The show Noel Gallagher called “the greatest of all time”
Every rock and roll band knows the power that comes with being onstage. While going into the studio and spending hours crafting masterpieces may sound enticing, no artist can appreciate the fruits of their labour until they put those songs on for a paying audience, as everyone in the crowd feeds off the sounds emanating from the stage. Although Noel Gallagher can claim to have some of the most successful concerts under his belt, he thought that one of the best shows he ever went to came before he was famous.
For a short while, it looked like Noel would be working on live sound for the rest of his life. Despite being known for writing songs and occasionally making demos, he would get his first gigs as a roadie, slugging gear for the indie band Inspiral Carpets alongside future Oasis soundman Mark Coyle.
After coming off a tour with the indie favourites, Noel would find his calling when asked to play guitar in his brother Liam’s new band, temporarily titled The Rain. While the band were still relatively small in the local Manchester scene, Noel wanted to write songs that would fill arenas full of people, keeping everything straightforward with a distinct rock and roll swagger on tracks like ‘Live Forever’.
Even though Noel wore most of his classic rock influences like Neil Young and The Beatles on his sleeve, one of his musical heroes also reinvented themselves as he sweated it out in a rehearsal studio. Coming off of their massive success in the 1980s, U2 had started to completely change their sound going into the album Achtung Baby, immersing themselves in post-modern irony and playing up a parody of how rock stars were supposed to be.
While everyone else in Manchester never had time for the Irish rock legends, Noel was proud to represent his love for the band, buying Achtung Baby on release day and commending the band for taking risks on every album since then. Even though Noel would get to perform with the band later in his career, he still stood one gig as the best rock and roll show he ever saw.
Featuring an eclectic lineup of acts, Noel was stunned when seeing the 1990s version of the band, saying, “I’d seen them on that [ZooTV] tour, and the bill was that day, and this is no word of a lie, Public Enemy, Kraftwerk, and U2—the greatest gig of all time. I remember there was a DVD, and I used to watch it when I was a roadie, and they used to take the piss. But it blew me away”.
That would only be the beginning of U2’s various ventures on the live stage. Throughout their career as a live band, they have always tried to push the boundaries of every show they’ve played, turning their performances into a spectacle that borders on a spiritual experience for both the band and everyone in attendance.
Then again, Noel wasn’t looking to compete with the likes of that stage presence, usually performing with Oasis with a minimal backdrop and letting his music do the talking. Perhaps he thought the songs were strong enough to keep the audience invested, or perhaps he knew not to try to come close to U2’s take on rock and roll.
