They’re back. And if there was ever any doubt that the Oasis Live ’25 tour would be as much about catharsis as it is about legacy, all it takes is the first song of the first night in Cardiff to make it clear. The riff kicks in hard, Liam Gallagher‘s unmistakable rasp cuts through the air, and the entire arena will respond like there’s no tomorrow. The opening track? Acquiesce.

Choosing Acquiesce to open this historic return is more than a clever move — it’s a statement of intent. It wasn’t typically used to start shows (much less to launch a new era), but there’s something in it that encapsulates everything Oasis was, is, and is trying to be again.

First, the title itself carries weight. To acquiesce is to accept something reluctantly, without protest — to give in not out of victory or defeat, but out of inevitability. A word that pops up in spelling bees and philosophical debates, and that happened to reach Noel Gallagher over the phone in the ’90s while he was stuck for hours on a broken-down train in Wales. He wrote much of the song right then, frozen in time — which feels almost poetic, considering where we are today: back in Wales, decades later, starting again with that very song.

Acquiesce is one of the rare tracks where Liam and Noel share vocals — Liam on the verses, Noel on the choruses. And that matters. It matters because that vocal tension, that back-and-forth between force and surrender, anger and tenderness, is the essence of Oasis. Two brothers who love, hate, tolerate, and complete each other — and who maybe, as the song says, “need each other” and “believe in one another” even when they pretend not to.

Because we need each other
We believe in one another
And I know we’re going to uncover
What’s sleepin’ in our soul

“Acquiesce”, Oasis

The fact that Noel curated the entire setlist for the tour also carries weight. That’s always been his domain: the decisions, the repertoire, the control. But opening with Acquiesce, a song that was never an official single and was relegated to B-side status on Some Might Say — despite many (including Alan McGee) believing it deserved to be a hit — shows he’s speaking directly to the fans. He knows what this song means. And maybe, just maybe, he’s also acknowledging that some things have been dormant too long — like the band itself — and are ready to wake up.

There are lines in the song that sound almost prophetic now, like “I know we’re going to uncover what’s sleepin’ in our soul.” Something is stirring in this comeback. There’s a chance, however small, for healing, for nostalgia that doesn’t wound, for memories that can be revisited without war.

And there’s also humor. Noel often insists the song isn’t about him and Liam, and makes a point of mocking sentimental interpretations: “We’ve never shared a bed — and if I was looking for someone to take me to bed, it wouldn’t be Liam.” But he also knows the myth exists. And playing with that, as he always has, is part of the charm.

Opening with Acquiesce is a nod to the past, but also a challenge to the present. It’s as if they’re telling us: accept it, even if reluctantly — we’re back, and this story, for better or worse, isn’t over.

And judging by the reaction in Cardiff, whatever was sleeping in our souls… is now wide awake.