Anyway, Heres Wonderwall (and 20 More of the Best Oasis Songs) The Gallagher brothers reunite for a sold-out UK tour in the latest example of the lucrative business of nostalgia. Plus: A dream set list.
By
Bryan Parys
September 24, 2024
Liam (left) and Noel Gallagher
Image has been modified. Original image courtesy of Shymanet (CC BY-NC 4.0)
First, a disclaimer: I have been a dedicated Oasis fan since I was in eighth grade, when my college-aged sister tossed a CD copy of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? at me and said, Listen to this and tell me if it's any good. (Confession: I never told her it was good so that I could hoard it for myself.) Since then, I can't tell you how many times I've had a recurring dream where the band asks the audience if anyone out there can play the guitar solo to Live Forever, only to see me jumping up and down, begging for the chance.
This all to say, I cannot be objective on this subject, and I can't believe my boss let me write this article. However, I promise the goal here is not to create Oasis stans, but rather to look at why the news of their reunion and tour has made headline news, despite the band not releasing any new music since 2008.
Oasis Was Never a Paradise A big reason the Oasis reunion tour announcement has been so popular is due to the contentious relationship between brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher. Their sibling rivalry has been headline fodder since the release of their debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994, and has continued to make news all the way to the present.
When they released Morning Glory in 1995, their popularity grew to a global scale off the megahit singles Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, and Don't Look Back in Anger, which are still mainstays on radio and streaming (in fact, the hugely popular YouTube music critic Rick Beato recently explained why Champagne Supernova is the best Oasis song). However, the band's first North American tour was beset with fraternal spats, which led Noel to quit the band briefly at one point.
Their fraught tour should've halted their meteoric rise, as it soured many American listeners (believe me-I took constant flak for being a die-hard past the Wonderwall era). Their mythology as a swaggering rock band marked by clickbait-worthy drama kept them in the public eye, however, despite diminishing returns on their later albums, followed by what felt like a definitive breakup in 2009.
The Big Business of NostalgiaA broader explanation for the buzz around the reunion is, quite simply: nostalgia sells. Oasis is by no means the first band to recognize this, and they've been turning down highly lucrative offers to reunite basically since they split.
Berklee professor and musicologist Joe Bennett spoke with a radio program in the United Arab Emirates (Bennetts interview begins 22 minutes into the broadcast) on this topic, and pointed out that reunions on this scale have been happening for decades. He cited as notable examples the Eagles 1994 album and tour cheekily titled Hell Freezes Over and a one-off Led Zeppelin show in 2007, given that both bands had made it very clear years earlier that their breakups were definitive. ABBA kinda-sorta reunited in 2016-34 years after splitting up in 1982-when they announced a new tour . . . featuring hologram avatars rather than the actual band members.
You're very susceptible to the pop music from that formative period [of ages 12-25]. . . . The industry knows this . . . and Oasis are no more immune to those market forces than anybody else.
- Joe Bennett
Bennett explains that legacy tours like this sell so well because for their fans, it's a visceral reminder of the culture that existed as they were discovering their identities between the ages of 12 and 25. You're very susceptible to the pop music from that formative period, Bennett says, pointing out that, in psychological terms, this phenomenon is referred to as the reminiscence bump. He continues, the industry knows this, and can commercially mobilize around it, and Oasis are no more immune to those market forces than anybody else.
As someone who discovered Oasis within that reminiscence bump, it makes sense that I am absolutely ecstatic about this reunion-and the fact that somehow, in 2024, they broke Ticketmaster for their UK performances in a very similar way to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. However, if you ever indulged in the many jokes about Oasis just being Beatles rip-offs, but you're still planning to grab a ticket for this tour: As long as you let me get in that digital queue ahead of you, I won't look back in anger.
Oasis Set List Predictions and Personal PicksBefore we get to my dream set list, here are a few predictions and thoughts about how Oasis might sequence their reunion performances.
What They Will Open With Rock n Roll Star : First song off the first off album, and the line Tonight, I'm a rock n roll star is an overt and obvious mission statement. Musically, it opens with a definitive Noel guitar riff, with the rest of the band building up behind him for drama.
What They Should Open With Columbia: Also off the first album, but no one will expect it, so it'll pack a surprise punch. Also, the trancey four-on-the-floor beat allows the band to draw the crowd in, even for those unfamiliar with the song, all while building to some of Noel's most gripping lead work. Drawing more on the Stone Roses than the Beatles, it's an up-front declaration that the rock band you thought you knew can also groove.
What Will Come Next Acquiesce : What you follow your opening song with on a reunion tour is almost more important than the first song. The first song has a low bar because the moment the lights go down and the band walks out, the audience will already be losing their mind. The second song,
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
09/10/2026
September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026
New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
29/09/2026
Oak View Group (OVG) has announced Cisco as an Official Technology Partner, with plans to standardize infrastructure across its venue network on Cisco solutions...
29/09/2026
SportsNet Pittsburgh (SNP) won three honors at the 2026 Mid-Atlantic Emmy Awards.
