Peter: Okay, we’re back! We’re going to finish tonight! It’s me asking Tyler questions about the Chicago stop on the Oasis reunion tour. Part 3 of 3. Let’s do this!

So, Noel just finished his mini-set. Liam’s back and they’re on to “D’You Know What I Mean?”

Tyler: Killer. Thrilled me.

Hoped I’d hear it, did not expect it, knew it as soon as Liam sang the first line. No ridiculous beep-a-bleep helicopter nonsense—as much as I love that shit on the studio cut—no air of that bloated video that Paul Weller told Noel was “Apocalypse Yesterday.”

Peter: Ha, that’s good.

This song is such a celebration of the bond between the band and their fans. It was a great choice. All those people right there right then, really did know what he meant.

Tyler: What a chorus to belt out.

Peter: Okay, between songs Liam says, “Seriously man it’s fucking mega to be back in America. I know you think we don’t like ya, but we fucking love ya.”

Tyler: Hell yes. HELL YES. Total “woooooooOOOOO” moment.

Just a hard-charging salvo of the special relationship.

Peter: And then it’s “Stand By Me.”

Tyler: A surprise. With the exception of “D’You Know What I Mean,” which I thought had an outside outside chance of making an appearance, nothing from Be Here Now was on my radar.

Peter: Yeah. I was a little surprised as well. But it’s so much fun. Another fun one to sing along to, I’ll bet.

Liam let you sing the first couple lines of the chorus with Noel singing harmony!

Tyler: Those moments when the boys let us take over singing—under so many circumstances, by so many bands, that move feels shameless. Not here. Maybe if they keep touring and it becomes A Thing, yeah, the audience lead vocals will get old. That night, though, to sing was a joy and to watch those guys, their rock ‘n roll dreams as real as ever, hearing tens of thousands of people take over their lyrics and performances—they looked satisfied, and happy. Not a shade of smug, hand to God. Noel, deferring to the crowd throughout a song we’ll come to in a bit here, just looked pleased. The guy’s given us a lot, Peter, as we and so many know. Watching him bask? Like calling for a tip of the cap or a victory lap. Revel in that, Noel, and Liam too.

Peter: Damn. I really wish I’d gone.

Tyler: You were there in spirit.

Peter: It wasn’t a sure thing! It could have gone wrong in a million different ways.

Tyler: Peter Jr. would’ve longed to be there with you. You’d’ve been conflicted!

Peter: That’s true. I still can’t believe they pulled it all off so spectacularly. It was the story of the summer! Just spreading good vibes at a time when we really needed some.

Tyler: <flash weeks forward>

Peter & Tyler: “It’s part three!”

Readers/world: “…y’all are still on about that?”

Peter: And the hits just keep coming. “Cast No Shadow.” “Slide Away.” “Whatever.” You must have been delirious at this point.

Tyler: I was surprised to hear “Whatever,” as it never hit radio in the States and didn’t even show up on The Masterplan. For being a monster hit in the UK, it’s a super-deep cut on these shores. Personally, I’ve never thought it was all that great, but of course it was brilliant live. So many special bonus points for Liam bringing back a trick from their early heyday: folding in the chorus of “Octopus’s Garden” as “Whatever” drew to a close.

Peter: Very cool.

McCartney was at the Rose Bowl show.

Tyler: I believe he sent Liam a copy of Flaming Pie back when it was released in ’97. “Heard you like the old stuff, thought you’d like the new stuff.” Liam did not respond with proper respect. I think our kid has grown.

Peter: I hadn’t heard that story! Sounds like Liam circa ’97!

Tyler: Freshman year of high school, Johnny Chicago and I shared a locker. On the inside I taped a collection of choice Gallagher quotes from CityBeat, my hometown’s local alt-weekly. It was Liam, I think, who said that, if confronted with aliens, he’d “do their heads in,” to which the aliens would cry “Farking hell! Farking hell! Let’s get back to Planet Knob!”

Peter: I literally just laughed out loud. That’s fantastic.

Alright, things are ramping up for the big finish. It’s time for “Live Forever.”

Tyler: Decades ago, when summers were long and I was a sheltered, sheltered lad, the only real appeal Definitely Maybe offered me came in”Live Forever” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.” I knew “LF” was coming—hell, as noted all the way back in part one of this latter-day-Scorsese-length recap, it soundtracked the pre-opener Oasis hype video—and it did not disappoint. Though I still hope it’s not about his mother. That was floated in some profile of the band I read back in those earlier days.

Peter: Huh. Yeah, I’m not having it. Even if it’s true.

There are few lyrics in their catalog that resonate like, “You and I are gonna live forever.” Must have been epic in that setting.

Tyler: See, ain’t that the thing. These are anthemic. Noel takes a lot of flak for his work as a lyricist, but these luminescent songs wouldn’t be well served by hyper-poetic complexities. Sometimes a timeless sentiment is all you need.

And, for the record, I think Noel’s lyrical talent has grown and grown as he’s matured and played with all manner of rock sub-genres.

