Author: uylrjp

Many said it would never happen, that it couldn’t be done. But it has and it will be. Oasis will reunite and tour internationally in 2025.

But before the Gallagher brothers and company can hit the stage, they’ll need to decide on a set list. Oasis released seven studio albums in their time together, though there’s also the possibility of some songs from Noel and Liam‘s respective solo careers being thrown into the mix, or covers.

The last thing we’re trying to be here is picky or ungrateful — the very fact that this tour is coming to fruition at all is something to celebrate. That being said, there are some songs we’re really hoping get performed live.

For the purposes of this list, we’re going to exclude hits like “Wonderwall,” “Supersonic,” “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Live Forever” and “Champagne Supernova.” Those are pretty safe bets. In no particular order, below you’ll find 10 Songs We Hope Oasis Plays on Tour, numbers that haven’t been played lived quite as often and deserve a little more appreciation.

1. “She’s Electric”
From: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

Oasis split up in 2009, seven years after they played “She’s Electric” live for the last time. Ironically, this track was originally intended for inclusion on the band’s debut album Definitely Maybe, but was turned down in favor of “Digsy’s Diner,” which they felt was a stronger live song. Point taken, but the Beatles-esque arrangement and falsetto vocal from Liam would sure be fun in a stadium full of thousands.

2. “Hello”
From: (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? (1995)

We’re going to continue culling from (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? for a moment here and suggest what might possibly be one of the strongest options for an opening song: “Hello.” Is it a little too on the nose? Debatable. But look how thrilled the crowd is in the below video from Oasis’ 1996 Knebworth performance. That’s some authentic excitement right there.

3. “Half the World Away”
From: 1994 B-side

Liam usually handled lead vocals in Oasis but let’s be real: it simply won’t be a satisfying reunion tour unless Noel gets some opportunities to shine. Might we recommend 1994’s hit B-side (how many of those are there?) “Half the World Away,” which features stunning vocals from Noel? After all, every good set list needs a few slower breaks.

4. “Turn Up the Sun”
From: Don’t Believe the Truth (2005)

Back in April of 2024, Andy Bell, who played bass in Oasis from 1999 to 2009, said in an interview that the band would “probably” reunite at some point. Liam swiftly shut that down on social media, dismissing the idea and writing that Bell “should really not be getting people’s hopes up.” Bell turned out to be correct when it was finally announced in August 2024 that yes, Oasis would be reuniting. It seems only fair then that one of Bell’s own songs, the adeptly written “Turn Up the Sun,” should make the set list.

5. “Acquiesce”
From: 1995 B-side

To be fair, “Acquiesce” is no deep cut — according to data from setlist.fm, it ranked No. 8 in terms of songs Oasis played live the most. Still, it hasn’t been heard on stage since 2006, and since both Liam and Noel share lead vocal parts in this track, it would be awfully fitting for a long-awaited reunion tour. Poetic justice, really.

6. “Be Here Now”
From: Be Here Now (1997)

It’s a bit interesting that the title track to 1997’s Be Here Now, an enormously successful release in the U.K., didn’t get played after March of 1998. If you were to ask Noel about that, he might tell you about his disdain for the whole album. “It’s the sound of…a bunch of guys, on coke, in the studio, not giving a f***,” he once said. “There’s no bass to it at all. I don’t know what happened to that. … And all the songs are really long, and all the lyrics are shit, and for every millisecond Liam is not saying a word, there’s a f****** guitar riff in there in a Wayne’s World stylie [sic].” This writer still thinks the title track is worth it.

7. “Shakermaker”
From: Definitely Maybe (1994)

There are two camps of people: those who chalk Oasis up to a band that leaned too heavily on the influence of the Beatles, and those who embrace, well, exactly that. It would be fair to say that without the Fab Four, there may well have not been an Oasis at all, so why not appreciate the way a pair of brothers who were small children when the Beatles’ legacy was in its own infancy took that approach and ran with it? “Shakermaker” is a great example.

