The Be Here Now World Tour was a world
concert tour
A concert tour (or simply tour) is a series of concerts by an artist or group of artists in different cities, countries or locations. Often concert tours are named to differentiate different tours by the same artist and to associate a specific to ...
by English
rock band Oasis in support of their third album ''
Be Here Now''. The tour, which spanned the UK, Europe, North America, Asia, Oceania, and Latin America, included 85 shows over a period of several months in 1997 and 1998. The tour started on 14 June 1997 in support of
U2 at the
KROQ Weenie Roast
KROQ Weenie Roast is a multi-artist music concert, presented annually in May by the Los Angeles, California, modern rock radio station KROQ-FM. Since its beginning in 1993, it has been traditionally held on a Saturday in May or June, but due to th ...
in
Irvine, California
Irvine () is a master-planned city in South Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the 1960s and the city was formally incorporated on December 28, 197 ...
, United States, and ended on 25 March 1998 at the Sports Palace in Mexico City, Mexico. With most shows being played during the autumn and winter months, a majority of the concerts were staged at indoor arenas and halls, in contrast to the larger outdoor venues typically featured on Oasis' summer tours.
Many performances were audio recorded by either broadcast media or concert attendees and have since been made available on various file-sharing outlets and fan web sites. A handful of performances were also carried by various television outlets throughout the world, including the 14 December concert at the
G-Mex
Manchester Central Convention Complex (commonly known as Manchester Central or GMEX (Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre)) is an exhibition and conference centre converted from the former Manchester Central railway station in Manchester, Engl ...
in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, England.
Fueled partly by worldwide stardom and drug use, the tour and corresponding album became "infamous" for the amount of excess and spectacle they provided. Accordingly, they marked the end of the cocaine era for Noel Gallagher. He would later say about the craziness and wild year on tour: "I kid you not, there was a sound guy who quit because there was too much 'food'...and I thought 'sure it's not the fucking coke you've been taking'".
As the tour came to an end, the album's reception had changed from rave and outstandingly positive to less-than satisfied and below average reviews with many critics restating that it was weak in comparison to the group's first two records. They did, however, manage to maintain a large cult following in many countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Peru, Russia, Italy, Spain, South Korea and Japan where their public persona would strengthen even more over the subsequent decade. This is the band's last world tour with the rhythm guitarist and keyboardist
Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs
Paul Benjamin Arthurs (born 23 June 1965), known professionally as Bonehead, is an English musician. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, occasional keyboardist and co-founder of the rock band Oasis.
Early life
Paul Benjamin Arthurs was ...
, and bassist
Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan
Paul Francis McGuigan (born 9 May 1971), known professionally as Guigsy (pronounced "Gwigzee"), is an English retired musician. He is best known as the bassist and co-founder of the British rock band Oasis.
Career
In the late 1980s, McGuigan st ...
, as both of them left the band in 1999.
Stage setup
Oasis had a unique album-themed stage set up for the tour, featuring props and set pieces for the first time in their career. At various points on the tour, stage items included a Rolls-Royce rigged with stage lights, an oversized
telephone box, and other items from the ''Be Here Now'' album cover.
At the start of many performances, a man outfitted with a tailor suit and top hat would appear onstage to excite the crowd, beckoning them to scream and clap, while the opening piano loop for the song "Be Here Now" began playing over the concert PA. The band then entered onto the stage through a large door in the prop telephone box, which doubled as an entryway to backstage. As the tour progressed, different shows featured varying types and numbers of set pieces, though the "Be Here Now" introduction remained a constant through the duration of performances.
Set list
This set list is representative of the performance on 14 December 1997 at GMEX Arena in Manchester. It does not represent the set list at all concerts for the duration of the tour.
#"
Be Here Now"
#"
Stay Young"
#"
Stand by Me"
#"
Supersonic"
#"
Some Might Say"
#"
Roll with It"
#"
D'You Know What I Mean?
"D'You Know What I Mean?" is a song by English rock band Oasis. Written by Noel Gallagher, it was released on 7 July 1997 as the first single from their third album, '' Be Here Now'' (1997).
The song reached number one on the UK Singles Char ...
"
#"
Don't Look Back in Anger
"Don't Look Back in Anger" is a song by English rock band Oasis. It was written by the band's guitarist and main songwriter Noel Gallagher. The song was produced by Gallagher and Owen Morris. Released on 19 February 1996 as the fifth single fro ...
"
#"
Don't Go Away
#"
Wonderwall"
#"
Live Forever"
#"It's Gettin' Better (Man!!)"
#"
All Around The World"
#"Fade In-Out"
#"
Champagne Supernova
"Champagne Supernova" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. It is the closing track on the band's second studio album, ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' (1995), and was released as the sixth and final single from ...
"
#"
Cigarettes & Alcohol
"Cigarettes & Alcohol" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. It was released on 10 October 1994 as the fourth and final single from their debut album ''Definitely Maybe'' (1994), and their second to enter the UK top t ...
"
#"
Acquiesce
"Acquiesce" is a song by English rock band Oasis, written by Noel Gallagher. The song originally appeared as the B-side to Oasis' first UK number-one single, " Some Might Say", on 24 April 1995. Its popularity led to it being included on the ...
"
Other songs performed:
#"
Morning Glory
Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose current taxonomy and systematics are in flux. Morning glory species belong to many genera, some of ...
"
#"
Cast No Shadow"
#"Magic Pie"
#"My Big Mouth"
#"The Girl In A Dirty Shirt"
#"
Shakermaker
"Shakermaker" is a song by the English rock band Oasis. It was written by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. The song was first released as a second single on 20 June 1994 and later released on Oasis' debut album ''Definitely Maybe'' (1994). The ...
"
#"
Heroes
Heroes or HĂ©roes may refer to:
* Hero, one who displays courage and self-sacrifice for the greater good
Film
* ''Heroes'' (1977 film), an American drama
* ''Heroes'' (2008 film), an Indian Hindi film
Gaming
* ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' ...
"
#"
Whatever"
#"To Be Someone"
#"
Talk Tonight"
#"
Half The World Away"
#"
Slide Away"
#"
Help!
''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles " Help!" and " Ticket to Ride", ...
"
#"
Setting Sun"
#"
I Am The Walrus
"I Am the Walrus" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 television film ''Magical Mystery Tour''. Written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released as the B-side to the single "Hello, Goodbye" a ...
"
Tour dates
Notes
References
{{Use British English, date=August 2011
Oasis (band) concert tours
1997 concert tours
1998 concert tours