They were the gigs that epitomised the Britpop era.
Oasis, at the height of their fame, played to sell-out crowds of 250,000 over two nights in the grounds of the Grade II Knebworth House in Hertfordshire in August 1996.
And to mark the 30th anniversary of those concerts – and to keep Liam and Noel Gallagher‘s reunion tour going – five shows are being planned at that venue for next summer.
Music industry sources claimed the brothers have tentative dates for 2026 following their successful world tour, which is said to have generated up to £1.2billion. The Knebworth anniversary concerts could produce an additional £100million.
One insider said: ‘Talk about the chance to cash in. After all these years of insisting they won’t get back together, now Liam and Noel have got these dates on hold, they have pencilled in five days for the gigs.’
‘It’s all very exciting for fans. Back in 1996, it was so special. It was the pinnacle of Britpop so Oasis returning to Knebworth would just be perfect for the fans.’
Oasis played to sell-out crowds in the grounds of Knebworth House in August 1996 and to mark the 30th anniversary five shows are being planned at thet venue for next summer
‘It’s all very exciting for fans. Back in 1996, it was so special. It was the pinnacle of Britpop so Oasis returning to Knebworth would just be perfect for the fans’ (Liam and Noel Gallagher at Knebworth in 1996)
‘The plan is for five concerts in what will be a music extravaganza. First the fans got a reunion tour. Now it looks like that they will be able to relive those two performances at Knebworth.’
When Oasis, whose hits included Don’t Look Back In Anger and Some Might Say, played there in 1996, it is claimed that more than 2 per cent of the UK population applied for tickets, which sold out in less than 24 hours.
In 2022, Liam returned to the venue for two concerts, a year after a documentary film about the 1996 Knebworth concerts was released in cinemas.
Last year, Oasis announced they would be reuniting for a tour after 15 years of public tantrums, bickering and slanging matches between the brothers.
This follow a behind-the-scenes brawl between them at the Rock en Seine festival in the west of Paris in August 2009.
Just before they were due on stage, the brothers traded blows in a vicious fight that saw Liam smash Noel’s guitar after hearing he was quitting the band.
However, they eventually made up and kicked off their current much anticipated reunion tour at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on July 4.
Noel, 58, and Liam, 52, are currently performing in the US. At the weekend, they played two sold-out gigs at the 90,000- seat Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, to an excited audience that included Sir Paul McCartney, Rita Ora and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
‘The plan is for five concerts in what will be a music extravaganza. First the fans got a reunion tour. Now it looks like that they will be able to relive those two performances’ insiders revealed
When Oasis, whose hits included Don’t Look Back In Anger and Some Might Say, played there in 1996, it is claimed that more than 2 per cent of the UK population applied for tickets
Sir Paul, 83, alongside wife Nancy Shevell, 65, heard Oasis belt out two Beatles numbers – Birthday and I Saw Her Standing There – and commented simply: ‘Fabulous.’
The Daily Mail revealed earlier this week that the band’s official photographer Kevin Cummins believes that Oasis may be now ready to record their first studio album for 17 years.
Cummins, 72, said the signs for an album were promising, with Noel writing songs on tour and Liam’s combative ‘frontman ego’ taking a back seat.
He added: ‘I don’t see why they couldn’t get in the studio and record an album. Noel is writing songs all the time and Liam’s voice is well suited to what Noel writes.’
And giving an insight to the brothers’ rekindled relationship, Cummins said: ‘Liam’s matured a lot. He’s quite self-deprecating. There’s a lot of fondness on stage between them.’