Oasis is finally reuniting. Older fans, please don’t gatekeep its music

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Every dog has its day, and it seems every decade does, too. Tuesday belonged to the nineties. Not only did Britpop icon Oasis declare its reunion after a 15-year hiatus, Spin magazine, which charmed the dorm-room set with its irreverent coverage of the era’s music trends, announced the relaunch of its first newsstand issue since 2012.

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Oasis, for the uninitiated, was a tremendously popular rock group with Beatles-esque notions (but without the melodies). Led by the sibling team of guitarist Noel Gallagher and sneering singer Liam Gallagher, the Manchester band rose to fame in the mid-1990s on the strength of albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? and international hit singles Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger. The battling brothers had the chemistry of bleach and vinegar, however. The ever-feuding Oasis disbanded in 2009.

Yesterday, the group announced a reunion tour on X and on its own website: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.” Oasis will give 14 stadium concerts next July and August, in Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh, London and Dublin.

Ecstatic reactions erupted across social media, but one X post in particular went viral, like a cold sore in a kissing booth. Ireland’s Billy Corcoran (@BillyCorcoran) told his 121 followers to consider a horrendous scenario.

“Imagine waiting 15 years for Oasis to reform only to lose out on tickets to Chloe, 21, from Stockport, who just wants to hear Wonderwall live.”

Billy was speaking for an older demographic – let’s call them the “Denizens of Dad Rock” – who followed the band from the beginning. Wouldn’t it be a shame if a young female fan (the fictitious Chloe from suburban Manchester, who was just six years old when Oasis last broke up and who may only know the band by its soft-hearted smash-hit single) were to score a concert seat ahead of an older dude?

I imagine that if Noel and Liam could agree on anything, they would be united on Team Chloe in this debate. Who dares to gatekeep Oasis? Who would deny Chloe (and Meghan and Hannah and Ashley) her singalong sentimentality? Who bullies with their own nostalgia?

Billy, that’s who. And he’s out of step.

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The music world has changed significantly since Oasis and its fans came of age. Chiefly, streaming platforms have democratized the industry. Corporate stars, such as the robotic Dua Lipa, are still pushed on consumers, but we live in a music world that is more pull than push today. Video television is dead, Big Radio ain’t so big and streaming services offer an almost infinite jukebox.

Spin magazine was launched by Bob Guccione Jr. in 1985 as a cheeky alternative to Rolling Stone, the counterculture-organ-turned-establishment rag. Spin turned music fans onto college rock, championed the grunge era of the early 1990s and covered a broad spectrum of genres. I’m not sure of its place in 2024.

Guccione Jr., who sold Spin in 1997, is back as editor-in-chief. Spin CEO Jimmy Hutcheson said in a statement, “We’re bringing back the raw, unfiltered spirit of Spin that resonated with so many readers, and we’re doing it with a modern twist that reflects the evolving landscape of music and culture. … In today’s noisy digital ecosystem, print plays a fun and new role for all readers of all ages.”

Fun, as in novelty? A cute anachronism?

Chloe, 21, from Stockport, doesn’t know from print. She discovered Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams from a TikTok video of a guy skateboarding and drinking cranberry juice. She doesn’t listen to Wonderwall nostalgically, but she’s okay if Billy does. Chloe knows, like Oasis knows, that it is okay to reminisce – just don’t look back in anger.