Noel Gallagher explains why he doesn’t like playing arenas
Noel Gallagher has explained why he finds indoor theatres to be the best type of music venue and his problem with playing arenas.
Later this year, Gallagher along with his High Flying Birds will be touring indoor arenas across the United Kingdom including a date at the OVO Wembley Arena in London. However, the former Oasis man, who formerly routinely played outdoor stadiums with his old band, would rather play intimate theatres and scale the shows back.
When asked by Jessie Ware’s mother Lennie about why he’s not playing at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester during his appearance on the Table Manners podcast, Gallagher bluntly replied, “I’m not popular enough”.
He continued: “My High Flying Birds thing is not stadium-friendly, arenas are my kind of level and I don’t even like doing arenas.”
Gallagher elaborated: “I don’t like them, I prefer theatres, there’s more of a vibe. I think when you’re playing arenas, this is what I think anyway, every time I go to see someone in an arena, they have this larger-than-life thing and interact with the crowd. I’ve literally got nothing to say apart from the music, so I’m better if I’m in a theatre,” he said, adding: “The audience participation thing is yet to reach me. I prefer to let the music do the talking.”
In a four-star review of Gallagher’s new album Council Skies, Far Out wrote: “Gallagher’s latest and most reflective journey was not made in vain. Council Skies is a considered and consummate follow-up to the more psychedelic and adventurous Who Built The Moon?“
“This new record is by no means a work of innovative genius, nor was it intended to be. Gallagher has brought his fans back to the start with a well-structured, well-produced and well-sung discographic entry.”
For the first time in his career, Gallagher missed out on a number one album in the United Kingdom after Council Skies was beaten by Foo Fighters’ latest offering, But Here We Are. He’s previously topped the charts with ten albums.
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