It was a massive weekend for rock! After what seemed like forever, Oasis returned to the stage for a two-night stand in Cardiff at the Principality Stadium in the UK.

“This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Can we have the arena lights down 60 percent, please?” the voice in the PA blared as the arena intensity went up a notch. The words “This is it! This is happening!” flashed in gigantic fonts on the screen in sync with the lights, as the silhouette of the band that had just taken the stage was still etched in shadows.

Fever pitch intensity is reached as the unmistakable chords to the opening of “Hello” reverberate in the stadium. Liam in his anorak, Noel in his denim shirt sporting one of his many Gibson guitars, Bonehead in his old job, alongside Andy Bell on bass, Gem Archer on guitars, with Joey Waronker completing the lineup on drums. “Hello, hello, it’s good to be back, good to be back!” went the chorus, an apt reminder for the importance of the moment: Rock and roll dreams do come true, and tens of thousands dreamt up and waited for this moment.

Oasis is back, you wankers!

“Acquiesce” came on as Liam goes, “I don’t know what it is that makes me feel alive, I don’t know how to wake the things that sleep inside / I only wanna see the light that shines behind your eyes.” And Noel answers back in the chorus: “because we need each other, we believe in one another / And I know we’re going to uncover what's sleepin’ in our soul.”

“Yes beautiful people, it’s been too long!” Liam said as the crowd noise was cut immediately by the air raid siren-like riff of “Morning Glory” came on. I imagine the air being electric at the stadium every time Oasis brought out the classics one by one: “Cigarettes And Alcohol,” “Supersonic,” and “Stand By Me,” to name some.

So I want to stop for a moment and appreciate the fact that, though the whole Atlantic Ocean is separating the US, where I’m situated, and Cardiff in the UK, where everything is happening, I can still share in the excitement of an Oasis concert. I thank communications technology for the high-quality camera used by the bloke who recorded the whole show on his cellphone and for posting the whole thing on YouTube, where I’m watching now.

We didn’t have this technology back in ‘95, the first time I heard Oasis. But I remember buying the album “What’s The Story Morning Glory” the same year, and I remember feeling electric as songs like “Some Might Say,” “Roll With It” and “Wonderwall” came out of the boombox. There was a feeling of newness and belonging that I felt, as if I were participating in an important moment. I didn’t know it then, but the feeling probably had something to do with the fact that Oasis would go on to become a globally recognized band, thanks to the same songs I was listening to at the time. All that vibe gleaned from a rock album! Fast forward to 2025, I’m watching Oasis on a small screen, while the internet is still abuzz because of this rock band, and maybe you can understand why I wax poetic about a comeback concert.

Also, because this is Oasis we’re talking about here. Inarguably, the biggest of the Britpop bands of them all. And because of them, Rock and Roll just had a moment once again.