8. “Little by Little”
From: Heathen Chemistry (2002)

In 2017, Liam named Heathen Chemistry as his least favorite Oasis album — “I can’t even remember that one,” he told NME. “I didn’t like the title either. Heathen Chemistry? F*** off.” That’s just one man’s opinion though, and this writer is quite partial to that album’s “Little by Little,” another slow but steady track to feature Noel on lead vocals.

9. “The Importance of Being Idle”
From: Don’t Believe the Truth (2005)

“The Importance of Being Idle” got played a lot in 2009, the year Oasis imploded. It was also their last No. 1 hit in U.K. before that happened. Don’t let its slower pace fool you. It’s got a touch of whimsy with a slide whistle, keyboard part and an excellent vocal performance by Liam — think Bob Dylan‘s “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35” meets the Kinks‘ “Sunny Afternoon.”

10. “Go Let It Out”
From: Standing on the Shoulders of Giants (2000)

Most Oasis fans agree Standing on the Shoulders of Giants is not the band’s strongest album. But we would argue that there’s a few highlights, like “Go Let It Out” which would make for a great sing along — “Ordinary people that are like you and me? We’re the builders of their destiny.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s nomination process has largely remained secretive, but now fans have been given a rare glimpse into what goes on behind closed doors.

During a recent conversation with Vulture, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame chairman John Sykes offered details on how artists end up on the ballot.

“I call the annual nominating committee a cross between an intellectual conversation and WWE,” Sykes admitted. “It’s not a beautifully organized or wonderful meeting. It goes on for hours. It all just depends when people decide to stop fighting for their artists they want to get in. There are about 30 people. The nominating committee is very passionate about who they want. This is not something they just think about in the taxi ride over to the meeting. They really come prepared with their artists and why they deserve it.”

READ MORE: Metal Snubs: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 10 Worst Omissions

Sykes further noted that the annual meeting takes place in January and that no cameras are allowed inside the room. The committee is made up of “artists, journalists, critics, and executives,” with Sykes mentioning Sheryl Crow, Dave Grohl, Tom Morello, and Questlove by name.

Committee Members ‘Fight It Out’ Over Nominees

“There’s no way you could fix the ballot in that room because it’s very diverse and there are checkpoints every way around,” he continued. “These are not people who give in easily. I guess what I’m saying is that this is a democratic process. There are no backroom decisions. People fight it out.”

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s nominating committee does not have term limits, though Sykes noted that efforts are made to keep the group “relevant to the artists we’re inducting.” “We need a committee that understands and represents those artists,” he explained. “We need to make sure that we’re checking all aspects of gender, race, age, and everything else. There’s not one set of rules, it’s just having people who understand the music.”

Sykes recognizes that there is “always going to be questions about who got in and who didn’t,” but at the end of the day he takes pride in the passion with which each round of nominees is debated.

“I love this job, but it can be thankless at times because you can’t get everyone,” he confessed. “Look at the names of the 2024 class. How do you not put these people in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Yet there’s still more we got to put in, which is why in January we’re going to sit down in New York City, close the doors for five hours, and get into a good old-fashioned shouting match.”

145 Artists Not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Many have shared their thoughts on possible induction.

Gallery Credit: Ultimate Classic Rock Staff

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

We received an e-mail this year that’s stayed in my head for several months now, and I’m hoping some good might come from sharing it and posting a public response.

As you’ll see, the inclusion of Blind Melon and their 1993 hit “No Rain” on our list of 40 Biggest One-Hit Wonders did not sit well with one particular reader.

