Manchester hasn't slept the same since the Oasis reunion was announced. The city, which had proudly given birth to the Gallaghers, Stone Roses, The Smiths, or Happy Mondays, has transformed into an urban altar to britpop. Parkas and bucket hats usually roam its streets under the constant threat of rain, but now the outfits defy common sense and the line between celebration and theme park becomes very thin. And yet, no one cares because the Manchester of the 90s has returned for a long-awaited encore.
"Welcome to this supersonic summer," read numerous posters announcing the Gallagher's tour - with over 350,000 people expected in Manchester alone. The city, as they announced on their Instagram posts, has become "the center of the universe." Of which one? It doesn't matter. But being on its streets produces a kind of mental alienation that makes you believe it. Brands' advertisements bear the same typography they use. Some companies, even toilet paper ones, dare to make gags with the band members or their songs. Liam's voice can be heard announcing the stops of some tram lines, and many stations have black signs with white borders and names, resembling small versions of the original Oasis logo. Every corner has some detail or nod. As if, for a moment, someone could forget that they have returned 16 years later.
Kids don't wear Mickey Mouse ears, they wear Adidas - mostly Samba and Spezial - and exude attitude. Adults, if genetics allow, add sideburns and fringe to the uniform. In a few minutes, all of Liam Gallagher's hair stages parade by, as if his aesthetic evolution catalog came to life. In Manchester today, the distinction between a fan and a Mancunian fades because Oasis is local culture. Everyone wants a memento from the tour as evidenced by the queues at the merchandise stores. Businesses are cashing in and proudly display their support for the brothers in their shop windows. In music stores, but also in hair salons or supermarkets.
It doesn't matter if you're a lawyer, waiter, teacher, or plumber, the important thing is to know which concert you have a ticket for... and if you've seen them before. If you say yes, it's a battle of anecdotes. If not, you'll be treated to an enthusiastic monologue with dates, places, and setlists, as if the speaker had witnessed a divine revelation. "They are so special because they lived the same life as all of us from our generation. They went to the same bars, moved around the same neighborhoods, and did what kids of that time did. It was them, but it could have been any of us," says Joe, a tour guide who is once again showing his city with the excitement of a child. "I saw them last Friday and I'm speechless".
On July 11, Oasis returned to the city where it all began. Heaton Park, one of Manchester's greenest and most symbolic areas, was chosen - like Stone Roses in their 2012 reunion - to celebrate the comeback. Six dates, all sold out. It has become a tradition - albeit rare, considering the fratricidal relationship that has marked the Gallagher's history - for Noel and Liam to enter hand in hand. Cocky and arrogant, but knowing that this is a triumph for everyone. After that, there are no more gestures of love, and Hello turns into a cigarette at a gas station. That's when the emotional hooliganism feast begins, and the chords become almost sacred chants for a predominantly young audience.
Then Morning Glory bursts in uninvited. Hope is invited with Some Might Say, and Bring It On Down sets the park up to become a battlefield for Cigarettes & Alcohol. With the first riff, more than one has lost what little sanity they had left. Flares, pushing, beer in the air, bodies embracing, and shoulders lifting strangers to liven up the party from above.
The initial burst of euphoria closes with Supersonic and Fade Away, leading to the highlight moment for Noel, spreading tenderness with Talk Tonight, Half the World Away, and Little by Little. His brother watches from behind and sees how, for a moment, the audience surrenders to him.
After over two hours of the concert, nothing remains. Just thousands of people looking at each other as if they had just woken up from a dream. Or returned from a place they never imagined they could be.