Rock ‘n’ Roll star returns
FANS FLOCK TO THE ETIHAD STADIUM TO SEE LIAM GALLAGHER PERFORM HIS SOLO SHOW ON HOME TURF
“YES Manchester,” Liam Gallagher drawls to make his entrance, surveying the adoring crowd. “I am he are we are here are we are all together,” in a nod to his own musical icons The Beatles.
He blasts open the set with Hello, and out on the pitch it’s just an absolute sea of bouncing bodies, flares being set off in clouds of colour left, right and centre as the beer spews out at will.
As ever, the bucket hat is an essential fashion staple at a Liam gig.
Rambunctious doesn’t quite cover it – but it’s even crazy enough for Liam to instruct the crowds to calm it down a tad along the lines of “don’t be a **** and push people, put your arms around each other and bounce”.
But then that’s the peril of coming out and delivering three massive bangers in swift succession – Rock n Roll Star and What’s the Story Morning Glory follow the opening madness.
Liam prowls the stage shaking his maracas, sticking his tongue out, holding his arms aloft – being the ultimate showman – for a blistering set.
The evening was brought to life by fellow northern music icons The Charlatans who took to the stage for an hour-long set of their anthems. Weirdo, Then, North Country Boy and The Only One I Know playing just as the sun peeked out of the clouds.
We then get to watch the sun set with Liam – the skies a magical mix of blue and gold.
We got some unexpected treats along the way – Oasis’s Roll it Over from 2000’s Standing on the Shoulders of Giants which sounds pretty damn epic in this setting, built to a crescendo by his excellent backing singers.
How to top that? Well, with the epic, epic strains of Slide Away of course. Somehow made all the more special as we all sing along to chasing the sun as it sets beneath the Etihad.
But this is not a set simply wallowing in nostalgia. Newies already sound like classics.
More Power, Better Days and Everything’s Electric are among the standout tracks.
And it’s not an Oasis classic, but his modern masterpiece Once, which closes the main show, sees hugs, arms waving, and many around me were even in tears.
It’s a song that hugely resonates with his fans – and then out shoots fireworks to light up the stadium and the faces of delirious fans in the process.
He returns to the stage for the first encore, shaking his tambourine to the opening surge of Some Might Say.
“Don’t listen to anyone who says this stuff is f ****** bad for you… “he shouts before launching into the hedonist chimes of Cigarettes and Alcohol of course.
Supersonic, Wonderwall and Live Forever are the euphoric singalongs to conclude the night.
But as any regular here at the Etihad knows, it doesn’t pay to be one of those scooting out the door before the final whistle.
For those who stayed, Liam returned for a second encore of a magical Champagne Supernova.
The fireworks spurt into life once more to light up the Etihad a final time.
Liam heads from here for two nights at Knebworth – just as he did back in 1996 with Oasis fresh from memorable gigs at Man City’s Maine Road.
His crown is still intact – and his story just keeps getting more and more biblical.