You can read their response for yourself, unedited except to remove the sender’s name:

Dear, Mr. Ultimate Classic Rock
Are you on drugs? Like a very one-hit good kind where you forget that music exists? You called BLIND MELON a one hit wonder, so I hope you have hangnails for the rest of your life. You need to be crucified for this and survive, with no food for two weeks on the cross; either that or the Chinese water drop method are the only appropriate forms of apology for this. BLIND MELON A ONE-HIT WONDER? EXCUSE YOU? DID YOU SNEEZE? DID YOUR FATHER BEAT YOU WITH A CD OF SOUP? You seriously deserve the highest legal form of torture in the world for this opinion, straight to North Sentinel Island. I apologize if my former comments seem a tad outlandish, and if you did have an abusive parent then it makes sense why you called Blind Melon a one-hit wonder. You must’ve got brain damage. That is the only reasonable solution to this capital error. I apologize for my former statements and they will also be retracted if you change this article and take Blind Melon off of it, otherwise, you are going to have to live the rest of your life as the actual IDIOT who called Blind Melon a one-hit-wonder.
My deepest condolences for the loss of your brain,
(NAME REDACTED)
(P.S., please lick the bottom of the dirtiest boot for even having this opinion.)

First, the “one hit wonder” facts: Between 1992 and 1996 Blind Melon released nine singles, and “No Rain” was the only one to reach the U.S. Billboard charts, peaking at No. 20. Their career was obviously and tragically cut short by the 1995 death of singer Shannon Hoon. (The surviving members have reunited twice in the last two decades, without any further charting singles.)

More importantly, exactly what’s wrong with being a one-hit wonder? There are millions of people who know (and we’d presume mostly love) “No Rain,” and who know exactly who you’re talking about when you say “the bee girl.” (If you somehow don’t, watch the video below.) That’s a massive cultural accomplishment, and one that countless artists try and fail to replicate every single day.

You’ll also notice that nowhere in our list does it say, “Blind Melon sucked and didn’t deserve to have any more hits” or “They only had one hit because it was their only good song.” And even if we did say that – which we wouldn’t – who cares? It’s just one opinion; why get so mad about what somebody else thinks? (And again, we didn’t offer our opinion on Blind Melon’s music at any point. My main memory of them outside of “No Rain” is as part of an amazing triple bill that was somehow only made better by a raging rainstorm, at Jones Beach in 1993.)

This is same kind of wasted energy as worrying about which artists are or aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. You know which music you love and which songs made your life better and nobody’s else’s take on them should matter so much that you call on them to be crucified or tortured, even in jest. Your record collection and your ticket stubs are your own personal Hall of Fame, and the only one that really matters. It’s great that you love Blind Melon enough to defend them this passionately, but jeez buddy, take the negative part of it down a notch. What say we start 2025 fresh?

Classic Rock’s 20 Worst Mistakes

Counting down the worst things that ever happened in classic rock.

Gallery Credit: Nick DeRiso

More From Ultimate Classic Rock

No More Tragedy is the new live release from Japan’s Lovebites. No More Tragedy will be released on Blu-ray, DVD, and CD on March 5, 2025, featuring the entire show at Tokyo Garden Theater held on September 1, 2024.

This is the only Japanese performance of the world tour The Thin Line Between Love And Hate held at Tokyo Garden Theater, the largest venue in the band’s history. The show was threatened by huge typhoon No. 10, but the band decided to go ahead with the event. However, many fans were unable to attend the show due to the lack of transportation on the day of the show, and many had to give up in tears to see the only live performance in Japan during the year. 

It was a “tragedy” for these people who were not able to attend the show because of the lack of transportation. The title of the concert is “No more tragedy,” as the band wanted everyone to enjoy the concert safely.

The weather was unfortunately inclement, but the concert itself was full of content and excitement befitting of the largest venue ever. The special effects of fire and snow, as well as the band coming down from the stage to the floor to play at the same eye level and almost zero distance from the audience, were elaborate and conveyed the fun and glamour of Lovebites’ live performances more than ever.

This time, “Unchained,” a song from the current new studio work Lovebites EP II, was included for the first time in the world. “Wicked Witch” and “The Spirit Lives On” are also included for the first time in a live product, and “The Final Collision” is also being released for the first time as a live video. The concert was broadcast live to the world on that day, but the live footage was edited completely differently for this release, and the sound was mixed and mastered by two masters, Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila, respectively, at Finnvox Studios, a renowned studio in Finland.

