While the Oasis reunion is stealing headlines across the country, Music Man can’t help looking back on one of Liam Gallagher’s finest moments on stage. Only a few months before Oasis sent shockwaves with their tour announcement, frontman Liam was embarking on his own Oasis mission — the 30th anniversary tour for their groundbreaking debut album, “Definitely Maybe,” performed in its entirety, without his brother Noel.
Mid-way through his 20-song set of back-to-back Brit pop classics, Liam (then 51 years old) toned down the energy for an absolutely flawless acoustic rendition of the band’s 1994 B-side single, “Half The World Away.” While songwriter Noel Gallagher originally sang this track on the recording, Liam fans have been praying for an official LG version for over 30 years. Just when we all thought we were out of luck, Liam pulls this gem out of the bag.
Watching this video is like slipping into a parallel universe Oasis fans were robbed of, where Liam shone on this song instead of Noel. Liam’s thick, trademark slurs feel like a homecoming for this hit as his voice glides moodily through the lyrics, tapping his tambourine through the intervals and resurrecting a vivid sense of nostalgia for the thousands in his audience. In a sneaky hint towards an Oasis reunion, Liam dedicated the song to his brother whilst revealing on Twitter, “I’ve never sung”
One of the most wholesome moments of this spectacular video, gaining 886K views in under a month, is the age diversity of Liam’s audience. Oasis’ music is a running thread binding generations together, as thousands upon thousands of teens, twenties, and balding, grey dads chant the same lyrics side by side. Liam’s clearly spent his solo career keeping these tunes alive through his gigs, and it’s finally paying off.
With tour dates in London, Sheffield, Cardiff, Manchester, Dublin, and Glasgow, Liam’s “Definitely Maybe 30” put the album’s hits on shuffle, including, “Rock ‘N’ Roll Star,” “Digsy’s Dinner,” “Shakermaker,” “Up In The Sky,” “Supersonic,” “Live Forever,” and ending on a cover of The Beatles’ “I Am The Walrus.”
Compiled from footage across his tour in June 2024, this clip comes bookended with interview voiceovers from Liam revealing his thoughts behind “Definitely Maybe”’s 30th anniversary. Hearing his words, it’s hard not to imagine the buzz he must have been feeling knowing he was currently keeping the nation’s greatest secret: “Those songs have been with me through some good times and some f*****g bad times, and they’ve never let me down, d’you know what I mean? Without that record, God knows where I’d be.
“And I’m the exact f*****g same, whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing, I’m the exact f*****g same as I was back then, but with all the change in the world, getting old an’ that, it’s nice to know some things never change, d’you know what I mean?”
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