Apr. 27, 1996

Maine Road - Manchester, England

Setlist

This is one of the most famous Oasis concerts, played at the football grounds of the Gallaghers' (and Guigsy's) favorite football club. It is a great show, but the bootleg doesn't have very good quality. It is an audience recording. The music isn't too bad, but the vocals are very quiet and there is an echo effect. You eventually get used to it. The band is in a great mood. It seems they are very happy to be home in Manchester, and the crowd is happy they are back, singing right along with them. I have never heard them talk so much on stage. Especially Liam! He dedicates songs to everyone from his mum to the Seahorses' John Squire to "them so-called kidnappers who want to take me away in a van for about three weeks and hold me ransom." Most of the time you can't make out what they are saying due to the sound quality.

The band went all out for this gig bringing a horn section, a string section, and a harmonica player with them! The highlights are "Whatever" and "The Masterplan". On "Whatever", I don't hear any guitars, just bass, drums, strings, and a harmonica! The harmonica adds a new element to the song, just as it does later on in "I Am the Walrus." Noel adds the Man City chant, "All the young Blues, carry the news" to the end of "Whatever".

Just a few other notes: Strings are heard on several songs, as well as the horns and the harmonica player. Wonderwall has the first five seconds or so skipped over on the tape. The funniest part of the gig is between songs when Liam takes a shot at singing "D'Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?". "I wanna be a spaceman, you're too old....I forgot the words. I wanna be a spaceman, but I can't afford a spacesuit!" From Liam's opening line "Manchester, Maine Road, Mad fer it!" to Noel's closing "We're the greatest band in the world with the greatest fans in the world, good night!", this is a great concert.

Email: jmseidl@rocketmail.com

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