Why do they do it?
The short answer: Oasis is in it for the money. The slightly longer answer: They're in it for a shitload of money. If they toured for a couple of years, Liam and Noel Gallagher could take home over €250 million, which is about as much as other stars have made recently from stadium tours. That would come in handy for Noel, whose divorce from Sara MacDonald is reportedly costing him something like €22 million, on top of their €8 million home. There could actually be a number of reasons behind the decision to say yes to the reunion, but the cost of the divorce could be a big one. As for Liam, he's said a thousand times that he wants to get Oasis back together. He didn't need a nudge.
So do they talk to each other?
Oasis' history ended badly in 2009, when the two almost came to blows backstage at a festival in France. They have since cut ties and started communicating through the press, with scathing comments about each other. When last year Rolling asked him about a possible reunion, Noel said he wasn’t talking to his brother. “He likes to paint himself as Puss in Boots from Shrek, with those big fucking eyes full of tears: ‘I want to do this for you fans, I love you.’ So call me, damn it. But he hasn’t called me. And until he does, we’re not going anywhere.”
So have they spoken? Was the reunion set up by managers and lawyers? Will they speak before rehearsals? And at rehearsals? Will it be a Van Halen or Journey type situation where the musicians go on tour together even though they hate each other and don't hang out on stage? Or is it like the Black Crowes, another band with two quarrelsome brothers who sat down and ironed out the issues? We'll see.
Who will play the guitar?
Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs was the guitarist for Oasis from the time they formed until 1999. He was replaced for a decade until 2009 by Gem Archer. Bonehead fills the role in Liam’s band, Archer is in Noel’s High Flying Birds. The role of guitarist may have been (or may have been) a touchy negotiation ahead of the tour. Oasis fans are fond of Bonehead because he’s part of the original lineup, but Archer is more familiar with the back catalogue. When Springsteen reunited the E Street Band in 1999, he solved a similar dilemma by bringing in both Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, who had played guitar at different stages of the band. But do Oasis need all three guitarists (counting Noel, of course)? What would it sound like? It’s a tricky question, and there are no easy answers.
Who will be the drummer?
Oasis has had many drummers over the course of nearly two decades. They started with Tony McCarroll, who left in 1995 and sued the band over royalties. Noel said he was simply not good enough. So it's unlikely they'll choose him. Andy “Whitey” White played with them from 1995 to 2004, when he was asked to leave for reasons that were never fully clarified. He was replaced by Zak Starkey, who quit in 2008 to return to play with The Who. The latest line-up was Chris Sharrock, who many fans would like White, but Sharrock is the drummer for Noel's High Flying Birds and so is the most likely choice. Are you willing to bet he'll be the drummer?
How long will they last this time?
There are different types of mega-bands that get back together. Pink Floyd could only tolerate each other for 24 minutes at Live 8 in 2005. Led Zeppelin were able to play an entire concert in 2007 before Robert Plant dropped out when they were talking about going on tour. Guns N' Roses, on the other hand, have essentially never stopped since their 2016 reunion (and made a fortune doing so). Oasis may tour in 2025 (they announced the European dates and the will to do more after the summer, but outside Europe, ed.) and drop everything with a nice little nest egg. Or carry on for another year. Or, do like the Pixies and never give up. Chances are they don't even know it today.
Will they make a new album?
Most great bands that get back together don't bother making a new album or, like Guns N' Roses, endlessly announce it but never release it. Oasis certainly don't need new songs to sell tickets. They've got enough classics to fill stadiums from now until the end of time. But Noel Gallagher is a prolific songwriter and might not be happy with the idea of turning Oasis into a nostalgia machine. If that were the case, we might be hearing the band's first album from Dig Out Your Soul of 2008. Until a few months ago it was simply unimaginable, just as it was difficult to predict the tour they have just announced. But we will only believe it when we see them go on stage together on the first night.
From Rolling Stone US.