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Oasis brought Britpop classics, bucket hats & fireworks to Metlife Stadium (Night 1 review, pics, setlist)

Oasis brought Britpop classics, bucket hats & fireworks to Metlife Stadium (Night 1 review, pics, setlist)

“They said you wouldn’t do it, America,” Liam Gallagher told the MetLife Stadium crowd on Sunday night (8/31). “They said you wouldn’t do it. But you did it. Congratulations, America!”

I think Liam was talking about America showing up for Oasis’ reunion tour, which has them playing stadiums around the world. And indeed, they sold out all of their North American shows, including two nights at MetLife. A lot of Brits live in the NYC area, and it felt like most of them were at the Meadowlands on Sunday, along with thousands of other fans—many already arriving in Oasis t-shirts, bucket hats, and track jackets. (There’s been an official Oasis pop-up merch store open in the Lower East Side for the last week.) Commuting from Brooklyn that afternoon, it was easy to spot who was heading to the show, and with every train transfer the bucket-hat brigade grew. Pulling into the Meadowlands stop, the excitement was palpable before even entering the stadium.

This was Oasis’ fourth North American show after their tour of the UK and Ireland that took those countries by storm. America never quite had Oasis or Britpop fever in the ’90s the way the UK did, so compared to footage of their Wembley or Heaton Park runs—stadiums transformed into bouncing, swaying sing-along masses—MetLife didn’t quite hit that level of beered-up harmony. But we did pretty well. The GA field and the lower bowl were with them from the moment The Rolling Stones’ “We Love You” blasted on the PA, leading into walk-on music “Fuckin’ in the Bushes.”

Oasis’ Live 25 setlist has been fine-tuned for maximum impact, sticking almost entirely to their first two albums and singles/b-sides from that era. They haven’t touched it: opening with “Hello,” then straight into “Acquiesce,” the b-side to “Some Might Say” that really embodies this reunion and the Gallaghers patching things up with its trade-off vocals and chorus of “we need each other.” It’s also now one of their most popular songs.

The energy stayed high with “Morning Glory,” “Some Might Say,” and Definitely Maybe deep cut “Bring It On Down.” Then the place exploded for “Cigarettes and Alcohol,” one of the most joyous moments of the night, with seemingly the entire crowd shouting back Liam’s sneering “looking for some ack-shee-un.”

I saw Oasis back in the day on both the Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory tours, and maybe it was the smaller venues—or the more subdued American crowds—but neither of those shows had the liftoff they achieved at MetLife. With a three-guitar lineup, plus a keyboardist and horn section, this was music made for massive spaces. (“Nice stadium,” Liam quipped at one point. “Almost as big as me house.”) “Supersonic” was mega mid-set, and songs that were never my favorites in the ’90s, like “Roll With It,” really came alive with the band roaring and the crowd singing along.

After “Roll With It,” Liam took a break, handing the mic to Noel for a quieter set: acoustic ballads “Talk Tonight” and “Half the World Away,” plus the anthemic “Little by Little.” Noel mostly let the audience sing the choruses, and they happily obliged.

Liam returned for “D’You Know What I Mean?”—one of two Be Here Now inclusions—and while no amount of crowd participation could convince me it’s not one of their weakest singles, it made a good lead-in for the second half of the main set, which leaned on midtempo anthems and ballads. Those included “Stand by Me,” “Cast No Shadow,” non-LP single “Whatever,” and “Slide Away,” which Liam dedicated to “the lovebirds” and promised, as he has elsewhere on the tour, there would be no Coldplay kiss-cams. “Put your tongue down whoevers throat you want!”

The main set closed with two of their best from Definitely Maybe: the soaring “Live Forever” (dedicated to Minneapolis) and “Rock ’n’ Roll Star.” After a short break, they returned for a four-song encore: Noel’s b-side classic “The Masterplan,” followed by the big three: “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Wonderwall,” and “Champagne Supernova,” capped off with fireworks. A terrific night that transcended nostalgia and whatever baggage the Gallaghers have carried for the last 16 years.

Sunday’s show opened with fellow ’90s vets Cast, led by former La’s bassist John Power, who sounded great during their short set that included all the singles from their Britpop-classic debut All Change. They’re playing a headline show at NYC’s Sony Hall on Wednesday (9/3), plus opening for Oasis in LA, and also have a couple East Coast dates with The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

Main support for the North American shows is Cage the Elephant, who definitely had their own fans in the crowd. I knew more of their songs than I expected, and while I wish The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft had been on the bill like he was in the UK/Ireland leg, Cage held their own as the sun went down.

Photos from the whole show by Toby Tenenbaum, plus fan-shot video and the setlist, are below.

Oasis play Metlife again tonight (9/1) and then head to LA.

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

Cast (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

Cage the Elephant (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

photo by Toby Tenenbaum

Oasis (photo by Toby Tenenbaum)

SETLIST: Oasis @ MetLife Stadium 8/31/2025
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