Oasis live at the Odyssey, Belfast

It’s been three years since the Oasis circus came to town, and judging from tonight’s crowd, there are more than a few clowns willing to sign up to the travelling sideshow. Before the Gallagher brothers even play a note, your trusty Hot Press reviewer is sitting sandwiched in between a gaggle of drunk lesbian girls and a couple who look old enough to be my grandparents. One of the piss-heads beside me keeps unwittingly falling into my lap (I’m sure there’s a joke there somewhere) while the Darby and Joan club on the other side make their annoyance obvious.
Still, my blushes are all forgotten about once the lights dim and Noel cranks out that killer riff from ‘Rock And Roll Star’. The Odyssey erupts in a sea of booze, the 8,000 or so pogo as one, and although the song is as old as a knock-knock joke these days, it’s a pretty special moment.
Tonight's show is all about the power of the hook. ‘Cigarettes And Alcohol,’ ‘Lyla’, ‘Morning Glory’ and more get the Odyssey singing as one, but there are also a few turkeys thrown in there too (‘The Shock Of The Lightning’). However, they do little to derail Oasis’ momentum and the band blaze through their back catalogue, though sadly (and rather unfathomably) they leave out ‘Live Forever.’ Song of the night has to be the latest single ‘I’m Out Of Time’, which would probably even provoke Stone Cold Steve Austin to shed a tear, and Liam’s voice is stunning all night.
As per usual, chit-chat is kept to a minimum, Noel sings the odd song (‘The Masterplan,’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger, ‘Falling Down’) and Liam gets lippy with the crowd when some “dickhead” throws a pint at him. During their encore Our Kid announces ‘Live Forever’ but they end up playing ‘Champagne Supernova’ instead. Liam looks embarrassed, Hot Press looks pissed off but the punters look ecstatic. So that was Oasis in 2008 then. Basically they’re the same as they were ten years ago, and from the looks of things, they won’t ever change. But then again, who would want them to?