Oasis sends fans 'Supersonic' as long-awaited reunion tour starts in Cardiff

CARDIFF, Wales (AP) — Oasis ended a 16-year hiatus on Friday with a punchy, powerful trip through one of Britpop's greatest songbooks, kicking off a reunion tour in Cardiff, Wales to a crowd ecstatic for the band's 1990s hits.

And was there brotherly love between the famously feuding Gallagher siblings? Definitely maybe.

Fans traveled to the Welsh capital from around the world for a show that many thought would never happen. Guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher and his singer brother Liam, the heart of Oasis, had not performed together since their acrimonious split in 2009.

One fan banner summed it up: “The great wait is over.”

After a montage of headlines about the sparring siblings was capped with the words “the guns have fallen silent,” Oasis appeared on stage to a deafening roar, opening with the apt “Hello” and its refrain of “it’s good to be back.”

The brothers had a brief hand-in-hand moment but largely kept their distance onstage. Noel, 58, focused on his guitar while a parka-clad Liam, 52, snarled into the microphone with a swagger that has not dimmed in the 31 years since the band released its first album, “Definitely Maybe.”

A crowd of more than 60,000 in the Principality Stadium was treated to a well-paced two-hour set that drew heavily on the first album and its 1995 followup, “(What's the Story) Morning Glory,” alongside a smattering of later tracks and fan-favorite B-sides.

Songs like “Supersonic,” “Roll With It” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” sounded as thunderous as ever and sparked mass sing-alongs.

“Put your arms over each other like you love each other,” a tambourine-clutching Liam exhorted the crowd before launching into “Cigarettes and Alcohol."

There was poignancy on “Live Forever” when an image of Liverpool Football Club player Diogo Jota, who was killed in a car crash on Thursday, was projected above the band.

Noel took his turn on lead vocals for several songs, including the touching “Half the World Away,” and the show ended with encores featuring some of Oasis' most enduring tracks: “Don't Look Back in Anger,” “Wonderwall” and “Champagne Supernova.” The brothers shared a half-hug as they ended the final song.

Multicolored, sometimes faintly psychedelic, projections formed the main technological accoutrement to a show where the focus was squarely on the songs. There was little banter, though Liam paused between songs to check the audience was having a good time.

“Was it worth the 40,000 pounds you paid for the ticket?” he quipped at one point, referring to the scramble for seats that saw some fans pay hundreds to see a show.

From the roar of response, it was.

“Absolutely incredible — best gig I’ve ever been to in my life,” said Nathan Price-Gearey as fans poured out of the stadium.

“It was massive,” said Millie Anderson, another satisfied concertgoer. “When they played ‘Stand by Me,’ I started sobbing my eyes out.”

The show in Cardiff kicked off a 19-date Live '25 tour in the U.K. and Ireland. Then come stops in North America, South America, Asia and Australia, ending in Sao Paulo on Nov. 23.

The streets around the stadium filled before the concert with fans who gathered in groups to sing along to the band's hits and snapped up Oasis-branded bucket hats at 35 pounds ($48) each.

“It’s very, very special — emotional," said 44-year-old Rob Maule from Edinburgh, Scotland, who came with three childhood friends. “For us, it’s a generational thing. It’s a chapter of our lives. And then the second generation, as people are taking their kids. It’s really special.”

Vicki Moynehan came from Dorchester, in southwest England. She said her life has changed since she bought her ticket almost a year ago.

“Seven months pregnant — ain’t gonna stop me,” she said.

Founded in the working-class streets of Manchester, England, in 1991, Oasis was one of the dominant British acts of the 1990s, releasing eight U.K. No. 1 albums.

The band’s sound was fueled by sing-along rock choruses and the combustible chemistry between guitarist-songwriter Noel Gallagher — a Beatles and glam rock-loving musician with a knack for memorable tunes — and younger brother Liam.

Then and since, the brothers have often traded barbs — onstage, in the studio and in interviews. Liam once called Noel “tofu boy,” while Noel branded his brother “the angriest man you’ll ever meet. He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.”

After a backstage bust up at a concert in France in 2009, they long resisted pressure to reunite, even with the promise of a multimillion-dollar payday.

Now they have agreed on a tour that sees them joined by former Oasis members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Gem Archer on guitar, bassist Andy Bell and drummer Joey Waronker.

The announcement of the U.K. tour in August sparked a ticket-buying frenzy, complete with error messages, hourslong online queues, dashed hopes and anger at prices that surged at the last minute.

The ticketing troubles sparked questions in the U.K. Parliament and an investigation by Britain’s competition regulator. It has threatened Ticketmaster — which sold around 900,000 Oasis tickets — with legal action.

No plans have been announced for Oasis to record any new music, and the tour is being presented as a one-off.

Music writer John Aizlewood said that it’s an opportunity for Oasis to “tend the legacy” of the band, and remind people of the power of the Oasis brand.

“There should be a sense of huge joy and life affirmation about these shows. And I think if they can just play it right, then that can be a massive burnishing of their legacy,” he said. “(There is) this enduring love for Oasis — and love means money.”

