Oasis dedicated their song Live Forever to “all the people who can’t be here tonight” during their Wembley Stadium concert on Sunday, just a day after a fan died at the venue. The man, in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene on Saturday after being found with injuries consistent with a fall.
Frontman Liam Gallagher introduced the tribute after the band finished Whatever, telling the crowd: “This one’s for all the people who can’t be here tonight, but who are here if you know what I mean, and aren’t they looking lovely. Live Forever.” The group then performed the song, continuing a tradition of dedicating it during the tour.
The emotional moment came during the final show of the first run of five Wembley dates on their Live 25 tour. The set featured hit after hit, including Cigarettes And Alcohol, Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger. The Gallagher brothers opened hand-in-hand with Hello, prompting mass singalongs throughout the stadium.
There were lighter moments too. Before Roll With It, Liam joked that guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs wanted to sing album track Bonehead’s Bank Holiday. During Whatever, the band included a snippet of the Beatles’ Octopus’s Garden. Before Half The World Away, Noel asked if anyone from Manchester was present, and after receiving boos, responded: “None of you would be here if it wasn’t for the city of Manchester.”
The night ended with fireworks over Wembley during Champagne Supernova. Before the finale, Liam told the crowd: “Nice one for putting up with us after all these years.” The concerts mark the band’s first performances at the venue together since July 2009. Oasis will continue their reunion tour at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium and Dublin’s Croke Park before heading to Japan, South Korea, South America, Australia and North America later this year.
