'It’s just amazing' - Kilkenny fans enjoy Oasis gigs in Croke Park, Dublin
The Britpop band played two sold-out gigs at Croke Park over the weekend
Many Kilkenny fans travelled to Croke Park over the weekend, not for GAA, but to see Britpop legends Oasis - who returned to Ireland for the first time in 16 years.
After an “in-demand” dynamic pricing model left a poor taste for some fans last year, the ticket-holders were left to roll with it and enjoy the music in temperatures above 20C.
Health officials advised revellers to wear their bucket hats, with high UV levels predicted amid warm and dry sunny spells in Dublin on Saturday.
As the band’s first gig in the country since 2009, the Dublin leg of the reunion world tour holds a special meaning for once-feuding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher.
The Mancunian brothers have often spoken about their ties to Ireland through their Irish-born parents, Peggy and Thomas – and display the image of an Irish harp as part of their comparatively understated stage decor.
Having had to wait a long time for the reunion tour, Sinead Millea from Kilkenny – who previously saw the band in Limerick in 1996 – said: “Maybe we’re all going through a bit of a midlife crisis – I turned 50 this year, and look, Noel and Liam, they’re in their 50s as well.
“And maybe things just dawned on them that life is too short and just, let’s put grievances to bed.
“They seem to be getting on great, and it’s fabulous. And at the end of the day, music transcends everything, and we’re all here to enjoy a brilliant night and to share it with the people that mean the most.
“It’s just amazing. The weather is fabulous and it’s a brilliant venue.”
The setlist on the tour has featured crowd-pleasing hits including Cigarettes And Alcohol and Little by Little.
Fans on the tour have also been treated to favourites including Supersonic, Some Might Say and Live Forever – before a Don’t Look Back In Anger, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova crescendo in the encore.
Oasis announced their reunion tour in August last year, 16 years after their dramatic split in 2009, when Noel quit after a backstage brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.
The highly anticipated 41-date run has already seen the band play Cardiff, Manchester, London and Edinburgh before taking them half the world away to major cities, including in the US, Canada, Mexico, Australia and Japan.