Anyway, Here's 'Wonderwall' (and 20 More of the Best Oasis Songs)

First, a disclaimer: I have been a dedicated Oasis fan since I was in eighth grade, when my college-aged sister tossed a CD copy of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? at me and said, “Listen to this and tell me if it’s any good.” (Confession: I never told her it was good so that I could hoard it for myself.) Since then, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had a recurring dream where the band asks the audience if anyone out there can play the guitar solo to “Live Forever,” only to see me jumping up and down, begging for the chance.

This all to say, I cannot be objective on this subject, and I can’t believe my boss let me write this article. However, I promise the goal here is not to create Oasis stans, but rather to look at why the news of their reunion and tour has made headline news, despite the band not releasing any new music since 2008.

Oasis Was Never a Paradise 

A big reason the Oasis reunion tour announcement has been so popular is due to the contentious relationship between brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher. Their sibling rivalry has been headline fodder since the release of their debut album Definitely Maybe in 1994, and has continued to make news all the way to the present. 

When they released Morning Glory in 1995, their popularity grew to a global scale off the megahit singles “Wonderwall,” “Champagne Supernova,” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” which are still mainstays on radio and streaming (in fact, the hugely popular YouTube music critic Rick Beato recently explained why “Champagne Supernova” is the best Oasis song). However, the band’s first North American tour was beset with fraternal spats, which led Noel to quit the band briefly at one point.

Their fraught tour should’ve halted their meteoric rise, as it soured many American listeners (believe me—I took constant flak for being a die-hard past the “Wonderwall” era). Their mythology as a swaggering rock band marked by clickbait-worthy drama kept them in the public eye, however, despite diminishing returns on their later albums, followed by what felt like a definitive breakup in 2009.

The Big Business of Nostalgia

A broader explanation for the buzz around the reunion is, quite simply: nostalgia sells. Oasis is by no means the first band to recognize this, and they’ve been turning down highly lucrative offers to reunite basically since they split.

Berklee professor and musicologist Joe Bennett spoke with a radio program in the United Arab Emirates (Bennett's interview begins 22 minutes into the broadcast) on this topic, and pointed out that reunions on this scale have been happening for decades. He cited as notable examples the Eagles' 1994 album and tour cheekily titled Hell Freezes Over and a one-off Led Zeppelin show in 2007, given that both bands had made it very clear years earlier that their breakups were definitive. ABBA kinda-sorta reunited in 2016—34 years after splitting up in 1982—when they announced a new tour . . . featuring hologram avatars rather than the actual band members.

You’re very susceptible to the pop music from that formative period [of ages 12–25]. . . . The industry knows this . . . and Oasis are no more immune to those market forces than anybody else.

— Joe Bennett

Bennett explains that legacy tours like this sell so well because for their fans, it’s a visceral reminder of the culture that existed as they were discovering their identities between the ages of 12 and 25. “You’re very susceptible to the pop music from that formative period,” Bennett says, pointing out that, in psychological terms, this phenomenon is referred to as the “reminiscence bump.” He continues, “the industry knows this, and can commercially mobilize around it, and Oasis are no more immune to those market forces than anybody else.”

As someone who discovered Oasis within that "reminiscence bump," it makes sense that I am absolutely ecstatic about this reunion—and the fact that somehow, in 2024, they broke Ticketmaster for their UK performances in a very similar way to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. However, if you ever indulged in the many jokes about Oasis just being Beatles rip-offs, but you’re still planning to grab a ticket for this tour: As long as you let me get in that digital queue ahead of you, I won’t look back in anger.

Oasis Set List Predictions and Personal Picks

Before we get to my dream set list, here are a few predictions and thoughts about how Oasis might sequence their reunion performances.

What They Will Open With

“Rock 'n' Roll Star”: First song off the first off album, and the line “Tonight, I’m a rock 'n' roll star” is an overt and obvious mission statement. Musically, it opens with a definitive Noel guitar riff, with the rest of the band building up behind him for drama.

What They Should Open With

“Columbia:” Also off the first album, but no one will expect it, so it’ll pack a surprise punch. Also, the trancey four-on-the-floor beat allows the band to draw the crowd in, even for those unfamiliar with the song, all while building to some of Noel’s most gripping lead work. Drawing more on the Stone Roses than the Beatles, it’s an up-front declaration that the rock band you thought you knew can also groove.

What Will Come Next

“Acquiesce”: What you follow your opening song with on a reunion tour is almost more important than the first song. The first song has a low bar because the moment the lights go down and the band walks out, the audience will already be losing their mind. The second song, though? That’s the one that sets the pace for the whole show. If you play too new a song, you’ll tell the crowd that this isn’t about them, and on a reunion tour, that’s a risky move. But you also can’t go for your biggest hits yet, as it could peak the energy too fast. This is why “Acquiesce” is the safe bet, especially for the UK dates. It’s a B-side, but has been a staple of their live show since the beginning. It’s also the rare entry that features the brothers trading vocal duties, with Liam growling through the verses, and Noel singing out the anthemic chorus.

What Should Come Next

“Morning Glory”: The title track to their landmark second album starts with dramatic string bends that will stand in stark contrast to the fading groove of "Columbia," shaking people out of their hypnotic state and back into a joyous uproar. Also, by the time these performances happen, this album will be celebrating a 30-year anniversary, so it will be important to dig into this track list quickly.

Okay, but When Will "Wonderwall" Happen?

"Wonderwall" is undeniably the band's biggest commercial hit. In the last decade, it gained viral-meme status with the phrase, "Anyway, here's 'Wonderwall,'" which jokingly refers to how its distinctive chord progression became a staple of many beginner guitarists—to the point of cliché.

Oasis isn’t afraid to give the crowd what they want, but they’re not going to act like the point of the whole show is to get to "Wonderwall." So no, they’re not going to close the show with it. They likely will close the main set with it, saving the encore for a couple surprise deep cuts and then going in for the kill with an extended version of “Champagne Supernova.” (If I had my way, they would then follow the bombast with the deep-cut ballad "Married with Children," which fittingly ends with the line "Goodbye, I'm going home.")

But me? I’d have the middle of the set transition to Noel on a stool with an acoustic guitar and minimal accompaniment where he can dig into the B-sides the real heads want. It's not unheard of, as Noel has done this on tour before, as chronicled in the 1995 concert film Live by the Sea, as well as their infamous MTV Unplugged set where Liam refused to perform, leaving Noel to sing the whole set. This interlude would go: “Talk Tonight,” “Sad Song,” and then “The Masterplan,” which opens quiet, but would bring the full band back in by the chorus. With Noel still on acoustic, this is the perfect moment to put the capo on the second fret and decimate the crowd with that iconic chord progression.

I may end up getting priced out of tickets for this tour, but this won't stop me for designing my dream set list. And lucky you, you get to listen to it right here: