๐งจ 7 Years Ago Today: Liam Gallagher Set Finsbury Park on Fire ๐ฅ๐ธ
By The Riff Report โ For Those Who Still Live Forever
โThere are no words to describe that crowd tonight in Finsbury Park โฆ I fucking adore every single 1 of you.โ โ Liam Gallagher, Twitter, 29 June 2018
Seven years ago todayโJune 29, 2018โthe rock โnโ roll circus rolled into Finsbury Park, London, and Liam Gallagher stood atop the mountain like a modern-day Mancunian messiah, preaching the gospel of Oasis, parka swagger, and crowd-powered chaos. This wasnโt just a gig. It was a moment. A mad one. A messianic one. A moment that confirmed Liam hadnโt just returnedโhe’d reclaimed his throne.
๐ The Setup: Sunshine, Flare Smoke & Football Chants
It was a proper British summer sizzler. 80,000 fans descended on the green fields of Finsbury Parkโpart gig, part pilgrimage. With World Cup fever in the air (yes, Football Was Coming Home), flares were lit, pints were hurled, bucket hats were worn ironically and unironically at the same time, and strangers became brothers-in-song.
This wasnโt just a comeback gig. It was As You Were gone supernova.
๐ค The Line-up: Like Glastonburyโs Little Brother With More Attitude
Liam couldโve just had some random warm-up bands. But nah, he went full indie-pocalypse:
- Wolf Alice โ fierce, flawless, and absolutely ripping through the opening slot like seasoned headliners.
- DMAโs โ delivering Britpop nostalgia with an Aussie twist.
- Trampolene, The Sherlocks, Dream Wife, Twisted Wheel, Belako โ bringing grit, riffs, and that DIY spirit.
- Loyle Carner โ the calm before the Mancstorm, dropping poetry with poise, pausing to lead a 10,000-strong โITโS COMING HOMEโ chant.
- And thenโout of nowhereโRichard Ashcroft showed up. YES. THAT Richard Ashcroft. The Verve legend. Strumming an acoustic guitar, he blessed the crowd with “Lucky Man”, “The Drugs Donโt Work”, and “Bittersweet Symphony”. Cue: tears, hugs, pint clinks in awe.
๐ฆ Liam Enters: The Parka King Returns
No support act could prepare us for what came next. As the sun dipped behind the trees, a camera followed Liamโs walk to the stage, projected on the big screen like a gritty rock โnโ roll documentary. โI Am the Walrusโ blasted through the PA. You could feel it in your bones.
Then, BOOM. โFkinโ in the Bushesโ** exploded. Liam strolled out like he owned the Earth. And for a few hours, he did.
๐ถ The Setlist of Dreams
Liam didnโt hold back. This was a career-spanning, fan-servicing, heart-thumping masterclass in anthemic defiance:
๐ Openers:
- Rock โnโ Roll Star
- Morning Glory
- Greedy Soul
- Wall of Glass
๐ฅ Middle Mayhem:
- Bold
- For What Itโs Worth
- Some Might Say
- Slide Away
- Whatever
๐งจ Climax Chaos:
- Supersonic (with Boneheadโyes, Bonehead)
- Cigarettes & Alcohol
- Live Forever
๐ค Encore:
- Acoustic โDโYer Wanna Be a Spaceman?โ (First time played live since 1996)
- Wonderwall (Every voice in the park = shattered)
๐ชฉ The Vibe: Unity Through Madness
Letโs not sugarcoat itโthe bar queues were hell, the toilets were questionable, and sound cut-outs got a few jeers. But nobody cared. Because Liam was in his element. The crowd? A beautiful mess of Mancs, Londoners, bucket hats, Stone Island jackets, dads reliving the โ90s, teens discovering them for the first time.
It was scorching, sweaty, and spiritual.
You couldnโt hear the speakers over the chants of:
โLIAM! LIAM! LIAM! LIAM!โ
You couldnโt see the stage for the flares.
You couldnโt walk five feet without hearing someone scream โLive Foreverโ into the sky like it was a war cry.
๐ The Aftershock
This was the gig that proved Liam wasnโt just riding Oasis nostalgiaโhe was carving his own path, armed with killer solo tunes and that unbeatable stage presence. It also set a standard. When fans today say โRemember Finsbury Park?โโthey say it the way older heads say โRemember Knebworth?โ
Finsbury was Liamโs Knebworth. And if you were there, you know.
๐ฃ Were You There?
Drop your memories in the comments. What song hit hardest? Did you cry during “Spaceman?” Did someone throw you on their shoulders during โWonderwall?โ Was your mate one of the ones setting off a flare and disappearing into the crowd?
And to those who missed itโฆ
You missed a once-in-a-generation gig. But hey, at least youโve got this blog post to cry into.
๐งฅ โAs You Were,โ and Always Will Be
Seven years on, Finsbury Park remains one of the defining moments in Liam Gallagherโs solo career. And for those 80,000 souls, itโll never just be a memoryโitโll be a badge of honour.
Rock โnโ Roll isnโt dead. It just wears a parka and refuses to apologise.
