memory is even earlier: I was 10, the year What’s the Story Morning Glory? came out, gifted by a friend on my birthday. I was just the right age for that CD to be one of the soundtracks of my childhood. Oasis felt epic then, a Britpop titan that transcended borders. Though in the U.S. they became nostalgic relics, in the UK their later albums only reinforced their iconic status and solidified their place in music history.
The Long Wait
On Saturday, August 31st, 2024 my alarm went off at 2:45am as I was trying to score tickets to the Oasis show in Dublin. One of the big reasons I picked the Dublin show was there was now direct flights from Cleveland. We had a straight shot to Ireland, and that little twist of fate made the idea of flying across the Atlantic for Oasis not just a dream, but a plan. After waiting in the Ticketmaster lobby for 15 minutes my screen refreshed and somehow I was #387 in line. I couldn’t believe it. I whispered to my wife Kristen, “Babe, I think we’re going to see Oasis in Dublin.” With a year of uncertainty ahead, I even splurged on ticket insurance, $8 felt worth the peace of mind.
The Gallagher brothers’ history of explosive fights, over basically nothing, made that feel like a good idea. For example, during the recording of Be Here Now, Liam banged a tambourine endlessly while Noel tried to track guitar. Noel finally snapped,and Liam lifted the tambourine and chased him around the studio swinging it like a weapon. Total Oasis, bruiser mayhem.
And of course, there was Celebrity Deathmatch on MTV, those claymation versions of Liam and Noel literally tearing each other apart in the ring felt absurd but eerily accurate.
So logically, I snagged both the tickets and insurance.
Dublin Buzz
When we arrived, Dublin was vibrating. We hit the Oasis Live 25 Fan Store, but it was picked clean; no Adidas jerseys left (my endless quest). We ended up with bootleg bucket hats, threw on whatever Adidas gear we had, and made for the fan zone. It became a mini-festival: pints flowing, a Richard Ashcroft cover band, and an Oasis tribute act pumping the anthems. At the bars, we swapped tales with strangers,some recounting seeing Oasis at Slane Castle in 2009, others launching into singalongs out of nowhere.
The Show
With our tickets in hand the plan was to hustle to Croke Park ahead of when doors opened at 5pm so we could score front-of-pitch wristbands. Walking into the stadium the energy was palpable. Cast was the first opener as people still filtered into the stadium. Richard Ashcroft of the Verve drew a huge buzz with songs like The Drugs Don’t Work, Lucky Man, and Bittersweet Symphony. By the end of his set, everyone was read for Oasis to finally take the stage. Crowd roaring, the energy was electric.
Here’s the full setlist (Spotify):
Hello
Acquiesce
Morning Glory
Some Might Say
Bring It On Down
Cigarettes & Alcohol
Fade Away
Supersonic
Roll With It
Talk Tonight
Half the World Away
Little by Little
D’You Know What I Mean?
Stand by Me
Cast No Shadow
Slide Away
Whatever
Live Forever
Rock ’n’ Roll Star
Encore:
The Masterplan
Don’t Look Back in Anger
Wonderwall
Champagne Supernova
The Crowd Moment
Before launching into the song "Cigarettes & Alcohol," Liam asked all of us to turn around and hug strangers. Apparently this is a Man City thing, which they’re fans of. Suddenly, the entire stadium spun together. Arms around strangers, bouncing in rhythm, the place transformed into a single living, breathing organism during the first chorus. That moment, pure, unfiltered communion,reminded me why live music is magic.
Liam’s swagger and sharp wit punctuated every anthem; Noel, cool and precise, anchored the sound. For all their legendary fallouts, they felt united here, feeding off the crowd’s electricity.
The night closed with a fireworks spectacle as the band left the stage that rattled more than the roof, it rattled your soul.
Still Riding High
A week later, I’m still high on it. That night in Dublin was more than nostalgia, it was proof that Oasis still matter. In the States, they might be a 90s footnote, but in Dublin, they were immortal.
For me, it was full-circle, from the kid with the What’s the Story Morning Glory CD, to that college lawn, to now, singing Don’t Look Back in Anger surrounded by new friends under fireworks. And yes, eight bucks on insurance? Best. Decision. Ever.
Still humming Oasis a week later? Same. If you were at Dublin or any other Live 25 show, drop your favorite moment, I want to hear it.
