And so arguably the most strife-ridden tour in recent rock'n'roll history finally lurched to an end. The fact that this souvenir live album has emerged is in some ways nothing short of a minor miracle. But here it is, captured on a balmy Friday night at Wembley Stadium with Liam giving it plenty of vocal when he's not singing. "You should write more of these" he sneers at Noel during the opening bars of 'Supersonic'. On the evidence here, in a lot of ways it's hard to argue with him.
There's no doubt that the arrival of Messrs Archer and Bell perked up the sagging Oasis live experience. However, based on purely aural evidence, there's a lot of noodling solos and bass runs that dampen the impact of classics like 'Acquiese'. That said, the moment when 'Gas Panic' suddenly sprints into top gear amid showers of white noise is truly thrilling. However, that joy is tempered by the (still) naff 'Roll With It'.
The set itself is heavy on the old school and rightly so. While 'Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' may have papered over the cracks in the band's studio armoury, live 'Go Let It Out' and 'Who Feels Love' merely sound lumpen, as does 'Stand By Me', the sole survivor from 'Be Here Now'.
By contrast, 'Supersonic' is possessed of a vim and vigour and fairly zips along while Noel's solo 'Step Out' sees the guitars cranked to 11. The second half is pure greatest hits with soaring versions of 'Live Forever' and a mean'n'moody 'Rock'n'Roll Star'. However, their cover of Neil Young's 'Hey Hey, My My' sits rather incongruously in the midst of the singalongs.
It all ends with a fiery rendition of 'Helter Skelter' from Milwaukee earlier in the year, which is a nice bonus for the fans and is a reminder again (as if it were needed) of where the Fab Five draw their inspiration. To sum up, the patient is still alive and kicking but needs to cut down on the stodge.
