Dateline – DETROIT
Pine Knob Music Theatre
6 July 2023
I know there are a lot of folks out there who would love it if Oasis got back together. After catching Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds’ set at the venerable shed Pine Knob Music Theatre, I am not one of those folks.
Truth to tell, I was never a huge Oasis fan anyway. The battling favorite sons of Manchester seemed to be standing on the shoulders of the classic rock and pop that came before them, and selling a ton of CDs and tickets in the process. But Noel, who co-headliner Shirley Manson of Garbage referred to as “one of Britain’s most beloved songwriters,” stands alone quite nicely.
I was at this show primarily for Garbage, who took the stage before Noel at this gig (apparently they’ve been switching off headlining), but similar to when I first heard his new album, Council Skies, Noel beguiled me with his clever, simple melodies and chord changes and his laid-back, confident vocals. The abstract poetry of his lyrics reminds me of Oasis, but the writing is more mature. He’s painting pictures now, as his artistic video backdrops suggest, not just fucking with people.
The High Flyers include guitarist Gem Archer and drummer Chris Sharrock who both played with Noel in Oasis. Then there’s Mike Rowe on keys and Russell Pritchard on bass. The group also features Jessica Fletcher on keys and background vocals, as well as a trio of very stylish ladies on backing vocals, complementary outfits, and choreographed percussion.
Despite the “High Flying Birds” moniker, this is all about Noel Gallagher. He never introduced the band, and when he opened the set with a bunch of new songs from Council Skies, he boasted, “That was like half my new record. Amazing, right?” Frankly, the set was indeed pretty amazing.
He came out to the electronic groove of lead single “Pretty Boy,” and followed it up with another of my favorites from the new album, the reflective and groovy title track “Council Skies.” The retro-pop grooves of Noel’s new material fit nicely in the warm open-air setting.
The second half of the show consisted primarily of lesser-known (to me, anyway) Oasis songs, the highlight being their hit “Live Forever.” And I seriously dug his unexpected cover of Bob Dylan’s “Quinn the Eskimo” (you can tell by my solid backing vocal performance on the video below).
Noel wrapped his show with the crowd-pleaser “Don’t Look Back in Anger.” The original Oasis recording featured the rare Noel lead vocal, and the crowd gave him plenty of help singing the chorus. (Who is this “Sally,” anyway?)
Following rock sets from Metric and Garbage, The High Flying Birds were a refined and sophisticated outfit on this evening. The stage was set with fresh-cut flowers and featured the Manchester City football logo. Noel was a right charming git, messing with the punters down front. I wouldn’t look for Oasis to reform any time soon.
Their US tour is wrapped, but keep up with Noel on his website, noelgallagher.com