Fans were determined to enjoy the moment.

“I’m the oldest sibling of four brothers, so I know they’ll fall out,” said Stephen Truscott, from Middlesbrough in northeast England before the show. "(But) the first night, they’re going to have an absolute unbelievable blast. It’s going to be the best.”

Oasis perform during their reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Liam Gallagher, left, holds the hand aloft of Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis as they perform during their reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Oasis perform during their reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Liam Gallagher, left, and Noel Gallagher, right, from the band Oasis perform during their reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis performs during their reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Liam Gallagher from the band Oasis performs during their reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Liam Gallagher, left, holds the hand aloft of Noel Gallagher from the band Oasis as they perform during their reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Fans gather for the Oasis reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Fans gather for the Oasis reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Fans gather for the Oasis reunion concert on Friday, July 4, 2025, in Cardiff. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Oasis fans take photos in front of the Wonder Wall - a mural by Welsh artist Nathan Wyburn made out of 3,000 black and white bucket hats depicting Liam and Noel Gallagher - at the St David's shopping centre in Cardiff, ahead of the first show in their long-awaited reunion tour kicking off in Wales, Friday, July 4, 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

An Oasis fan holds up a banner ahead of the first show in their long-awaited reunion tour which kicks off at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, Friday, July 4, 2025. (Jordan Pettitt/PA via AP)

FILE - Noel Gallagher's performs as part of 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' at the Glastonbury Festival in Worthy Farm, Somerset, England, June 25, 2022. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Members of British rock band Oasis pose for photos ahead of a concert in Hong Kong, Feb. 25, 2006. From left are, Gem Archer, Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, and Liam Gallagher. (AP Photo/Lo Sai Hung)

FILE - Noel, left, and Liam Gallagher, of Oasis, perform in Vancouver, B.C., on Aug. 27, 2008. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

MEDLEY, Fla. (AP) — Napheesa Collier sat on the bench at Sephora Arena laughing with Unrivaled teammate Skylar Diggins moments before tipoff between the Lunar Owls and Rose BC.

It was a tiny glimpse of what Unrivaled provided star WNBA players in Year 1: high-level competition and camaraderie while offering an arena for players to sharpen their skills ahead of the WNBA season.

Now, at a pivotal moment in the WNBA when players are negotiating what could be the most consequential collective bargaining agreement in league history, Unrivaled is serving a much bigger purpose. The league, which began its second season on Monday, is providing a central gathering place for players to strategize and build solidarity as CBA talks unfold.

“The offseason is always a harder time to try and connect with people,” Collier said in a Zoom last month, before being ruled out for the season because of ankle surgery, “and so to have our CBA happening in the offseason is usually a disadvantage in that way.

“To have players congregated where you can have those in-person conversations and updates and things like that, I think that does help things move more quickly.”

The league and WNBA Player's Association have been negotiating a new agreement for the past few months, extending the deadline a couple of times with the latest one set to expire on Friday. Last month, the WNBPA announced players have authorized their union’s executive council to call a strike if necessary, which could delay the WNBA expansion draft and the beginning of free agency that usually starts in late January. The season itself isn’t expected to begin until late April or early May.

“You heard a lot of chatter that what we're asking for is not sustainable for the business,” Collier said in a television interview during an Unrivaled game Monday night.

“Being on this side with Unrivaled, I know what it takes to run a sustainable business," added Collier, who co-founded the league with fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart. "I think if they can't find a model that makes that happen, they need to put people in place who can ... I do think a deal is going to get done, but we're standing firm in what we believe, and were not going to back down.”

Ahead of its second season, Unrivaled announced that it is now valued at $340 million after closing its oversubscribed Series B investment round led by Bessemer Venture Partners — a massive figure for the young league and a reflection of the increasing momentum and interest in women’s sports.

“What we want to build this into is Champions League women’s basketball,” said Unrivaled president Alex Bazzell. “And that’s not a competition towards the WNBA, it’s just where we feel like we can kind of position ourselves in the market.”

Bazzell has repeated his belief in the league's potential longevity in part because of its ability to draw some of the game's biggest names — from Collier to the reigning WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers — and their long term commitment. Around 75% of the league's players are signed through 2028.

"My strong belief is once people remove the women’s sports blinders and start looking at it relative to what’s going on in the ecosystem in terms of the data," Bazzell said, "it points to that right now. So we are very bullish on not just where we are today but where we’re going tomorrow."

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Lunar Owls guard Skylar Diggins, left, and forward Napheesa Collier wear street clothes as they sit out the game with injuries, at the start of their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Rose BC, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Breeze BC guard Paige Bueckers (5) is defended by Phantom BC guard Tiffany Hayes (31) in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Rose BC guard Chelsea Gray (12) drives past Lunar Owls wing Rebecca Allen (9) in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Breeze BC guard Paige Bueckers (5) drives past Phantom BC guard Tiffany Hayes in their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Lunar Owls forward Napheesa Collier, right, talks with guard Skylar Diggins as both sit out with injuries at the start of their Unrivaled 3-on-3 basketball game against Rose BC, Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Medley, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)