Oasis: The Day of Reconciliation

Hands behind his back, head in the air, and mouth wide open in front of the microphone, Liam Gallagher sang " Stand by Me" with his brother accompanying the chords, thus breaking the spell that has kept them apart for years. "Stand by me, no one knows what can happen," go the lyrics sung by the 74,000 souls gathered at Cardiff's Principality Stadium ( Stadiwm in Welsh) to witness the happy ending of this fairy tale—sponsored by Adidas and Range Rover—called Oasis.

These postmodern Cain and Abels introduced themselves hand in hand, as if ruling out the possibility of a fight, and parted with a hug. With gray hair and no drugs, music became the band's main focus this Friday, with their first two albums—the only good ones, according to legend—as the focal point.

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The stadium's excellent sound worked hard on the vibrant energy that Oasis exuded to compete with an audience eager to sing along to songs like Live Forever ( with a tribute to Diogo Jota ) or Some Might Say with the legitimacy that comes from hearing them (and being able to tell the tale, above all) from the hand of their creators, accompanied on this 41-concert tour by Bonehead and Gem Archer on guitars, Andy Bell on bass and drums, the group's rookie , who was able to perform with a solo in Rock'n'roll Star . A well-tuned formation that both unleashed hardness with the noisy Bring It On Down and knew how to contribute that Beatle touch so characteristic of those who proclaimed themselves the best British band of all time, and that resonated in Whatever , although the wind instruments that appeared in The Masterplan , the first song of the encore, were missed.

The stadium stands were almost full when Richard Ashcroft took the stage, with a beautiful rendition of the dreamy anthem Bitter Sweet Symphony that warmed up the audience.

The liturgy of remembrance began at 8:15 p.m. (Cardiff time), and as if days had passed instead of years, the Manchester band appeared calmly on stage, greeting everyone as if nothing had happened, and starting amidst the shouting with Hello , adding to the chorus It's good to be back (it's good to be back) followed by Acquiescence , with vocal support from Noel, and (What's the story) Morning glory , where the you need a little time to wake up perhaps had a second meaning.

Unexpected protagonist Guardiola, the Gallaghers' surprising on-stage companion

The Gallagher brothers have never hidden the fact that they are supporters of Manchester City, a club that was bottom of the Premier League table on April 11, 1994, when Oasis released their first album. Upon their return, with City riding high, the Manchester band wanted to pay tribute to their club. One of the kits they had on stage was sky blue, bearing the Citizens crest... and accompanied by a life-size cutout of Pep Guardiola wearing a club scarf.

Oasis could never be accused of abandoning their neighborhood and pub roots, because they knew what it meant to perform in front of crowds practically from the very beginning. They're going all out, and while the band's recognizable logo, drawn by drones over the stadium, could be seen these days, last night they performed in front of a giant screen that protruded from both sides of a spartan stage in the multinational's megalomaniacal indoor stadium.

Liam, his voice in top form, would rattle his tambourine like a rattlesnake between songs. However, after 40 minutes he left so his brother could take over the slower part of the concert with Talk Tonight , Half the World Away , and Little by Little (he would do the same later on Don't Look Back in Anger ), the first song they played that wasn't from their first two albums. Noel, who also played falsettos, was above all the protagonist on the guitar, based on simple but effective riffs and fingerpicking , as could be seen in Supersonic , with his older brother sliding his hand along the neck to create the scratchy sound of the song that was once described—with great enthusiasm—as the Sex Pistols interpreting the Beatles. He did the same with the thuggish riff of Cigarettes and Alcohol (the stands shook, it's not a metaphor) and switched to acoustics for the hedonistic Champaigne Supernova , which a thousand fans had already sung as a football anthem in the surrounding area to liven up the hours beforehand.

And of course, they also sang Wonderwall , the unofficial anthem of the United Kingdom during the Beckham and Tony Blair years, which later became the highlight of the concert that last night united the entire audience, Tories and Labour, Brexiteers, rich and poor? Many have gone to extraordinary lengths to be here, delighted to have spent an arm and a leg to attend the first concert of the tour. "Was the 40,000 pounds you spent to see us worth it?" Liam asked with all his characteristic spite, and the audience agreed.