Dublin ‘buzzing’ ahead of Oasis’ return to Ireland
By Cillian Sherlock, PA
Dublin City is “buzzing” as Oasis return to Ireland for the first time in 16 years, fans said.
Tens of thousands of fans have descended on the capital for the first of two sold-out gigs at Croke Park.
The 90s Britpop superstars will perform to 80,000 people on Saturday and Sunday night.
After an “in-demand” dynamic pricing model left a poor taste for some fans last year, ticket-holders will roll with it and enjoy the music in temperatures above 20 degrees.
Health officials advised revellers to wear their bucket hats, with high UV levels predicted amid warm and dry sunny spells in Dublin on Saturday.
The band’s first gig in the country since 2009, the Dublin leg of the reunion world tour will hold a special meaning for once-feuding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher.
The Mancunian brothers have spoken about their ties to Ireland through their Irish-born parents, Peggy and Thomas.
Sarah and Neil Charlton travelled from Southampton to see the band, after a determined search for standing tickets saw them clinching access in Dublin.
Mr Charlton said they have both been waiting a long time to see the band reunite – having seen Oasis multiple times before their extended hiatus.
He told the PA news agency: “We thought: what a great city to come to and see the gig and have a couple of nights out in Dublin.”
Mr Charlton said “It’s just so nostalgic – all the songs and all the music from when we were growing up.
“When we first started seeing each other, we went to a gig and so it’s always been a part of our lives together.”
Oasis formed part of the romantic story for Lisa and Alan Roe too, who said their love of the band dates back to when they got married in the 1990s.
Mr Roe said: “Because the two of them are after getting back together after so many years, to be able to sell out a world tour the way they did – and their music going back to the late 80s and 90s.
“That brings an aura about in everybody and a buzz and the memories of growing up in Dublin with them – it’s absolutely out of this world.”
Having had to wait a long time for the reunion tour, Sinead Millea from Kilkenny – who previously saw the band in Limerick in 1996 – said: “Maybe we’re all going through a bit of a midlife crisis – I turned 50 this year, and look, Noel and Liam, they’re in their 50s as well.
“And maybe things just dawned on them that life is too short and just, let’s put grievances to bed.
“They seem to be getting on great, and it’s fabulous. And at the end of the day, music transcends everything, and we’re all here to enjoy a brilliant night and to share it with the people that mean the most.
“It’s just amazing. The weather is fabulous and it’s a brilliant venue.”
The support acts for the Dublin dates are Richard Ashcroft from The Verve and Cast, formed by John Power after he left The La’s.
The setlist has crowd-pleasing hits such as Cigarettes And Alcohol and Wonderwall.
Fans have also been treated to favourites including Acquiesce, Some Might Say and Morning Glory – before a Don’t Look Back In Anger, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova crescendo.
Oasis announced their reunion tour in August last year, 16 years after their dramatic split in 2009, when Noel quit after a backstage brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.
The highly anticipated 41-date run has already seen the band play Cardiff, Manchester, London and Edinburgh before taking them half the world away to major cities, including in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Japan.