Tickets cost just £27 when Oasis first played Murrayfield Stadium in July 2000. But most fans were simply relieved the band made it on stage at all after a string of bust-ups between the Gallaghers, says Chris McCall
Oasis played Murrayfield Stadium in July 2000 at a time of tensions between Liam and Noel Gallagher
Liam Gallagher strolled on stage, leaned in to his microphone and announced the first song of the evening. “This one’s for Frankenstein!,” he excitedly shouted. Noel rolled his eyes. “Whatever that means, who knows?” he told the crowd. The drum loop of Go Let It Out kicked-in and the 60,000 strong crowd roared its approval.
It was July 29, 2000, and Oasis were headlining Murrayfield for the first time. It was a gig many thought wouldn’t happen, coming just days after the band played a disastrous second night at the old Wembley Stadium. Speculation was rife Noel would announce his permanent departure from the group before he arrived in Edinburgh, or would confirm he was quitting immediately after the show.
Tensions in the band were so bad that the songwriter had already walked out on Oasis once that year after a now infamous dressing room bust-up in Barcelona. A replacement guitar player was brought in, and the group limped on through its remaining European tour dates. Noel, fans were told, would be back in time to play a massively anticipated stadium tour across the UK and Ireland.
The first night at Wembley in July went smoothly and the show was later released as the Familiar to Millions live album. The second night was broadcast live on Sky TV – a novelty at the time for a huge stadium gig – and went very differently. If you’ve never heard Liam’s on stage rant about his recent divorce (“she’s left me with a teabag!”), it’s all there on YouTube. It was rumoured the singer hadn’t slept between the gigs. Noel, it’s fair to say, was less than impressed with his brother’s performance.
So the fact Oasis made it on stage at Murrayfield at all came as a huge relief to all those with tickets, myself included. I was 14, going on 15, and had scraped together the £27 cost of a standing ticket. This was a time when I was paid £12 for a five-day paper round.
The Gallaghers, perhaps reflecting on the carnage of the previous weeks, were on their best behaviour in Edinburgh. But Liam still found time to share his frank opinions on the speculation his band were finished. As Stand By Me came to a close, the signer firmly told the crowd: “That one’s for all the silly journalists who keep going on about ‘oh this is the last gig’ and all that s**t. No one f***ing knows what’s happening.”
Liam Gallagher at Murrayfield Stadium, July 29, 2000
There was a lighter mood before the band played Shakermaker. The supposed rivalry between Oasis and Robbie Williams, then the country’s biggest solo star, was still being played out in newspapers. “This one’s for fat arse,” Liam announced, without explanation. The crowd responded with a less-than-flattering chant about Williams.
It proved an icebreaker for the Gallaghers, who had been eyeing each other warily until that point. “Enough of that s**t, let’s get back to business,” retorted Liam to the crowd. Noel, deadpan as ever, added: “Robbie Williams is one of the finest actors the world has ever seen, and he’s an amazing stand-up comedian as well.”
The brothers seemed slightly taken aback by the level of enthusiasm they were greeted with from the Murrayfield crowd. There was no front pit in the standing section – meaning anyone was free to force their way from the very back of the pitch to the stage, if they were brave enough. Noel stopped just two songs in to remind the crowd: “This is an Oasis gig, but cool out down the front, man.”
I had arrived early with my school friend Graeme. This wasn’t my first gig, or even my first show at Murrayfield. I was used to visiting Edinburgh without adult supervision. But Oasis was a different level of atmosphere. Inside the stadium, we wisely positioned ourselves on the front barrier and decided to stay there, come what may.
It was a terrific show. The disaster of the second Wembley night, and a week of negative press headlines writing off the band, had combined to push Liam and Noel’s performance up several notches. Somehow, we even managed to stay at the front barrier for the whole gig, safe from the swaying masses behind us.
But not everyone was impressed. News reports in the days after the gig focused on the vast amount of litter dropped in and around the genteel Murrayfield neighbourhood. One councillor thundered that Oasis should be banned from ever performing in the Capital again. They told one newspaper: “We are taking legal advice. The people of Edinburgh would expect nothing less. Old ladies in Roseburn are entitled to protection. This was not the normal Saturday rock concert. The place was under siege.”
Oasis, however, would return to headline Murrayfield once again in 2009, a show that wasn’t a patch on their 2000 performance. They would also play the Usher Hall and the Corn Exchange venues in the Capital in the same decade.
How will the 2025 version of Oasis fare in comparison? The footage from Cardiff and Manchester suggest this is a slick, well-rehearsed band who have all enjoyed a good night’s sleep before each show. Have they lost their manic spontaneity of old? We’ll find out soon.
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