“Hello Australia.” “Did you miss us?” Oasis begins its Australian tour with an exhilarating show | oasis

TThe first time Oasis played a show in Australia in 1998, controversies accumulated to the point that some journalists speculated it was a media strategy. Liam was hit with a lifetime ban from Cathay Pacific due to the band’s alleged bad behavior during the flight. (The ban was imposed when Liam told an Australian reporter: “I don’t care about flying… I’d rather walk.”) Noel faced hot water over comments he made about Princess Diana, and Liam was then taken before the Brisbane District Court and charged with assault after he headbutted a fan who wanted to take a photo of him. The fan dropped the charges, although Liam later described the alleged headbutt as “justice”, adding: “The weird guy put a camera in my face and I told him not to do it.”

But unlike the hand-wringing machine, Australian fans seemed happy with it all. The Gallaghers’ always tense, cheerful bluster is played very well here, as is the drama of their on-and-off relationship. And the music too, of course: both What’s the Story (Morning Glory)? Wonderwall went to number one in 1995, while in 2013, Triple J listeners voted Wonderwall the best song of the last 20 years. The affection remained even after Noel joined Triple J and said: “You need us more than we need you. Your lives and the people who listen to your radio station and listen to Radiohead and Blur and Robby Williams – your lives would be less without me and without my brother and it’s that simple.”

But at Marvel Stadium on Friday night, the first of five Australian shows for Oasis on their world reunion tour, it was clear that some of the country’s warm feelings had returned as Liam and Noel emerged to deafening screams, hands clasped above their heads.

“Hello Australia,” Liam said. “Did you miss us? Because we missed you.”

It was noticeable how many people in the Melbourne crowd looked to be in their 20s and 30s, fans who never had the chance to see Oasis the first time around.

“I never thought this would happen,” Liam (another person) told The Guardian, at the show with his friend – also called Liam. “We always talked about it, but we said no, it would never happen. I’ve seen Noel and Liam separately but I’m too young to see Oasis, so this is pretty cool.”

Another Liam added: “I have relatives in Manchester who couldn’t get tickets and now I’m going here so they hate me.”

Ali and Anna, both 28, grew up on Oasis because their parents were fans – but unlike the others, they bought tickets the night before. “I followed all the drama around dynamic pricing in the UK and how people were paying exorbitant prices – I didn’t want to pay $400 for a ticket, that’s crazy,” says Anna. “So we bought them for $115 last night.”

Compare that with Sharon, the British-Australian who last saw the Oasis in 1998; She was scheduled to go to their last concert before their split, in 2009, but was unable to get a babysitter and skipped the show.

“I’ve waited 27 years to see them again,” she says. “I’m ecstatic. I told my husband, if they get back together, I don’t care what it costs me. When it was announced last year, I even booked accommodation in London but couldn’t get tickets. But then they came here.”

“I’m glad they weren’t so divided and divisive before they got here,” Kerry adds. She’s also a long-time fan — but there’s not enough of one person to hand out the goods: “Seventy dollars for a bucket hat seems like a lot.”

But bucket hats were in full force, as were parkas and Adidas gear, regardless of the temperatures. “They said come to Australia,” said a very sweaty Liam at the end, pulling his signature coat off his neck. “Don’t bring your mate’s jacket, it’ll get too roasted.”

Oasis now has 32 shows on a 41-concert world tour, but by all accounts they looked polished from the start. There are no signs of the old craziness that was disrupting their shows, when Liam was brawling with the audience – although he still stalked the stage like he was fighting, albeit while holding a maraca. Instead, the mood was cheerful and mischievous. The smell of weed and beer hung in the air all night, and during the champagne rage, someone lit a flare. “Naughty, naughty, naughty,” Liam said.

The Gallaghers seem to have toned down their friendship in their 50s. At the end of a loud rendition of “Don’t Look Back When You’re Angry” from the audience, Noel jumped back on the microphone to taunt: “Ann-gah? What the hell is ann-gah?” Meanwhile, Liam questioned Australia’s drug habits (“Still snorting cocaine? You’ll get rid of it”) and then dedicated Bring It On Down to “classic glue sniffers”.

But all good things must come to an end. “I’m a princess these days, and I need to go to bed,” Liam announced. His signature was rather sweet, as Gallagher says: “Listen, sweetheart, for putting up with us over the years. We appreciate it, and we love you so much.”

At their first reunion show, in Cardiff in July, the audience cheered as the brothers left with “a very routine clap on the back”; After four months of travel, the brothers are now ready for a full embrace. Who knows – Sharon may not need to wait another 27 years to see the oasis again.