For years, Edmontonians and other denizens of the various hinterlands have watched and listened to the exploits of a little band called Oasis, whose behaviour often got more attention than their overproduced recordings.
Oh, how we laughed at the hooliganism, the public drunkenness, the arrests, the fights, the endless bad-mouthing of fellow musicians (which continues to this day, while other antics have been toned down). And now, at least a decade after "Britpop" was officially declared dead, they finally deign to come to our little town? Guys, where were you when it mattered?
This is the uncharitable view of the "greatest band in the world" (declared by the enthusiastic and fickle British music press). But now that we've seen them live - in front of a sold-out crowd at Rexall Place last night - my new attitude is definitely "better late than never."
For their first Edmonton appearance, the lads delivered a fantastic rock 'n' roll show for 11,400 fans. I've always maintained that the vast majority of rock stars are not famous by accident, not because of some fluke of nature, not because they staged some corporate con game on a gullible public. No, they're famous because they're great - and in every respect, Oasis lived up to their reputation. The musical part, at least. By press time, there were no fights, cursing fits or storming off the stage. It was a businesslike concert from a band known for screwing up their business. Last night, Oasis was as tight as a rock band can get.
Just so we knew who we were dealing with, they opened with an old one, Rock 'n' Roll Star. The crowd rose to their feet as one and stayed there, a few fans near the front draped in the Union Jack. Evidently saving the big hits like Wonderwall for later, the bulk of the first part of the show was newer material, with a lot from the upcoming album, Dig Out Your Soul, songs few were familiar with. Did this matter? It did not. The stuff stands up just fine next to "classic" Oasis.
The band is a lot of fun to watch, too, never mind the expected battery of state-of-the-art video screens and special effects.
Singer Liam Gallagher was a mesmerizing presence, singing his parts with passion, then striking some cool pose and remaining there, looking stalwart, tamborine clutched in his hand, as the band rocked behind him.
He didn't say much, and when he did, it's anyone's guess what it was. No subtitles were available. Brother Noel - who wondered aloud if everyone in Edmonton was at this show (no, a few of us had to stay home and tend the elk) - also got his time in the spotlight, his higher voice perfect for The Masterplan, a wonderful power ballad if there ever was one.
The show proceeded more or less at full throttle, a little touch of the Beatles here, a bit of T-Rex there, a smattering of Rolling Stones almost everywhere, the Oasis sound a hodge-podge of every British rock band that mattered. It works a lot better live than it does on record.
Let's hope it doesn't take another 13 years for these guys to make it back here -- but at least by then we'll be ready for "Britpop nostalgia."
Now what better act to open for the bad boys of British rock than the bad boy of American alt-country - Ryan Adams?
It was a perfect fit. Adams and his Cardinals specialize in the same sort of jammy, jangly tunes where every available space is stuffed with riffs. Call it the "wonderwall" of sound, if you want. The only thing that identified the band as country - a genre Adams is on record for hating - was a pedal steel in the band, just another riffing source for a thick, three-guitar sound.
The singer - a polite and humble fellow not at all like he's depicted in interviews - led his guys through a succession of solid, satisfying grooves, fortified with plenty of sweet back-up vocals and generous helpings of noise. Subject matter tended to be introspective - with lines like "all my life I've longed for forgiveness" or "down in a hole feeling so small" or "trying to find a peaceful song to sing when everything goes wrong" in a song that ironically wasn't peaceful at all. Excellent stuff.
Well, it ain't country. I'm not even sure it was alt-country. At least Adams doesn't have to worry about hating himself.
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SOUNDCHECK
MAIN EVENT
Oasis
IN THE SEATS
11,400 in Rexall
NOTE PERFECT
A decade after Britpop is declared dead, it lives again in Edmonton
Sun Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: www.edmontonsun.com
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