Many have wondered why Oasis, one of the most popular live acts in its native U.K., isn’t a bigger draw on this side of the Atlantic Ocean.

It’s a good question, given how consistently great the Britpop band’s albums have been over the last 15 years, and one that will probably be debated as long as the highly volatile group sticks together.

The basis for a solid hypothesis, however, could be readily found during the Manchester troupe’s gig on Wednesday night at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. The 100-minute set was low on energy, personality, theatrics and razzle-dazzle, all of which usually goes over like gangbusters with American audiences.

As with past Bay Area outings, Oasis just showed up, plugged in and performed the songs in a straight-forward, straight-ahead manner. That’s just how the band does it – or, maybe, that’s just how the musicians do it on this side of the pond.

Rick Allen, a longtime Oasis fan from the U.K. that is now living in San Francisco, was at the Oakland show and was shocked at what he saw.

“If they’d come out onstage like this in England, with this lack of energy, they’d get booed off the stage after two songs,” he said.

To that point, the 6,000-or-so fans in attendance – a less than half-full house - should feel grateful that they weren’t watching the concert in England. For if the band had been booed off the stage after two songs, listeners would have missed 19 other tunes, many of which rank among the best pop-rock numbers in recent history.

The set list was terrific, a proper sampling of the many wonders found on the band’s seven studio albums. The group – led by the brothers Gallagher, vocalist Liam and guitarist-vocalist Noel – paid particular attention to its most recent offering, “Dig Out Your Soul,” but also played most of the old hits.

The songs are so well-written, full of anthemic sing-along choruses, and feature so many wickedly slick guitar parts that they more than compensate for any performance issues. Indeed, it was hard to worry about a lack of energy from the band when one was singing along, at top volume, to such smashes as “Rock ‘N’ Roll Star,” “The Importance of Being Idle” and “Slide Away.”

The players did seem a bit more motivated toward the end of the night, closing up the main set with a fiery run through “Wonderwall” and “Supersonic” then returning for a four-tune encore that included a psychedelic cover of the Beatles’ “I am the Walrus.”

In all, it was a much better offering than what the fans saw immediately prior with Ryan Adams and the Cardinals. The hipster alt-country band leader, a true critics’ favorite, set the table for Oasis and did even less than the headliner to connect with the crowd.

Each person has his or her own list of the most-overrated performers in the business, and Adams most definitely belongs on mine.

( Jim Harrington )

source : ibabuzz.com & flickr.com

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The first stop of Oasis' North American tour was unusually calm: no onstage sibling scuffles, no crazed fans, just a few clouds of pot smoke and a slightly less-than-ecstatic crowd -- save for the requisite 12-year-old boys who weren't even born when "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" was released.

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals opened the show at Oakland's 19,500-seat Oracle Arena with 40-minute set that included an up-tempo "Everybody Knows" and an especially rousing rendition of "Let It Ride." And no, he didn't play "Wonderwall," though not for lack of time -- Adams left fans scratching their heads when he abruptly ended the set with a curt "We're the Cardinals" and walked offstage.

At 9 p.m. promptly, Liam Gallagher walked onstage, tambourine in mouth, sporting an almost comical version of his classic Britpop mop top a la Paul Weller. Backed by four big screens that projected artwork from the band's latest album, Dig Out Your Soul, Oasis opened with 1994's "Rock N' Roll Star" -- not a highlight, but a powerful start to the show.

For the most part, Oasis played a peppered mix of old and new material, the latter of which held up well against the Oasis of yore -- tunes like "Waiting for the Rapture," which recalled the Doors' "Five to One." "I'm Outta Time," another strong new song, was spot-on as Liam crooned, "Here is a song / It reminds me of when we were young."


Other highlights from the nearly two-hour show included superhit "Wonderwall." But what really stuck out -- and what makes Oasis such a talented and versatile band -- were B-sides like Noel's "The Master Plan." "They could do B-sides for an entire show," said one fan who had seen Oasis at the Oakland Coliseum 11 years before. A particularly hard-hitting version of "The Importance of Being Idle" was another welcome contribution from the quieter Gallagher brother.

The band's four-song encore of sing-along favorites included "Don't Look Back in Anger" and "Champagne Supernova," as well as Noel's latest songwriting contribution, "Falling Down," a standout off Dig Out Your Soul.
Then Liam approached the mike: "I am the fucking walrus," he shouted before the band launched into the psychedelic Beatles epic. Despite flubbing a lyric or two, Liam held his own on the Lennon classic and the band did their predecessors justice, setting the crowd ablaze.








via L4e / source : Spin.com photos: Casey Flanigan

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