If you havent seen Oasis live, you dont know what youre missing. Sure, Liam stands in one spot staring upwards into the mic with his head raised towards the sky. Oasis isnt about dancing around onstage or some giant pyrotechnics. Theyre about rocking. Rocking the way the Stones did, rocking like all those monster bands from the 70s did. They didnt need a parade for you to know you just got your doors blown off.
Familiar To Millions was recorded in Wembley Stadium in Great Britain with seventy thousand fans there to see their national pride, Oasis. The highlights come when the crowd sings the chorus in unison on “Roll With It”, “Stand By Me”, and “Dont Look Back In Anger”.
What might be just as fun is the banter among Liam, Noel, the crowd, and who knows who else. Theres Liams cursing and some almost inaudible puzzlement where he announces before “Live Forever” that, “This is the last song we’ll play.” Hearing Noel ask “Did he say it was the last one?” is priceless.
There are a few special pieces, such as the cover songs: Neil Youngs “Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)” and the Beatles “Helter Skelter”. When I saw Oasis, they covered “I Am The Walrus” and “Octopus’s Garden”. The flavor that Oasis adds to their covers proves to be worthy of a record alone. However, the only things missing here are a few tracks that rarely get the acclaim they deserve: “Whatever”, “Round Our Way”, and “Flashbax”. Those tracks are only found on UK singles, all worth knowing and owning.
Although some will just never like Oasis, complaining about their egos and Liams voice that seemingly comes straight out of his nose, its hard to deny the power of this band once they take the stage. Seeing them about six years ago, I said then that it was the best show Id ever seen. That still holds true today. Whether this album captures that, Id say not, but its the closest you may ever get if youve never seen them for yourself.
+ charlie craine
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