The Blu-ray and DVD include an hour and 20 minutes of documentary footage of the world tour in the UK, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Denmark in June and July, Korea in August, and Japan and the US in September, as well as a commentary by the band members themselves. In addition, a fan-cam music video for “Soldier Stands Solitarily” was created using video files that were filmed by fans on the day of the Tokyo Garden Theater show and later provided to the band is also included as a bonus.

Preorders for the No More Tragedy bundle, includes each format, a T-shirt, and a photobook. The photobook features live photos taken during the world tour, as well as many candid photos of the band.

Preorder at victor-store.jp.

Tracklisting:

“The Crusade”
“When Destinies Align”
“M.D.O.”
“Wicked Witch”
“Unchained”
“Stand And Deliver (Shoot ‘Em Down)”
“Set The World On Fire”
“The Final Collision”
“Thunder Vengeance”
“Holy War”
“A Frozen Serenade”
“Soldier Stands Solidarity”
“Judgement Day”
“Raise Some Hell”
“Drum Solo”
“Don’t Bite The Dust”
“The Spirit Lives On”
“Shadowmaker”
“We The United”

*Above songs will divided into 2CDs

Bonus footage:
– The Story Behind Love And Hate (World Tour Documentary) with commentary
– Soldier Stands Solitarily (Fan-cam video clip)

Guesting on the Lipps Service With Scott Lipps podcast, Slayer guitar legend Kerry King is asked to name perfect albums, start to finish. Find out his selections in the video below:

In another clip from Lipps Service With Scott Lipps, King reveals his Top 5 favourite guitar players:

Kerry King and his solo band – drummer Paul Bostaph (Slayer), bassist Kyle Sanders (Hellyeah), guitarist Phil Demmel (Machine Head), and vocalist Mark Osegueda (Death Angel) – will hit the road for the twenty-eight date “North American Headline Tour 2025”. With Municipal Waste as Special Guest and Alien Weaponry supporting, the tour is set to launch in San Francisco on January 15, and wrap at House of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22. Tickets can be purchased here. The complete itinerary is below.

“Getting back on the road for the first time in five years wasn’t exactly like riding a bike, that’s for sure,” King acknowledged. “I’ve never had that much time off, but the first tours with my new band – in the UK and Europe, and then in America with Lamb of God and Mastodon – were all total blasts. We’ll be headlining on this next tour, so we’re playing a longer set than we did with Lamb of God and Mastodon. We’ve got a little bit of a learning curve, so will start rehearsing the first week of November. And we might put an extra Slayer song into the set and learn a cover song or two.”

North American dates:

January
15 – The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
17 – Spokane Live Casino – Spokane, WA
18 – Showbox SoDo – Seattle, WA
19 – Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
20 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC (Canada)
22 – The Palace Theatre – Calgary, AB (Canada)
23 – Midway Music Hall – Edmonton, AB (Canada)
25 – Burton Cummings Theatre – Winnipeg, MB (Canada)
26 – The Fillmore – Minneapolis, MN
28 – The Rave – Milwaukee, WI
30 – The Majestic Theater – Detroit, MI
31 – House of Blues – Cleveland, OH

February
1 – Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON (Canada)
2 – L’Olympia – Montreal, QC (Canada)
4 – Royale – Boston, MA
5 – Theatre of the Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
7 – Irving Plaza – New York, NY
8 – Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD
10 – Buckhead Theatre – Atlanta, GA
11 – Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL
13 – House of Blues – Houston, TX
14 – Emo’s –  Austin, TX
15 – The Studio at the Factory – Dallas, TX
17 – Ogden Theatre – Denver, CO
18 – Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM
19 – The Nile Theater – Phoenix, AZ
 21 – House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV
 22 – The Fonda Theatre – Los Angeles, CA

King and his band also announced their “European Tour 2025”. The dates kick off on July 29 in Frankfurt, Germany, and are currently scheduled to wrap up on August 19 in Krakow, Poland.

