By Paul Sandle
CARDIFF (Reuters) -Oasis, the biggest British rock band of the 1990s, kick off their reunion tour in Cardiff on Friday, bringing the warring Gallagher brothers back together on stage for the first time in nearly 16 years.
The band, whose hits “Live Forever” and “Wonderwall” helped define “Britpop”, announced the shows nearly a year ago, setting off a frenzy for tickets.
Guitarist, main songwriter and vocalist Noel Gallagher, 58, told talkSPORT radio last week the band was “sounding huge” in rehearsals.
“This is it, there’s no going back,” he said.
The group, whose debut album “Definitely Maybe” was released 31 years ago, split in 2009 when Noel said he could no longer work with his younger brother Liam.
The barbs continued, but fans still hoped the band would reform.
“The thing that makes the Oasis reunion special is the thing that makes any reunion special: It has to be something that people really want and something that people thought they’d never see. And Oasis ticks both those boxes,” music journalist Mark Sutherland told Reuters.
Many fans waited for hours in online queues to buy tickets last year, only to find prices had jumped when they eventually had a chance to get them.
Britain’s competition watchdog launched an investigation into Ticketmaster over the sale, including the use of “dynamic pricing” to hike the cost to fans at the last minute.
But the focus now is on the performance, which will see the Gallaghers joined by original member Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, as well as Gem Archer and Andy Bell.
Joey Waronker, who has played with Beck and REM, will be on drums.
“Definitely Maybe”, released in 1994, was a milestone in “Britpop”, a bright, guitar-led reaction to U.S. grunge music.
Its follow-up “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”, featuring anthems “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, was the best-selling album of the 1990s in Britain and the band’s breakthrough in the United States.
After playing two shows in Cardiff, the Oasis Live ’25 tour will continue in the Gallaghers’ home city of Manchester.
It continues in Britain and Ireland, followed by shows across North and South America, Asia and Australia.
(Reporting by Paul Sandle and Sarah Mills; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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