Oasis Halts MetLife Set to Dedicate Live Forever to Minneapolis Shooting Victims
I am Riley Carter, and Oasis paused their MetLife Stadium show on Sunday in East Rutherford to dedicate Live Forever to victims of the Minneapolis school and church shooting.
Cool heads, loud guitars, big feelings. Let’s get into it without trying too hard.
Midway through a wall-to-wall greatest hits set, Liam Gallagher stepped to the mic and turned the stadium’s roar into a hush. “I want to dedicate this next tune to the kiddies of Minneapolis, Live Forever,” the 52-year-old frontman told the crowd, spotlighting an unthinkable tragedy that unfolded on August 27 at the Church of Annunciation in Minneapolis. Authorities say Robin Westman opened fire during a church event, killing two children and injuring 18 parishioners before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot. According to reporting, Westman had reportedly scoped the building in advance and timed the attack when children would be present without parents. The dedication was brief, simple, and it landed with the kind of gravity only a crowd of tens of thousands can hold.
From there, Oasis kept the energy pulsing through their reunion tour stop, which marked their return to New Jersey for the first time since 2008 and the first of two back-to-back MetLife dates. Cage the Elephant warmed up the stage earlier in the night, then Liam and Noel Gallagher rolled out a setlist packed with sing-along staples. As Liam readied the power ballad Stand by Me, he flashed the familiar smirk and told fans, “Gonna need your help in the choruses,” a crowd-participation moment that, as Billboard noted, turned the 1997 single into a full-stadium chorus.
The banter did not stop there. Before Slide Away, Liam saluted “the lovebirds,” then joked that the audience was safe from any “Coldplay cameras,” a cheeky nod to the viral controversy that flared around a concertgoer at a Coldplay show in July. It was the classic Gallagher blend of sentiment and side-eye, fast enough to keep you on your toes and warm enough to feel welcome.
Noel got his own moment to stir the pot during the encore with The Masterplan. He asked who had never seen Oasis before, and after hands shot up, he told them, “You might’ve wondered what it might be like to sing this next song with 60, 70,000 of your fellow Oasis fans.” Then came the sweet promise: “Well, you’re going to find out what that feeling is like.” It was a victory-lap moment that fit the night’s tone, equal parts communal and triumphant.
Fireworks crowned the finale, painting the sky over MetLife and closing a set that doubled as a reminder of why this band still draws stadiums. The reunion itself is a headline. Liam, 52, and Noel, 58, set aside their long public feud that led to Oasis’ breakup in 2009. Their July show in Cardiff, Wales, marked the first time the brothers shared a stage together in 16 years, a milestone that energized old fans and converted some skeptics. The tour launched July 4 in the UK and spans 41 dates, with the last show slated for November 23 in São Paulo, Brazil. Industry watchers told The New York Post that the brothers are projected to net at least 200 million dollars from the run thanks to a heavyweight deal with Live Nation, which tracks given the pace of sellouts and the global appetite for nostalgia done right.
Sunday’s New Jersey appearance carried extra resonance. It was not just about the hits or the brothers playing nice. It was about using the moment to look outward, to acknowledge loss a thousand miles away and offer a song that has outlived every chart cycle it ever touched. Live Forever remains Oasis’ 1994 calling card, a Britpop anthem that feels both defiant and tender. In a night built for celebration, dedicating that song to Minneapolis gave the party a conscience.
If you missed night one, there is still the second MetLife show and an entire tour horizon filled with Wonderwall moments and savvy setlist switches. Keep an eye on the fan cams for that crowd-swell during Stand by Me and the encore singalong that Noel tees up like a pro. And yes, listen for the off-the-cuff Gallagher quips, because the banter is half the ticket. For the record, the big-picture facts align with what Billboard documented from the stage and what The New York Post reported about the tour’s scope, timeline, and eye-popping payday.
Oasis came to rock a stadium and still made space for empathy. That balance is not easy, and it is why this reunion already feels bigger than a nostalgia cash-in. As the lights faded and the fireworks drifted, the dedication lingered. Anyway, that is the update. Bookmark this tour, because the next stop could bring another moment everyone will be talking about.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and The New York Post
Billboard
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