Oasis Live at Croke Park ’25 - A gig that was beyond special

“People will never forget the way you made them feel”
(Noel Gallagher, 2016)

This quote by the singer-songwriter from Oasis will have a lasting impact on a lot of people. Whether you’re a fan of the band or not, it bears a truth that certainly came into being on a weekend in August of 2025. A time when the Manchester-born group, of strong Irish heritage, created special emotions at Croke Park.

‘So Here I Go…’
A year previously, I was one of the many who fell foul of the dreaded Ticketmaster queue, and for ten long months after failing to get a ticket, I had to endure a quiet envy when I heard of others getting theirs. Inevitably, this led to some mutterings - that only I could hear - of ‘sure I’m a bigger fan than they are.’

During those months of having to accept that I’d have no ticket, it didn’t deter me from my love for the band. As a budding guitarist, I still enjoyed practising some of their acoustic songs in the back room of my family home. It meant many fewer Friday nights out in the town’s pubs, but I was content with myself about that.

I’d occasionally post videos online of myself practising the strumming patterns to ‘Supersonic’, ‘Little by Little’, and ‘Talk Tonight.’ I came to learn that although Noel Gallagher played relatively simple chords, it was the melody of how they all fell together - creating different emotions - that made them beautiful.

Alas, something paid off, and not long before the anticipated shows in Dublin, I managed to get my hands on a golden ticket. I’d be there on the Sunday night and would, finally, after 30 years of being a fan, get to see my heroes in action. Knowing it’d be a setlist of their best songs made it all the more exciting.

‘All Your Dreams Are Made’
I took my seat in the Upper Cusack Stand, and it didn’t matter that I was officially on my own. This was a concert full of nostalgia and harmony that everyone was up for, so I became best friends - for two hours or so - with the three people sitting next to and behind me.

They also had their ticket dramas, but the important thing was that we all got there and shared the moment. We were all roughly the same age, we took turns at bringing back beers for each other, and, at some points, we shared hugs as if we’d known each other our entire lives.

Oasis don’t waste time with political speeches or long, drawn-out anecdotes in between their songs. Instead, Liam cracks jokes by flicking water on his face and blessing himself as if he were at Sunday Mass. With all the bucket-hats and adidas gear on show, Noel chuckles at how “you all wish you were from Manchester, you lot.”

Similarly, in homage to his mother’s hometown in County Mayo, Liam asks the crowd: “Anyone here from Charlestown?” and when a loud cheer goes up, he’s miffed and goes, “Well, you can’t all be! That place only has about 400 people in it!” They’re a rock band, yes, but they certainly know how to make things fun.

And yet when they hit their guitars hard and sing at the top of their lungs, they make you feel like you’re in a different place. And when they slow things down with more mellow numbers, they have you singing along with your own meaning and shining your camera’s flashlight into the night sky.

‘Say it Loud and Sing it Proud…’
While there were many memorable moments on the night, I have a personal grá for when ‘Morning Glory’ came on. Especially when the chorus hit and when the crowd belted out the lyrics of ‘Well .. What’s the Story, Morning Glory,’ the energy and noise must’ve echoed out to so many parts of North and inner-city Dublin.

It almost felt as though the crowd had settled into their surroundings and were more confident, from this point on, to embrace and sing together as one. It set us nicely for when we’d later harmonise together for the likes of ‘Wonderwall’, ‘The Masterplan’, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’.

But, of course, every song was performed with a sense of unity throughout the night. I’ve genuinely never been to, nor seen, a concert where it seemed as though every member of the crowd knew, and could sing along with, every single lyric of every single song throughout the show.

This wasn’t confined to the inside walls of Croke Park either. Outside, the residents were having garden and street parties with their children and neighbours. I’ve been told stories of kids singing along with their parents and grandparents, and even some members of the Gardaí joining together in song.

Other footage would emerge, too. Hundreds of people congregated on Jones’s Road to essentially create a flash-mob choir, which even the overhead DART train slowed down to give its passengers a better look. No other band, in the modern era, could create a sense of unity and togetherness like this one.

‘And After All …’
As they tend to do, good songs will carry you back to a different period or emotion in your life. For me, as a Letterkenny lad, it transported me back to the 1990s days when my older brother and I would have CDs and posters of the band on show around our bedrooms.

When I was in fifth class at Scoil Cholmcille in 1996, we were given a homework task to do a research project on anything we wanted. I chose Oasis and got three gold stars for my efforts, and, yes, I’m still pretty sure my mum and dad caught me singing some of their songs in front of the bedroom mirror more than once.

I remember pre-ordering the ‘Be Here Now’ album in August ‘97 and the excitement of coming home from the music shop to listen. I’d flick through the cover booklet to learn off the lyrics while my buddy down the road, who had Sky TV, would record Oasis videos off the telly when they appeared on the music channels.

The likes of YouTube and Spotify were a long way off, so it really was a different time. But yet, it’s a time that sowed the seeds for what was to grow and become an event that was so very special on the night of Sunday 17th August 2025 at Croke. A night that was, some might say, beyond special.

Noel Gallagher was right. Sometimes, we never forget the way people made us feel.