An emotional and loving trip down Britpop memory lane

“Okay, this is it,” Liam Gallagher tweeted last Wednesday afternoon. “Calling and looking for BIBLES see you on Saturday don’t be late LG x.”

This was probably his own way of announcing that rehearsals for this latest tour, his most nostalgic yet, were over. It’s hard to imagine Liam Gallagher feeling the need to practice anything; he’s such a study in self-possession that surely all the job has ever asked of him is to turn up on time and he’s simply Liam Gallagher, snarling, sneering, iconic.

We know, however, that this is not the case. The 2016 documentary Supersonic, which charted Oasis’ 90s rise from Manchester upstarts to pop culture ubiquity, featured plenty of footage of the band honing their craft long before Liam or his brother Noel became rock royalty; both understood that excellence was hard won.

Saturday was the opening act of a tour that is the closest to a live Oasis show since their split in 2009: even when Liam played two nights at Knebworth two years ago, echoing the legendary Oasis shows of 1996 , almost half of the set was composed of his solo material.

To mark the 30th anniversary, he’s playing the lead role of Oasis It certainly can entirely, and he does it thoughtfully. The set takes the album cover and blows it up; We get a giant floating globe, a facsimile of Burt Bacharach’s football card, two inflatable flamingos named Florence and Floella, and on-screen images that play on old CRT TVs. The live band features three singers and a string section, as well as original Oasis member Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs on guitar. No expense seems to have been spared.

If It certainly can is Oasis’ best album is up for debate, but it’s certainly the most interesting, being the only album they made before they were bona fide rock stars.

As a result, it’s full of quirks that would be sorted out by the time they were playing in arenas like this one on the outskirts of Sheffield city centre; “Digsy’s Dinner” has 13,000 people singing the praises of lasagna, the whimsical “Shakermaker” pays homage to the joy of record-shopping in Burnage as a teenager, and “Whatever” oozes with youthful optimism, strings swelling and swooning beautifully.

That’s basically why It certainly can it not only defined the generation that came of age with it, but continues to capture the imagination of new ones; is a love letter to youthful exuberance, with flares and smoke bombs on the standing floor, acting as a visual metaphor for the lively genres of ‘Rock n Roll Star’ and ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’.

Gallagher is 51 now, but he’s the same figure as ever; statuesque and self-assured, with that unmistakable voice holding up surprisingly well after years of excess.

He, and Oasis in general, were perhaps most engaging when a chink in their crazy armor allowed us to see a bit of vulnerability, and the most moving moment of the night comes when they dedicate ‘Half the World Away’ to ” “to my elder”. brother”. Gallagher has two of these, but can only refer to Noel, who usually takes lead vocals on the track; it evokes a strong sense of longing for a long-broken relationship.

Whether it’s beyond repair is another matter entirely, but for now, this trip down memory lane is the closest Oasis fans will get to the band; The set is peppered with vintage B-sides and rarities, including some serious cult favorites in ‘Cloudburst’, ‘Fade Away’ and ‘D’Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman’. The number of tickets transferred for this tour tells its own story about how much the public love Oasis; Based on this tenderly crafted celebration of the band, Liam Gallagher still loves Oasis, too.

On tour until August 25 liamgallagher.com