Pisco Supernova: Oasis Comes To Lima

It was a sea of glowing cell phone screens and cameras when Oasis took the stage at the Estadio National in Lima last night. From the dark stage, flashes of white light suddenly illuminated the 40,000-strong crowd packed together in the stadium's center and up in the seats. Heads, arms and hands turned golden with light as everyone tried to capture the moment. The screaming and whistling from the audience swelled as the band broke into “Rock n' Roll Star” the first track from their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe. Oasis was really here.

The Oasis frenzy had been building for days. Driving by the stadium yesterday afternoon, a good five hours before the concert began, I saw hundreds of people already lined up outside the gate. Two days ago, a mob of Limeñans met the band at Jorge Chávez Airport. Some of them wore face masks to protect against Swine Flu (although no cases have yet been confirmed in Peru), but no disease was going to prevent them from seeing their idols. The reception prompted singer Liam Gallagher to Twitter: “Just landed in Peru, my kinda people...”

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from an Oasis concert. I certainly knew much of band's music from their first two classic albums Definitely Maybe and What's the Story (Morning Glory). Musically, the the band had dropped off my radar for some time, and I'd kept abreast of Oasis news mainly through tabloid headlines of the Gallagher brothers' very public bad blood. I doubt I was the only one who was slightly relived to even see Noel and Liam on stage together (the brothers arrived in Lima days ago on separate flights from Caracas).

But on stage, there was no sign of conflict between the brothers. Then again, I didn't see them look at each other for the duration of show. Liam, with short-cropped hair and clad in what looked like a navy blue prison jump suit, attacked the microphone as he sang, hands clasped behind his back. Noel Gallagher stood off to stage right strumming a variety of Gibson guitars and joining in on harmonies. Bassist Andy Bell, guitarist Gem Archer and drummer Chris Shamrock largely stayed put, out of the spotlight.

It may have been the band's lack of chemistry on stage or Liam's bristling attempts at audience banter: “So, is Peru going to the next World Cup? No? I thought so,” but Oasis didn't seem as excited to see Peru as Peru was to see Oasis.

In fact, the only true moment of pleasure from the band that I could discern occurred when when Noel emerged alone and began strumming the chords for “Don't Look Back in Anger.” He sang the verses and the crowd sang the choruses, which brought a satisfied smile to his face that we could see on the Jumbotron. In an utterly foreign country, to hear the sound of tens of thousands of strangers singing your song must be a good feeling.

And, in the end, the ability to sing along to your favorite songs counts for a lot. The band played a nice mix of old and new material, with classics like “Wonderwall,” “Champagne Supernova” and “Supersonic” invariably getting the biggest audience response. The versions we heard on stage sounded by and large exactly as they sound on the recordings – same guitar riffs, same vocal inflections. It was easy to sing along, and that is definitely what the crowd did.

The band abruptly finished its set, with a few words of goodbye and no encore at all, bewildering most of the crowd, which was screaming for more. The band had just finished a great cover version of the Beatles' “I am the Walrus,” and the crowd hadn't missed a beat, adding collective “Woos!” with raised fists every time Liam sang, “I am the Eggman!”

But however much the crowd clamored for more, all we saw were roadies breaking down the stage and carrying off the instruments. The crowd didn't know what to do. “Is that it?” someone standing next to me asked out loud. Judging by the smiles I saw all around me though, it seemed likely that the band's hour-plus set was already more than enough.

Source: www.livinginperu.com

The video includes footage from the gig and a interview with Liam who talks about a number of different subjects.

Noel's TCT gig 'The Dreams We Have As Children (Live For Teenage Cancer Trust)’ is available to download now, click here for more details.