I hate when the weather changes.

I hate when time changes.

Do I like any changes?

Chord changes!

Seeing Oasis live was incredible.  They've been my favourite band since '96 when I first heard (What's the Story) Morning Glory?  I saw the video for Don't Look Back in Anger, and that was it.  Who are these Beatle-looking guys?  What an awesome guitar solo.  What an awesome drumfill to end the guitar solo.  What a cool accent.  What an anthemic chorus.

I've had other favourite bands along the way...Led Zeppelin, the Beatles, etc.  Oasis are different.  They are my generation's band.  They are my band.  All those other bands were years ago...Oasis always felt different because they started in my lifetime.  There weren't older folks or more musically knowledgeable folks recommending me to them.  There were no preconceived notions of them; no reviews telling me which albums were the best, or where they took a wrong turn, or where there was a bland album track.  They came, no cliches attached.

They haven't been to North Carolina since they came to Chapel Hill at the time of Morning Glory, and I was hardly of concert-going age back then.  Two shows have been scheduled for Charlotte on tours since, but both were cancelled.  Since, they've been playing a Washington DC area show and an Atlanta show about every tour.  With the new album that came out earlier this year, I knew I couldn't pass them up yet again.  I bought tickets for the Atlanta show seven months in advance.  Eight hour drive, and it cost a load in gas, but none of that matters.

The seats were pretty good.  My brother and I were constantly standing up on the chairs to get better pictures; I walked down closer to get some; once we even found ourselves in the very front seating area which you're supposed to show your ticket to get into.  Somehow we slipped through on accident on the way to the t-shirt stand while the stage was being set up.  It's a shame I didn't realize it until we had walked out of it.

The set was composed entirely of songs from the new album and the first two albums...Noel isn't a big fan of the third and fourth albums, unfortunately.  The fifth (2002) was being played some earlier in the tour, but not now.   It was so cool to hear all these songs I rock out to constantly being played by the band in front of my face.  Wonderwall, Morning Glory, Live Forever...every song has its place in my own life and experiences.

They played Champagne Supernova, and it was magic.  I got chills, especially on the guitar solo.  I think I even shed a tear.  I thought the crowd might be there mostly to see Jet, one of the opening bands, but I was wrong.  The place didn't pack out until Oasis were setting up the stage.  The crowd was very responsive.  It seemed like everyone know every word, even to the new songs.  But everyone in the place was singing Champagne Supernova, Don't Look Back in Anger, and Wonderwall to the top of their lungs.

Don't Look Back in Anger, probably my other favourite song of all time, was equally magical, with its own awesome, chilling guitar solo as well.

Liam and Noel were quite funny; first dedicating a song to "all the crackheads...and midgets."  Then Liam had quite a time making fun of the sound man who apparently wasn't doing a good job.  He walked off at the end of Wonderwall to fuss at him while Noel finished singing the song on his own.  Later he got back at him again, mocking him with a hand puppet in the encore in a high, cartoonish voice - "blah blah blah blah."  Gem was much more animated than I expected...swinging his guitar around, lifting it up, and just generally was having a great time.  Oasis with its prior lineup was known for its lack of movement onstage.  "What am I - a monkey?  No, I'm a rock star."

One of the best nights of my life.