By: Iliana Pap
The moment that a concert comes to an end and you get back home, you lie on your bed and while you are slowly closing your eyes you think to yourself that life is made of moments like these. Like the one, you had the pleasure to live tonight. Then you suddenly feel gratitude and you are thankful for this experience. It’s all about being there at that moment. Be here now.
The long-awaited appearance of one of the greatest songwriters, the mighty Noel Gallagher and his band High Flying Birds took place on a rainy Friday evening at Heaton Park with thousands of people attending. It was 10 years ago that Oasis have performed their last gig at the same place in Manchester before the band’s split. People were hungry and impatient for a comeback of their Godlike genius Mr Noel Gallagher.
If anyone was expecting an Oasis setback only they might have been mistaken as Noel played lots of songs from his last album «Who built the moon» but didn’t forget some of the Oasis classics that made the crowd singing at the top of their lungs.
Armed and ready to face that rainy afternoon after a rigorous search control on the gate I managed to get in right before Inhaler joined the stage. My first thought was that I didn’t know Bono had a son that sounds like him and is talented. I later found out that they will be supporting Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds on most of their upcoming shows. I enjoyed their indie rock tunes and they set me on the right mood for all that was about to follow.
Nobody minded the occasional raindrops and the cloudy sky when White Denim appeared on stage and uplifted our mood with their energy and great psychedelic rock music. I must admit that they played really well and although they might sound a bit like the Black Keys, I do believe they have their own unique music style with which they entertained us.
The park was almost full of people when Doves made their first return on stage after 10 years of being away. Classic songs such as the Kingdom of Rust, There goes the fear and Black and white town were sung both by the crowd and the lead singer Jez Williams whose voice was in such good shape.
The time was 21.00 when Noel Gallagher’s Ηigh Flying Birds got on stage and opened their set with Fort Knox. The atmosphere was great, everyone was buzzing and Noel seemed happy to be back in his hometown. Holy Mountain and She taught me how to fly were up next and dedicated to Noel’s wife Sara. We had the chance to listen to a number of songs from their latest album such as the newly released and controversial single Black star dancing and others such as Keep on reaching, It’s a beautiful world and the melodic Dead in the water which was performed in a beautiful acoustic version.
It was until the moment the band started playing Oasis classics such as The importance of being idle, Talk Tonight, Half the world away and Little by little that the crowd really started to join in with their arms in the air and massive sing-alongs. The moment that Noel grabs his acoustic guitar and starts playing Stop crying your heart out was one to remember. The Masterplan follows up next and we all said it loud and sang it proud to its lyrics. Songs from the band’s first self-titled album such as If I had a gun, AKA… What a life!, and Everybody’s on the run are added to the set list as well and then as a surprise, we get to listen to our loved one Whatever.
My mate who was standing next to me told me to let it all out and be as emotional as I wanted. Because that’s what you do at times like these during gigs. You let yourself free to live it and immerse your soul in this amazing experience. That is exactly what I did when Noel played Don’t look back in anger and Wonderwall both of which I have been waiting my whole life to listen to live and witness how the crowd sings them out loud with such passion and dedication, almost as if they were their anthem songs, which by the way totally are.
During the whole set I never checked my phone to see the time but I realized that the concert was coming to an end when I heard the Beatles classic All you need is love with which the band always chooses to close their set with. That night ended leaving us all with a bittersweet feeling of wanting more. How could we not want more?
In an effort to find my way out of the park in the dark and with mud on my shoes on that rainy night, I find myself singing the lyrics to Half the world away with a couple of strangers. Some say you might find your hero. Tonight I feel the luckiest of them all and I want to thank my childhood hero Noel Gallagher for filling my heart with pure love and for raising my dopamine levels high up in the sky. I will always remember that night and be grateful.
