Music | Five nights in Manchester that will live forever

Oasis are well and truly back on top.

Sunday 20th July, saw them performing for the final night at Heaton Park, and what could still be the very last time in Manchester.

Author | Ajay

Every night, there had been countless moments that highlighted how uniting this cultural phenomenon was.

There had been so many memorable moments!

• The man in the wheelchair hoisted high above the crowd by a group of strangers for a better view. 
• The couple who got engaged moments before being swept into a sea of bucket hats. 
• The nightly crowds gathering on ‘Gallagher Hill’, drawn by the pull of something historic in the air.
• People singing Champagne Supernova outside the park and in The Ostrich Pub beer garden.
• Lots of celebrity spotting. Jack Grealish, Shaun Ryder and Andy Whyment off Corrie in the same frame of a video. Who can forget Orlando Bloom waving at fans.

For many, the Oasis reunion has felt like Christmas morning ever since it was announced last year.

That sense of anticipation was clear as fans braved the sodden ground at Heaton Park for the band’s fifth and final Manchester show.

The atmosphere in the crowd was almost surreal. A mass of Britpop devotees who had waited nearly two decades for this moment, and it showed.

When the brothers walked on stage, hand in hand, a surge of euphoric joy swept through the 80,000-strong crowd.

For the next two hours, they delivered anthem after anthem. Each song crossed generations as older fans relived memories of their younger days, while younger ones tried to grasp the reality of seeing the band in front of them, here and now.

The band continues to impress with their music. Liam's gritty vocals and Noel's powerful guitar work complement each other perfectly, as if they were made for one another.

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Their sound is loud and unapologetic, embodying the voice of the people, and the audience was clearly enjoying every moment.

Every song was a hit, from energetic tracks like "Cigarettes and Alcohol" to the fan favorite "Live Forever," and, of course, "Wonderwall." The brothers delivered exactly what the crowd wanted.

On the fifth night, and in true mancunian fashion, the heavens opened an hour into their set as the grey cloud everyone had an eye on took centre stage. Did the people care? No, they did not. It only made the moment that more special as the people united as one unit, singing as loud as they could to combat the elements. 

It was clear to see how much Oasis means to so many; their music is embedded into the national psyche with a presence that simply defines generations.

From the people that were there

Byron posted on Twitter/X: "Well Oasis at Heaton park yesterday (11th July) was the best live music event I’ve ever been to in my life, and it isn’t even close."

Mattftfc posted on the same platform: "Genuinely think everyone has to experience Oasis live at some point in their lives. Oasis at Heaton park was honestly beyond words."

Lewis W told us: "As fans stand side by side with older millennials and Gen X-ers, the sentiment and feeling remain the same, this was a very important moment in time."

Niel Hartley posted on Facebook: "The greatest gig of all time. I stood on that hill at Heaton Park 16 years ago this week when the sound cut out, and I still loved that gig. But tonight, after all these years, I'm now 41 and my best pal, who I went with, is 54. Time flies."