Program awards went to Bucs BP in the Sports Program Live category (produced ...
29/09/2026
The Professional Women's Hockey League has announced home openers for all 12 teams for the 2026-27 season, along with a broadcast partnership with CBC under...
29/09/2026
Manifold technologies has been recognized as a contributor to the Media eXchange...
29/09/2026
FuboTV has announced My Local Sports, allowing subscribers in select markets to add their local regional sports network (RSN) as an add-on to a Fubo Sports subs...
29/09/2026
Asian News International (ANI), a wire agency and video news provider based in India, has deployed Grass Valley's AMPP Media Operating System and Framelight...
29/09/2026
South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) has deployed Ikegami UHK-X600 cameras as part of an upgrade to IP-based production infrastructure. The deployment ...
29/09/2026
REMI, REMCO models will drive the bulk of the broadcaster's NHL productions ...
29/09/2026
Three years in, the facility is supporting more centralized race production, com...
29/09/2026
NBC, Peacock, and NBSN are carrying all four Wild Card series with a production ...
29/09/2026
19 Nonfiction Projects Across All Stages of Production to Receive More Than $1 million in Support as Documentary Film Program Approaches 25th Anniversary
LOS ...
29/09/2026
Two new plug-ins launch alongside updated bundles
Zynaptiq have just announced the launch of two new plug-ins, alongside new and improved versions of two of...
29/09/2026
All-in-one bus processor revealed
Wes Audio's ng product range has come a long way since it was first introduced, and now includes a tasty selection of ...
29/09/2026
eds3_5_jq(document).ready(function($) { $(#eds_sliderM519).chameleonSlider_2_1({ content_source:......
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Ikegami announces that the South African Broadcasting Corporation, SABC, has chosen Ikegami UHK-X600 camera systems as part of an advance to IP-based operation ...
29/09/2026
Blendkit Offers 20% Discount to Celebrate Crossing 150K Asset Milestone
Brie Clayton September 29, 2026
0 Comments
Blendkit, the largest 3D asset libr...
29/09/2026
Interactive streaming specialist Ease Live supported more than 76.5 million fan sessions across three major European media operators during this summers FIFA Wo...
29/09/2026
Ease Live has added support for VAST (Video Ad Serving Template) to its graphical overlay technology, opening up new ways for broadcasters, streamers and rights...
29/09/2026
Rise AV has announced the launch of the inaugural Rise AV Awards, a new global awards programme celebrating the women, advocates and organisations across the AV...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
29/09/2026
Clear-Com announced that First Baptist Nashville has upgraded its production communications with a Clear-Com intercom solution as part of a comprehensive sanct...
29/09/2026
Blackmagic Cinema Camera 6K Captured Action Shots for Sketch
Brie Clayton September 28, 2026
0 Comments
Camera's portable design and dynamic range...
29/09/2026
Kean Production Services Deploys AJA ColorBox to Deliver Consistent, Accurate Co...
29/09/2026
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for the 2026 Latin Grammy Awards A total of 28 Berklee alumni and faculty earned nominations across 20 categories this ye...
29/09/2026
Berklee's K-Pop & Beyond Explores Connections Between K-Pop and Hip-Hop Now in its fifth year, the series brings together artists, industry leaders, and s...
29/09/2026
We tend to think we live in a digital world, with hopes and fears around artificial intelligence (AI), quantum computing, data centres and the next big technolo...
29/09/2026
Today, in partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), Apple relea...
29/09/2026
Final Cut Camera, the professional filming app for iPhone, receives a major upda...
29/09/2026
RT lyric fm is proud to announce the annual Choirs for Christmas competition callout. Warm up those vocal chords and join us on RT lyric fm for a celebration ...
28/09/2026
The NHL has announced Adobe as an Official Creative, Marketing and AI Partner beginning with the 2026-27 season. The partnership will provide the league and its...
28/09/2026
MultiDyne will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (October 5-7, Dubai Exhibition Centre), showcasing an expanded technology portfolio following its June 2026 acquisition of...
28/09/2026
ARRI and HONOR have announced the HONOR Magic9 Pro Max, a flagship smartphone carrying ARRI branding on the device and packaging as the first product-level expr...
28/09/2026
Net Insight has added the Nimbra 1020G to its pan-Asian live media trial network, giving customers and partners in the region a way to evaluate ST 2110 and JPEG...
28/09/2026
Vindral has been named a recipient of a 2026 Technology and Engineering Emmy Award by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the category of We...
28/09/2026
Interra Systems will exhibit at CABSAT 2026 (Stand B2-37, Dubai Exhibition Centre, October 5-7), demonstrating its BATON QC platform, ORION monitoring solutions...
28/09/2026
Two years into its new production facility, the TOUR is expanding centralized wo...
Anyway, Heres Wonderwall (and 20 More of the Best Oasis Songs) The Gallagher brothers reunite for a sold-out UK tour in the latest example of the lucrative business of nostalgia. Plus: A dream set list.
