On This Day: Oasis Begin Three Nights at Earls Court

By late September 1997, the Be Here Now tour had moved from outdoor festivals to arenas. On 25 September 1997 Oasis opened a run of three consecutive nights at London’s Earls Court Exhibition Centre. According to the tour itinerary, each show drew 20,000 people and was completely sold out. With its cavernous hall and steep tiers, Earls Court had hosted everyone from Led Zeppelin to Pink Floyd; Oasis’ residency underscored the band’s status as the biggest live draw in Britain.

The stage design mirrored the album’s extravagant artwork. Props included a full‑size Rolls‑Royce, a giant red telephone box and a bank of stage lights that evoked the Be Here Now cover. At the start of the show a gentleman in a tailcoat and top hat strode onstage, beckoning the crowd to scream as the piano loop of the title track played. The set list mixed new songs with older favourites: “D’You Know What I Mean?,” “Stand By Me,” “My Big Mouth” and “All Around the World” sat alongside “Live Forever,” “Wonderwall,” and “Supersonic.” On later nights Noel dedicated “Magic Pie” to Richard Ashcroft of The Verve (who supported Oasis on the tour), highlighting the camaraderie between the two bands.

These gigs were some of the most ambitious indoor shows ever staged in the UK at that time. They were part of a 12‑date British arena run that sold out in hours, shifting more than 150,000 tickets. For fans, Earls Court represented the moment when the Be Here Now spectacle reached its peak: vast crowds, theatrical staging and a band riding the last wave of Britpop’s popularity before the comedown. The concerts were later circulated widely on bootlegs and remain treasured by devotees as a snapshot of Oasis at their most bombastic.