Phoenix@Dodge Theater - 18th Sep (+ Pics)

[oasisfan]

Speriamo bene...

[Betaray]

Oasis steamroll Phoenix Concert Crowd
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There was a bit of a rock show Sunday night at the Dodge Theatre, mate - a real British rock show, with loud, lusty guitars, lots of feedback, fans storming the stage and deliciously sloppy vocals by a U.K. music icon.

Oasis -- led by singer-with-an-attitude Liam Gallagher and his brother, guitarist extraordinaire Noel -- reminded a near-sellout Phoenix crowd that they may be grizzled veterans compared to young Brit-poppers like Kasabian (also on Sunday's bill), but they still can steamroll a concert crowd.

The reception for Oasis, which has stayed on the rock-gossip pages since 1994 courtesy of various dust-ups between the Gallagher brothers, was overwhelming Sunday.

Women screamed and guys raised their fists as the band moved through such rock classics as "Wonderwall," "Champagne Supernova" and "Morning Glory" against a colorful backdrop of lights that one fan said "looked like something out of a game show."

Such new songs as the upbeat single "Lyla" and the wall-of-sound rocker "Turn Up the Sun," recorded after a few not-so-scintillating albums, also drew thunderous reaction, indicating that Oasis' fan base isn't going anywhere any time soon.

Wearing a brown overcoat for some reason (it hit 100 degrees Sunday in the Valley) and keeping both hands safely tucked in the pockets for most of the evening, Liam Gallagher wandered around the stage when he wasn't singing, but stayed well-focused on the music when he was behind the microphone.

Although his voice sounded tired and downright flat in places, due perhaps to the band's aggressive touring schedule, Gallagher gamely belted out song after song with little of the between-tune banter with fans that he's sometime prone to engage in. He added a little extra slur to the lyrics of rave-ups like "Cigarettes & Alcohol," a perfect touch for a song that captures part of the spirit of rock and roll.

He just gave a casual shrug and skipped half a line when one male fan somehow climbed over a 10-foot-tall-speaker cabinet and bounded across the stage toward the singer.

After asking, "Are we in Phoenix?," early in the show, Gallagher then dedicated "Morning Glory" by saying, "This one's for all the junkies."

Oasis' sound was strengthened by the exquisite drumming of Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, who brought new life to the Who before signing on with Oasis.

Starkey managed to work a drum solo-type passage in while the rest of the band was still playing on the new "Mucky Fingers," and he was in full Keith Moon mode on a fabulous cover of the Who's "My Generation," the show's final encore.

Noel's Gallagher's singing on the rock anthem "Don't Look Back in Anger" and the new "The Importance of Being Idle" matched the high quality of his steady guitar playing.

Two of the strongest contenders to lead the next generation of overseas rockers were on display earlier.

Australia's Jet threatened to steal the show (as it did when it opened for the Vines in Tempe in 2004) with a set of old school-inspired rock with an extra dose of aggression to connect with all ages of fans in the crowd.

The band, led by singer-guitarist Nic Cester, grabbed concertgoers by the throat early on with the radio hit "Cold Hard Bitch" and the infectious "Rollover D.J."

The Kinks met the Who met AC/DC in "Get What You Need" and "Last Chance," prompting one teenage fan, who apparently hadn't heard Jet before, to tell his pal, "Man, those guys rock!" after the band left the stage with a guitar leaning against an amplifier for maximum feedback.

England's Kasabian started the evening off, an unfortunate assignment given that many fans were still chatting in the lobby or slowly wandering in during the group's well-paced set.

Kasabian's mix of industrial sounds, danceable beats and layered vocals in such songs as "Club Foot" and "Processed Beats" was well-received by the audience, which grew as the band's set progressed.

Another standout, spotlighting singer Tom Meighan, was the driving, hummable "L.S.F. (Lost Souls Forever).

Expect Jet and Kasabian - as well as Oasis - to be making much more noise in the future.

Reach the reporter at larry.rodgers@arizonarepublic.com or (602) 444-8043.

[quizzy]

First of all, there are things to be said about the two opening bands for Oasis. The opener Kasabian, from a biased point of view, is a far superior band to the second performers, Jet. Jet, although good looking, and semitalented are an Australian band that wishes they were British, and their catchy Top 40 hits lack the musical substance that Kasabian should be revered for.

Kasabian has a hypnotic, catchy dark rock sound that is clearly British, and their debut self-titled album is definitely worth buying. The interesting name of their band "Kasabian" happens to be last name of the girl get-away driver in the Manson murders. The odds that this sinister little fact could be a coincidence is to be determined, although, "Helter Skelter," by the Beatles was played in the theater directly after the show. Hmmmm. The lead singer of Kasabian is another delightful specimen of the nerdy "British rocker" phenomenon. For those who have not heard of this phenomenon, an in-depth description will now take place.

British boy rockers often are skinny, nerdy, scruffy little men who wear clothes that are too tight and too often become visibly stained with sweat. When they convulse around on stage in a slightly rhythmic and very bendy fashion, their little shirts ride up to expose their inevitable "happy trail" that perfectly matches their short but ungroomed facial hair. This pasty white wonder boys never cease to amaze by creating incredibly ingenious music and somehow, always managing to be sexy. This is nothing short of a phenomenon.

More importantly, Oasis, the self-proclaimed "best band in the world," played at Dodge Theatre for the fine residents of Arizona. Liam Gallagher, the bratty and arrogant lead singer, wore a green trench coat and sang his heart out, sans tantrum. Noel Gallagher, the main guitarist and more talented brother of Liam, was as adorable as to be expected, and together with their band these boys gave their audience an amazing show to be remembered.

Oasis did not neglect their fans, by playing the essential Oasis fan favorites with a positive energy and having fun doing it. Liam gave a member of the audience a much coveted tambourine, and toward the end of the show ran through the crowd. The audience rocked out to classic Oasis tracks like "Morning Glory" and "Cigarettes and Alcohol," which, according to the band, was sang, "for the junkies." During "Live Forever," Liam did his quirky and notorious stunt of putting his tambourine on his head in a halolike fashion. Dodge Theatre provided a lovely array of lighting to enhance the show. At some points during the concert it felt like being a part of the music video to "Champagne Supernova," which they played with such zest that "Champagne Supernova" was undoubtedly one of the highlights of the entire performance.

Anyone who has ever heard of Oasis has heard "Wonderwall," and they announced it was, "for the ladies" before they played it, slow and sweet, taking their time with the chords and bringing tears to the eyes of their fans. This version of the song was beautiful but not as good as their faster version, which can be sung with more infliction, and pain is awesome. The drunken assclown who would not stay in his seat because he was dancing all over like an idiot and yelling the lyrics along to the songs while he wreaked of body odor must have been very pleased when they performed "Acquiesce" halfway through the show because he was screaming the song title repeatedly between every song until they played it.

Aside from the assclown stench, Oasis had the perfect ending to their superb performance. They played a four-song encore, concluding with the broken-hearted love ballad "Don't Look Back in Anger" and a vintage rock cover of The Who's, "My Generation." Oasis played an amazing rock show filled with lights, dancing, tambourine shaking and crowd-pleasers, and although they failed to play a single track from their Heathen Chemistry album, any true fan would not look back in anger.

By Miriam Weisberg
Arizona Daily Wildcat

[eddie]

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