Oct 7, 1997
Concert Review
October 7, 1997 at Hammerstein Ballroom, New York
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Oasis was there then! In their first headlining show
in America since last year's disaster, oasis was "mad
fer it!" No stage props, no amazing light show, simply
oasis doing what they do best, blowing the roof off.
After the opening act, Fun Loving Criminals
(interesting pairin with oasis), the stage was set.
Nothing extravagent, just the instruments and stage
lights. The crowd's vibe was great and everyone waited
in suspense. The room darkened and the opening piano
fro "Be Here Now" blaired and our boys stormed the
stage. Liam was clad in all black (sweatpants?, black
t-shirt and a leather jacket) while Noel came out in
bagy jeans and a Verve t-shirt (who happened to be at
the show). The band exploded into "Be Here Now" and the
crowd was rabid. The show maintained its high level
through "stay Young" and "Stand By Me" but as soon as
Whitey pounded the opening of "Supersonic", the crowd
went wild. Liam was even urging the crowd to "keep
f**king moving" which we did. A scary moment arised
when a bunch of balloons landed on stage. Fearing the
band would react negatively, I held my breath. But Liam
seemed entertained and started to kick the balloons as
if they were soccer balls. "Do You Know What I Mean?"
was even better live and it was also dedicated to the,
as Noel put it, "The next best band in the world, the
Verve". Noel broke into his solo set of "Magic Pie" and
"Don't Look Back In Anger". Before playing "Magic Pie",
he told the crowd to "calm down, calm down. I know, I
know, I know I'm a genius."(a bit cocky). "Don't Go
Away" and "Wonderwall" sounded great electric and there
was a bit off confusion befor "Champagne Supernova".
Noel had started playing the opening to "Ciggarettes &
ALcohol" when he caought himself and started playing the
right song. The new solo during Champagne Supernova"
was great as Noel and Whitey really assaulted the song
with a high furious pace. "Fade In/Out" (an o.k. track)
was amazing. Noel was even surprised with the version
saying, "Wow, that was a great f**king version." "All
Around the World" had a good Noel solo and concluded
with the band leaving the stage. After a minute of
crowd cheering, oasis came back on and blasted into
"Acquiesce". A great version of the song concluded with
Liam trashing his mic and amps as Noel sang the final
verse. The band left and ended the amazing night which
will not be forgotten by anyone who was there, then.
-by Pete Gruca
Set List
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1) Be Here Now
2) Stay Young
3) Stand By Me
4) Supersonic
5) Some Might Say
6) Roll With It
7) Do You Know What I Mean?
8) Magic Pie
9) Don't Look Back In Anger
10) Don't Go Away
11) Wonderwall
12) Live Forever
13) It's Getting Better Man!
14) Champagne Supernove
15) Fade In/Fade Out
16) All Around the World
17) Acquiesce
Check out a clip of Roll With It from the concert.