They have waited almost 16 years for this moment, and they can’t believe it’s about to happen.
Dressed in bucket hats, Adidas tracksuits and other ’90s looks, a crowd began gathering on Friday afternoon at the 75,000-capacity Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, to witness one of the unlikeliest reunions in rock music.
At least for two hours.
Around 8:15 p.m. here (3:15 p.m. Eastern), Noel and Liam Gallagher, the stars of the band whose anthemic hits include “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” are scheduled to swagger onstage, putting aside over a decade of brotherly war.
The show will kick-start a 41-date sold-out world tour that includes two dates this summer at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
If the brothers don’t fall out first.
The band formed in Manchester, England, in 1991, and the Gallagher brothers bickered from the start — like many siblings do. But these two were in the pressure-cooker environment of one of the world’s most famous rock bands.
Their fights are well documented. Liam once threw a tambourine at Noel, and Noel hit Liam in the head with a cricket bat. In 1995, a 14-minute recording of the brothers swearing at each other during an interview reached No. 52 on the British charts. In that exchange, Noel said the pair argued “hourly,” although Liam said that tension was “why we’ll be the best band in the world.”
The fraternal drama added some extra spice as Oasis became one of the most popular rock acts of the 1990s. And in Britain, it was a generational phenomenon, akin to the Beatles in the ’60s or the Sex Pistols in the ’70s. Since its 1994 debut single, “Supersonic,” critics saw the group as one of the bands defining the sound of Britpop.
Although Oasis’s cultural impact waned in the 2000s, its popularity never tailed off, even after the band broke up in 2009, when Noel walked out. “I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,” the guitarist and songwriter said at the time.
In the years after the acrimonious split, the rancor continued. Liam regularly used social media to belittle his older brother, often comparing Noel to a “potato.”
In Cardiff, anticipation for the show has been building all week. Fans stood outside the stadium to catch a snatch of the sound checks, and some with standing tickets camped outside to get the best spots once the stadium gates opened.
Marco Di Maro, 41, a hotelier from Palermo, Sicily, said he had been sleeping in a tent next to some young women who had traded friendship bracelets featuring the names of Oasis songs. “The first night, they’ll play for sure,” Di Maro said of the Gallagher brothers: “Tomorrow’s show? Who knows.”
Liam and Noel did not give any interviews to major news outlets leading up to the concert, although last week Noel called into a British sports radio show and larked around with the hosts. During the call, Noel said he had been texting with “our kid,” an affectionate term for his brother.
Tour rehearsals had finished, Noel said, and the band was “sounding huge.”
“This is it,” Noel added: “There’s no going back now.”
In interviews outside the stadium, fans said they had traveled from Brazil, Peru, South Korea, and the United States.
George Louthan, 65, an accountant from Edmond, Okla., said he had fallen for Oasis about six years ago after playing “Wonderwall” in a covers band. As much as he loved the music, he said, he was also hoping for some onstage drama — maybe even a brawl. “Then that’ll be it: We’ll see history!” Louthan said.
As well as the Gallagher brothers, the band for the reunion tour includes another original member: Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, on guitar. The other musicians are Gem Archer, also on guitar, Andy Bell on bass, and Joey Waronker on drums.
The band is scheduled to play for two hours, and many fans expect the set list to be dominated by tracks from two albums: “Definitely Maybe” from 1994 and “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” from 1995.
After 17 dates in Britain and Ireland, the tour’s North American leg opens in Toronto on Aug. 24 before heading to Chicago; East Rutherford, N.J.; Los Angeles; and Mexico City.
Alex Marshall is a Times reporter covering European culture. He is based in London.
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