Oasis Brings Britpop and Bromance to Triumphant New Jersey Stadium Show

During my trip from Brooklyn to New Jersey, subway platforms and train cars filled with people wearing Adidas tracksuits, soccer jerseys, bucket hats, and round sunglasses. This wasn’t a Britpop-themed costume party—it was the long-awaited Oasis reunion at MetLife Stadium, marking the first time in 17 years that the Gallagher brothers performed together near New York. The band had announced their comeback over a year ago as part of the Live ’25 tour, and they’d already played 20 shows. For the past two months, my social media feeds had been flooded with clips from those concerts. Still, when Liam and Noel walked onstage hand in hand, it felt surreal.

For more than a decade, the brothers had traded vicious insults in the press, calling each other everything from “idiot” to far stronger language. A reunion had long seemed impossible. That moment of unity was genuinely moving—but sentimentality didn’t last long. They launched straight into “Hello,” Liam in a parka with hands behind his back, Noel expressionless with his Les Paul. Almost immediately, half-finished beers flew into the air, drenching the crowd. In any other situation, a beer shower might ruin the night. Here, it felt like part of the ritual—strangers arm in arm, shouting lyrics in hybrid accents, lost in the rain and the rhythm.

The energy never let up. “Bring It on Down” got everyone bouncing, “Supersonic” was played at a breakneck pace, and one fan waved a soft pretzel like a tambourine during “Some Might Say.” A clear early highlight was “Acquiesce,” a B-side that features the brothers trading vocals. Though Noel has denied the song is about their relationship, lyrics like “Because we need each other / We believe in one another” felt newly poignant in this context. Oasis has always inspired a kind of fierce camaraderie, and the crowd reflected that—groups of friends, arms around each other, singing every word. One woman held a sign that summed up the feeling: “WE’VE ALWAYS LOVED YOU.”

The peak came during “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” which began with a “Poznań”—a tribute to Manchester City FC where fans turn away from the stage, link arms, and jump together. “They said you wouldn’t do it, America, and you did it,” Liam announced proudly. “Congratulations.” The band sounded phenomenal. Noel’s acoustic moments were beautifully delivered, and Liam’s voice—rough, sneering, and perfectly in tune—has lost none of its power. If there was a lull, it was mid-set with less memorable tracks, but the closing sequence was pure magic: “Live Forever,” dedicated to “the kiddies in Minneapolis,” followed by an encore that included “The Masterplan,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” a slightly rushed “Wonderwall,” and finally, “Champagne Supernova,” complete with fireworks and Liam balancing a tambourine on his head.

Even after the show ended, the singing continued on trains back to the city—a cappella renditions of anthems that clearly still mean everything to this audience. The crowd spanned generations: older couples who traveled from abroad, fans in their 20s and 30s who never thought they’d see Oasis live, and kids in “Live Forever” shirts who weren’t even born when the band split in 2009. As one music critic noted, “Oasis didn’t just soundtrack a decade—they built a community that outlasted the band itself.” That community was on full display all night.

What comes next is uncertain. The band insists no new music is planned, and their manager has called this tour “the last time around.” But if the Gallagher brothers take one lesson from their own lyrics, it should be this: don’t go away. The love is clearly still there—in the stadium, on the train, and everywhere their music still plays.