Don't believe the truth

It was a couple of months ago when, while getting ready to go to work,on a tip off from a friend I logged onto a concert tickets website and booked 3 tickets for an Oasis concert. Honestly, I have never followed this band, I do know most of their famous hits, but have never bought an album.

Closer to the concert date, I had acquired Oasis' latest offering - "Don't believe the truth", surprized as I was to see that Liam and Noel are still together!! I think hardcore Oasis fans may not like the album, but I think it's brilliant, it's quite a back to basics album with brilliant guitaring and personally I would rate it as a good Rock album - from the bad boys of Britpop.

Day of the concert, I heard their latest album a couple of times, hooked onto the Oasis radio on their website and basically got myself ready for my first ever Oasis concert.

3 beers consumed, I walk into the small amphitheatre called "Ancienne Belgique" and see the Union Jack flying all over and a lot of beer breath around me. The loudspeaker is playing "Helter Skelter" from the beatles and the crowd is getting into the tense anticipation state. Suddenly the lights go down and the loudspeaker shouts out the opening chords of "F*cking in the bushes" and Liam takes center stage.

To put things into perspective - The concert arena might have held 10000 people max. It is small, but it was packed to the gills and I am sure in true brit style all the concert goers had consumed a few pints of lager before coming in. The minute the lights on stage came on and Liam uttered his first few words, the so far quiet and expectant crowd, went crazy.. beer glasses flying around - not empty, I mean full beer glasses!! the girl next to me was on all 4 fours and trying to find something on the floor, I asked her if I could help, she said she had lost her lense from her left eye - I didn't bother to respond. Liam had gone into verse 2 of "Turn up the Sun" and I was in my first mosh pit in 14 years of concert going!

I was being jostled and pushed and somehow I didn't mind, I was actually enjoying it, it fitted in with the music and the atmosphere.

Liam is an arrogant performer. No thank yous from him to the crownd and when Noel sang, he quietly walked off the stage (was it a sign that he wants to give his brother a bigger spot under light or is it that he is so disinterested in the project that he comes on only when required??)

They ran through all their greatest hits, "Champagne Supernova". "Wonderwall", "Morning Glory", "Don't look back in anger", "Stop, crying your heart out" - It was a brilliant concert in terms of energy and the sounds. The band does not consist of performers unfortunately, they come there, do their job and leave, of course towards the end Liam walked right up to the tip of the stage and gestured to the crowd to come up to the front - and everyong including me obeyed - it was crazy, the number of people pushing to get to the front and then the man stood their for 5 mins in one serious Madame Tussauds position while the crowd went crazy.

Liam is a great guy to shoot with a digicam without a flash when he's performing because he stands there in that half curved position, head tilted slightly to the left, mouth stuck to the mic and arms folded tight behind his back.

Net - Net, it was a brilliant concert experience for me, moshing, crowd surfing included. I am an oasis rookie, but this concert changed my perspective on them. They might still not compare to the biggest bands and will never ever get their status of the early and mid nineties as the best thing since to come out of the UK since the beatles. But what they did on stage last night, kept me charged and up and jumping and smiling for hours after. Thanks Jan, for asking me to buy these tickets!!

More updates on the Boss concert coming up soon.