European dates:

July
29 – Zoom Saal – Frankfurt, Germany *
30 – Simm City – Wien, Austria *

August
1 – Rockstadt Extreme – Transylvania, Romania *
4 – Komplex 457 – Zürich, Switzerland *
6-9 – Brutal Assault Festival – Jaromer, Czech Republic
7 – FZW – Dortmund, Germany *
8-10 – Alcatraz Festival – Kortrijk, Belgium
12 – Academy 2 – Manchester, UK *
13 – SWX – Bristol, UK *
14-17 – Motocultor Festival – Carhaix, France
17 – Dynamo Festival – Eindhoven, Netherlands
19 – Tauron Arena – Krakow, Poland *#

* Newly announced shows
# Supporting Gojira

(Photo – Jim Louvau)

In the video below from Sweetwater, legendary guitarist Rick Nielsen from Cheap Trick sits down with Nick Bowcott to discuss his vast guitar collection, where his love of music came from, and more.

Cheap Trick will be supporting Rod Stewart on his North American “One Last Time” tour in 2025. Dates are listed below.

Tour dates:

March
7 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX

July
8 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park
11 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion
12 – Philadelphia, PA – TD Pavilion at the Mann
15 – Saratoga Springs NY – Broadview Stage at SPAC
19 – Columbia, MD – Merriweather Post Pavilion
22 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
25 – Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
26 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
29 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion

August
1 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
2 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater
5 – Brandon, MS – Brandon Amphitheater
8 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
9 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center
12 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
14 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
15 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre

Annihilator mastermind, Jeff Waters, is celebrating 25 years of sobriety. Waters shared the video below, along with the following message:

“25 YEARS SOBER. Loved every year of it and highly recommend it, if you so choose! Not easy for some of us to quit, but was worth the early struggles…  and what an amazing life without it! ❤️ Happy New Year. Be happy & safe!!” ❤️

Back in May, Metal Department released Amerikan Kaos’ Armageddon Boogie, the debut solo release by Jeff Waters. What you get here is pure hard rock, with some killer melodic hooks, making this a refreshing throwback to better days, but with a modern twist. Armageddon Boogie is the first part of a trilogy, with part 2 coming in 2025 and part 3 in 2026.

Armageddon Boogie is available via digital platforms. It is also available in CD and limited edition vinyl LP formats here.

Tracklist:

“My Little Devil”
“The Pasadena Four”
“Roll On Down The Highway”
“Wait For Me (In Heaven)”
“Nobody”
“Armageddon Boogie”
“Pull The Wool”
“Our Love Song”
“Make Believe”
“Let It Go”

In the video below from AXS TV, KISS singer/bassist, Gene Simmons, talks to Dan Rather about how the greatest moment in his life was when he moved to America, and how he thinks that people who are born in the US don’t appreciate it as much as they should.

The Gene Simmons Band will be touring in the US in April and May, 2025. Tour dates can be found below, and tickets are available via genesimmons.com.

2025 tour dates:

April
5 – The Event at Graton Resort & Casino – Rohnert Park, CA
25 – Ruth Eckerd Hall – Clearwater, FL
26 – Miami Beach, FL – Fillmore
28 – The Moon – Tallahassee, FL 
29 – Florida Theater – Jacksonville, FL
30 – Hard Rock Live – Orlando, FL 

May
3 – Beaver Dam Amphitheater – Beaver Dam, KY
5 – Basie – Red Bank, NJ
6 – Wellmont – Montclair, NJ
8 – Wind Creek Casino – Bethlehem, PA
9 – The Paramount – Huntington, NY
15 – Fallsview Casino – Niagara Falls, ON
20 – Brown County Music Center – Nashville, IN
22 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
23 – Tobin Center – San Antonio, TX
24 – House Of Blues – Houston, TX