I was adamant. Absolutely resolute. I've spoken about it, written about it, bored my friends to death across pub tables about it: there is no way on earth that I would like to see my favourite band of all time, The Smiths, getting back together. Morrissey and Johnny Marr hate each other. The late, great bassist Andy Rourke is sadly no longer with us. The royalties rift from the 1990s undoubtedly still lingers. It wouldn’t work. It simply wouldn’t work. In any case, it’s not worth risking that incredible legacy for a run of gigs, especially if they weren’t for the right reasons. Yet still… I awoke in a haze of possibility last Sunday morning, after witnessing one of the best live events I’ve ever seen, thinking 'Imagine if….?’
The reasons that Oasis were so sensational at Croke Park were manifold: nostalgia undoubtedly played a part, they still sound great and the setlist was spot-on. But it was more than that. The energy of the crowd, so collectively delighted that they were there after a hard-won battle for tickets, made for a genuinely special, once-in-a-lifetime kind of gig. For once, the hype machine had it bang-on.
There was also the delight of seeing Noel and Liam, whose fifteen-year-long feud involved the trading of insults like ‘tofu boy’ and ‘potato’ (Liam on Noel) and ‘rude, arrogant, intimidating and lazy’ (Noel on Liam), finally putting aside their differences for the greater good. Cynics have argued that their show of unity is a sham, but from where I was standing - admittedly not that close to the stage - it seemed genuine. They both seemed to sincerely revel in the firepower that their music still holds. How else could they persuade 80,000 people to throw their arms around strangers and do the Poznan to Cigarettes & Alcohol, or make grown men and women weep with Slide Away?
I never thought I'd say it, but something has changed for me since seeing Oasis.
Morrissey and Marr have traded similar barbs as recently as last year, and in 2022 the former accused his former creative foil of repeatedly using his name in interviews for ‘clickbait’. The guitarist responded with a scathing tweet comparing him to Trump. There has clearly been no thawing of that lengthy feud since - even if Johnny Marr revealed in his memoir that they had discussed the very real prospect of a reunion in 2008. But what if they were to find a way around their differences? Marr was spotted at Oasis’s recent Wembley gig; might Noel, who is friends with both he and Morrissey, potentially act as a peacemaker? A man coming from first-hand experience of dealing with a difficult bandmate, who has seen how bridges can be mended and the dazzling sense of elation that can bring to fans?
Of course, any such reunion wouldn’t be at Croke Park, obviously; The Smiths were never a stadium band. But multiple nights at the 3Arena? Wembley Arena? The Manchester Arena? There’s no question that devoted fans are ready and waiting. Only last month, I watched brilliant Smiths tribute band These Charming Men play to a jam-packed, adoring tent at the recent Forest Fest. It brought to mind Oasis fervour; the sheer collective joy of celebrating a beloved band in a live forum.
Ah, look. I’m getting too far ahead of myself here. Allowing myself to hope. It’ll never happen. Besides, there are other reunions to focus on; I would give my left arm to see REM back together again and possibly sell a kidney for an ABBA gig. I never saw Daft Punk live before their 2021 split, either, so I would love to remedy that. Talking Heads? They’re about as likely as some version of The Smiths to reform - but it’s the hope that kills you, as they say.
I never thought I’d say it, but something has changed for me since seeing Oasis. Last year, Noel summed it up perfectly when he said "People will never forget the way you made them feel. I’ll never forget how The La’s or The Stone Roses made me feel. You can’t go back to 1995 because things cannot be the same - parents grow old, your cat dies, things rust - but the feeling remains and there is something beautiful in that." Take note, Messrs. Marr and Morrissey.
