This spectacular looking Wembley stadium concert begins with "F***in' in the Bushes" blaring over the PA system as the band takes the stage. It was still light out through the first half of the concert, so you did not really get the full magnitude of their stage show just yet. The band launches into "Go Let It Out", to get things started and wisely stick to songs mostly from their first two albums for the rest of the show. Liam is obviously a drunken, mess during this show, and he barely manages to slur and stumble his was through a half-assed performance. His between song banter with the audience consists primarily of "fookin" this, and "fookin" that - you know, the usual charming small talk. Who knows, he could have been giving some brilliant anti-war speech, or providing the formula for the cure for cancer, but you would never have known, because it sure is hell wasn't English this bloke was speaking. Holy shit, them Gallagher boys have one thick accent. And I even spent three years in the Scotland! Talk about your unintelligible accents.
Anyways, the overall performance was a huge disappointment for me. Liam's vocals were horrendous sounding throughout most of the concert, and he looked like he didn't even want to be up there. He's got this "I'm so cool" style of leaning into the microphone with his hands held behind his back, the whole time he sings. Noel made a valiant attempt to keep things from falling apart, and put on a good show for the 70,000 rabid fans in attendance, but his annoyance with his brother seemed overwhelming at times. There were a few notably good performances, that even weak vocals couldn't ruin. "Hey Hey My My", featured Noel handling the lead vocals on this Neil Young classic, and was played back to back with "Champaign Supernova", their psychedelic, powerhouse anthem, which featured some of Noel's tastiest guitar work. Too bad this was all at the end of the concert.
To make matters worse, the Dolby 5.0 surround audio track sounded absolutely terrible. The volume level was extremely low, there was virtually no instrument separation, and everything was drenched in tons of echo and reverb. It literally sounded as if you were listening to the concert from the stadium parking lot. Using the PCM stereo option provided a slight improvement in the overall sound, but then you totally lost any type of stadium concert vibe, which ruined it. The video quality was decent, but the picture was not very sharp. The Oasis stage show was mammoth, and provided a very exciting a magnificent looking experience for those in attendance. This was captured brilliantly by the camera crew using wide-angle shots from above the stadium, and swooping down in front of the stage. The camera angle changes came way too quick though, as the director tried too hard to capture everything that was going on in the stadium, at the same time. The director often used various blurry, colorful, psychedelic effects, during many of the songs, which were handled well enough as not to be too distracting. Those who were tripping on acid probably didn't appreciate it too much though.
Article comments
1 - Lono
I don't know about the DVD, but I have the CD and I was rather disappointed by it. I have seen them live and they are dynamic and powerful and great. However, they come across as simply sloppy to me on the audio only.
2 - alienboy
To my taste, Oasis are one of the greatest Art crimes of the 20th Century. They have never created anything unique or powerful or beautiful, simply recycled other people's work and passed it off as creative.
Rock music has been less interesting since this recycled sludge became "popular".
And don't even get me started on how Creation Records has been the most cynically titled companies of all time. Practically every group on the label is derivative, dated and depressing. What an awful company.
3 - Aaron, Duke De Mondo
i quite enjoyed Familiar To Millions, although i see where you're coming from with the whole "sloppy" tomfoolery. Certainly there are better live DVD's out there. Like the Earls Court one, but i can't remember what it's called...
4 - DJRadiohead
The other DVDs are better. This set felt more like a contractual obligation than an inspired release. They have always been a spotty live act: capable of brilliance one night and utter shit the next.
I also think part of the problem is this release comes on the heels of two of Oasis' most disappointing albums ("Be Here Now" and "SOTSOG").
5 - Paul Roy
I will give these guys another chance since I do really enjoy some of their music. Hopefully their other concert DVDs such as "Then and There" or "Live by the Sea" are a little better than this one. These performances are a few years older, back when the albums were better, and they were probably a little less full of themselves.
6 - will
Oasis rock and I have both the dvd and cd. I find the antics both enertaining and often deliberate. These boys have made a lot of cash and sold many an album. They don't pretend to be the Beatles but do publicly wish they were! There is nothing wrong with that. If you want a true guage of a live show on film, look at the audience. I think you will find one raucous crowd. Nothing more needs to be said. Thanks for allowing me to write here.
7 - loz
fookin amazing dvd!!! liam and noel are the ultimate rok n roll stars who dont give a sh*t!! and quite right they shouldnt!