Live at Accor Stadium, Sydney
8 November 2025
Live Review by Music Journalist: Paul Marshall
Oasis Reclaim the Rooftops: A Sydney Night Where Britpop’s Heartbeat Roared Again.
It was the kind of night the echoes of Britpop had been forgetting until, against every odd and whisper of cynicism, Oasis returned to Sydney and reminded 80,000 people why they once ruled the rooftops. The lights went down, the roar rose up, and what followed was nothing less than alchemy: the swagger of youth, the bruised edge of time, and, above all, a crowd so alive you could feel the chords reverberate through the concrete.
First up tonight, Australia’s beloved Ball Park Music took the stage. Personally handpicked by Liam Gallagher, the Brisbane band delivered a faultless, festival-ready 45 minutes that should have ignited Sydney however the crowd’s lukewarm reception suggested most weren’t there for The Park. Still, BPM didn’t miss a beat. Set favourites like It’s Nice to Be Alive, She Only Loves Me When I’m There, and Cocaine Lion had their moments, but it was Manny, Spark Up! and the closer, Struggle Street, that truly showcased the band’s live prowess. They were the perfect choice, even if Sydney didn’t quite realise it.
When the Gallaghers finally took the stage and opened with “Hello”, the reaction was immediate and thunderous. No gradual climb‑up, no tentative testing of waters: the wave broke and we were in “the roar hit like a wave… Sydney had been saving its voice for 20 years.” From the vantage point of my section I felt it: the collective inhale, exhale, the immediate recognition that this wasn’t just a reunion, it was a reckoning.
The staging matched the moment: massive screens behind the band alternated live footage, archival imagery, abstract textures, slick, yes but never overshadowing. The music remained the core.
Let’s talk about Liam and Noel Gallagher. Time has aged them both, but the fire of their decades‑long feud now seems to smoulder quietly, fuelling rather than consuming. There were no public fallings‑out, no bitter gestures. What we witnessed was two older lads still loaded with attitude who had rediscovered the reason they mattered in the first place.
Liam, as ever, remains theatre incarnate: the clenched jaw, the cocked mic stand, the voice that still rasped and soared. His posture and voice exude the same blend of defiance, conviction, and edge that once defined a generation. Noel, meanwhile, brought the craftsmanship: precision, melody, the weight behind the hits. Together, their chemistry felt repaired, refined and still potent.
From the opening salvo, the hits came thick and fast: “Acquiesce”, “Morning Glory”, “Some Might Say”, “Cigarettes & Alcohol” they weren’t just performed, they were exhaled. The crowd knew every word. Not by rote, but by ownership. When they launched into “Live Forever”, the stadium ceased being a venue and became a choir.
But the encore that quadruple‑threat close of “The Masterplan”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova”was taken to another level. Choruses vanishing into 80,000 voices. The lights, the fireworks, the bucket hats. A moment of pure, unadulterated rock communion.
One detail that stood out: in an age of phones raised like beacon towers, this crowd mostly looked, not recorded. Many were present rather than documenting and that, ironically, made it feel more monumental.
Look around and you saw dads whose teenage selves once crowded the front of small clubs, still wearing ’90s Adidas and bucket hats. Beside them were younger fans Gen Z who may have been in infancy when Oasis first peaked but who now belt the lyrics like miners’ chants. Two generations. One night. One wave.
And the atmosphere: there were no major flashpoints. No brawls, no frayed nerves just a collective exhale. It felt communal rather than chaotic. A testament not only to the band but to what the night wanted to be: a celebration.
When Noel sang “Half the World Away” and dedicated it to the Irish contingent in the crowd, the mood shifted. The brashness softened into something almost wistful. A reminder that time moves on and heroes age but memories don’t.
And when the night wound down, Liam’s closing words rang out: “See ya again” the sincerity in his voice catching for a heartbeat in the vastness of the stadium. If this was indeed a farewell to Australia, they couldn’t have done better.
What we just witnessed wasn’t merely a ‘gig of the year’ it was historic. A band that once burnt bright and fast, whose internal strife threatened to eclipse the music, returned not as a nostalgic ghost show, but as something alive, confident and urgent. For a few hours, Oasis reclaimed their throne.
If you were there, you’ll remember the look on Liam’s face when the last chords of “Champagne Supernova” faded into the night sky. If you weren’t, let this review stand as a marker: for once, a reunion show transcended expectation and became something that needed to happen.
Roll on the next chapter. Until then… bloody brilliant.
Oasis Set list
- 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
Encore:
- The Masterplan
- Don’t Look Back in Anger
- Wonderwall
- Champagne Supernova
Reviewer: Paul Marshall