Liam Gallagher (w/ The Charlatans) Makes a Biblical Return to Manchester [Photos]

Even though we had a summer of live music (of sorts) last year, after the end of pandemic restrictions for live events, it feels like this year we’re finally seeing the proper return of live events with the likes of Green Day, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Harry Styles all headlining massive outdoor stadium shows across the UK in the coming weeks. That being said, there can be no bigger show this year than the return of Manchester indie legend Liam Gallagher to his home city for a massive night at the Etihad Stadium, home of his beloved Manchester City.

Sadly, we missed opening act Goat Girl, so our first foray into the cavernous Etihad Stadium is for the return of another indie favourite, The Charlatans, another key name from the heydays of the Brit indie explosion. Casual and laid back, frontman Tim Burgess and the group take to the stage with the minimum of fanfare and treat this rapidly filling venue to a wealth of classics from their set. Following a few quick pleasantries, the band kicks off their twelve-song set with “Weirdo” before rummaging around in their back catalogue to pull out the likes of “Can’t Get You Out Of Bed” and “The Only One I Know.” Throughout their set, the blonde-haired frontman was grinning from ear-to-ear almost matching the smiles of the fans who are bouncing around like they were back in the ’90s.

Prior to Liam Gallagher making his entrance, huge screens flash up words like “Godlike,” “Biblical,” “Icon,” and “Legend” before the sounds of “Championes” ring out from the stage in recognition of Manchester City’s recent Premier League title win. Obviously, there could be no other way for Liam to make his entrance with huge video screens showing the Mancunian kissing his partner on the cheek before striding out to the kind of welcome reserved for heroes.

Opening with the triple Oasis treat of “Hello,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” and “Morning Glory,” as those video screens flashed up ten minutes prior, there can be no other way to describe the start of this show other than “Biblical.” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” a staple of Gallagher’s set nowadays, was dedicated to his close friend (occasional bandmate) and former Oasis bandmate, Bonehead, who is currently going through a battle with cancer. It’s a moving moment from Gallagher and greeted with huge cheers from the thousands of fans in front of him.

Now in his element, Gallagher treats fans to a few choice cuts from his impressive solo work including “Wall of Glass,” “Why Me? Why Not,” and “Everything Electric” wrapping up the five solo tracks with a rendition of recent single “Better Days,” the track on which Gallagher was joined by rock superstar Dave Grohl. Despite the set following a familiar pattern for his fans, Liam still had a few surprises up his sleeve including the first performance of Oasis track “Roll It Over” and the live debut of “More Power.” More solo material in the form of “C’mon You Know,” “Diamond in the Dark” and “The River” before wrapping up an absolutely unforgettable main set with “Once.”

What followed was nothing short of iconic as the man responsible for some of the most genre-defining songs of this crowd’s era returned to perform six absolute classics. Starting with “Some Might Say,” Liam’s Manchester faithful were treated to five more offerings from the Oasis days with “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” “Supersonic,” “Wonderwall” and “Live Forever” taking this entire crowd back to their youth before an epic “Champagne Supernova” ended a night that, in his own words at the start of the gig, was nothing short of “Godlike,” “Biblical” and “Iconic.”

Liam Gallagher Setlist:

1. Hello
2. Rock ’n’ Roll Star
3. Morning Glory
4. Wall of Glass
5. Shockwave
6. Why Me? Why Not.
7. Everything’s Electric
8. Better Days
9. Stand by Me
10. Roll It Over
11. Slide Away
12. More Power
13. C’mon You Know
14. Diamond in the Dark
15. The River
16. Once
Encore:
17. Some Might Say
18. Cigarettes & Alcohol
19. Supersonic
20. Wonderwall
21. Live Forever
Encore 2:
22. Champagne Supernova