Peter: The last song before the encore was the aforementioned “Rock & Roll Star.”

Tyler: Liam prefaced it with a shoutout to all the rock & roll stars in the crowd. He meant us!! That shit tore the place down.

Peter: He sounds like he’s having fun!

Tyler: We haven’t really taken proper time to highlight Liam’s onstage antics, such as holding the tambourine in his mouth, or standing like a statue at length while Noel sang lead.

Peter: Classic Liam!

Okay, let’s talk about the encore. Noel introduced the band, including, of course, Bonehead, before kicking things off with “The Masterplan.” How great was it having Bonehead back with the band?

Tyler: You wanna talk about a deep-cut delight. Bonehead! They played “Bonehead’s Bank Holiday!” No they didn’t.

Peter: Ha! I wish! I love that song!

Tyler: Dude, I have a 2-LP copy of What’s The Story that wedges that nonsense in after “Hey Now!”. A dismal turn of musical mood.

Peter: Ha, oh no!

Tyler: Yeah, it’s a dash to the turntable.

I didn’t know Gem and Andy Bell were back in the fold. I was very pleased to see it.

As much as we lifers will always treasure this “pure” Oasis of Noel and Liam, Bonehead, Guigsy, and Alan White, Gem and Andy are part of the band, and have been, for twenty-five years.

I guess I left out a nickname. Whitey!

Peter: Oh wow! I didn’t know you didn’t know who was going to be in the band! That’s wild.

Tyler: Two people had let slip about Bonehead. I wasn’t averse to knowing if those guys were back, but looking it up would’ve almost certainly spoiled songs.

Peter: Gotcha.

Tyler: I’m not lying when I tell you that, before the show, I remarked to Wes, “I wonder what Tony McCarroll is up to.”

Wes had googled McCarroll that morning. He’s playing in an Oasis cover band with a Z-league Liam impersonator.

Peter: Aw, Tony. Always felt bad for him.

Tyler: Tony is a dope who took a lump settlement when he could’ve had royalties for Definitely Maybe and “Some Might Say” for the rest of his life. There was some Brit tabloid headline at the time declaring him the dumbest man in England.

Peter: So, it’s “Masterplan” into “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” into “Wonderwall,” into “Champagne Supernova.” That is some encore.

Tyler: “Don’t Look Back In Anger” was the moment I mentioned earlier, Noel luxuriating in the somehow completely-unironic love of a stadium full of American fans. He did finally take over the chorus for the very last stretch of the song, and I’m glad he did, so we could hear him sing that chorus even once.

Peter: Nice.

Tyler: Liam blurted “Wonderwall” before they played it. Same with “Champagne Supernova,” actually.

What can I say? By the end of “Champagne Supernova,” as the band left the stage and the unexpected fireworks show began, my eyes were to the sky and my jaw just kind of agape.

It’s a royally trashed-up world descending into chaos, here in America, 2025. I expected a lot from that concert, obvious ingredients, certain songs, so forth, and I figured I’d be satisfied. What I didn’t see coming were wonder, and catharsis.

Wes and his wife had to split off after the four of us stood for a moment or two in pleasant shock. Lance and I, then, meandered through a massive slow-moving crowd, herded all of us through the paths and overpasses and whatnot that connect pedestrians to Soldier Field. It took some time for the pace to speed up and the crowd to disperse. Some clown early on, somehow already in a bad mood, declared how the delay sucked. A nut sold sausages blazed on an impromptu grill. Eventually, finally, we made it back to open streets and a handful of blocks back to the hotel. There wasn’t necessarily much to say, though the two of us retired to a patio for a short while to linger outdoors and put together our immediate memories. What had we just experienced? Are you kidding me? It was that good?

Peter: Biblical.

Tyler: The patio and bar-restaurant indoors were popping. Oasis fans and reunited step-dancers, lively after a night of fun. We were about done with crowds, so we retired to our room and ate remarkable sandwiches picked up earlier in the day from a deli in Buena Park. It was late, and neither of us had designs on lingering in Chicago the next morning, but we allotted ourselves a good seven-hour window for at least attempted sleep. I had tucked under the linen of my bed, Lance approaching his, when he asked if I’d mind some white noise to help usher us off. I need something audible to fall asleep, too, so it wasn’t a problem on my end. Normally, typically, at this stage in life, I’d put on a podcast. Without that, I was just fine with the white noise. That night, I’d heard plenty, and I’m sure it was still echoing as I finally passed out.

Oh, Peter. Memories are tough to completely shape as time elapses after something remarkable, and I’m glad we’ve had these chats to help me process and recollect a concert and a night that clearly left me elated, even touched. I know you said you wish you were there, but I’m glad to talk to you about it here. One true fan deserves another, and it’s been a riot and a pleasure to go all Oasis over these last few months of album reviews and reunion anticipation. Next up, readers: anything other than Oasis! Until then, and even after, though, we hope all this hullabaloo gives you even a glimpse of what it is to love this band, or any band, quite this hard.

D’you know what I mean?

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