Oh what? OASIS!

I first heard Oasis when I was around 14 or 15, and I remember thinking, "What the heck is this 'Wonderwall'? Sounds weird..." Well, the thing is, that song's so weird, it kinda grows on you like an unwanted pimple. Or a strand of blonde hair. Whatever.

After "Wonderwall" came "Roll with it", "What's the story (morning glory)?", "Champagne Supernova" and "Don't look back in anger". The best thing is they're all on the same album! It's the only CD from that era that I still play from time to time. Now that's what I call a kickass band.

So it's little wonder that when I heard Oasis is coming here, I was rearing to go right away, even if I had to trade my virginity for it. Well, maybe not THAT extreme, but I'm trying to make a point here. The band cancelled their Asia Tour last time after the Bali bombing, but if they didn't, I wouldn't be able to afford the ticket then. Yeah!

After I'm done at school, I kept my bag in my cupboard. Can't rock if you dun travel light, geddit? Anyway, once I get to the indoor stadium, there was already a huge crowd gathering there. Luckily, I bought ticket for the cheaper balcony seat instead of the free standing zone. I bought a tasteless and grossly overpriced hotdog and admired at the Oasis goodies on sale. I may be a fan, but my wallet's not, so no extra shopping for me tonight, thank you.

Time sure crawls when you're excited. When I got in and settled in on my seat, I just waited for the other lame-ass audience who obviously needed a car battery jump-start to their fancy watches to come inside the stadium. What's the deal, people? I thought we're operating in the Singapore timezone here, eh?

Lateness aside, there're 2 unexpected guests seated in front of me. Initially, the row in front of me was taken by a gang of Caucasians. However, 2 person came later and told them that they're all at the wrong seats. I raised my head, well Lo and behold, it's Tan Kheng Hua (Margaret from PCK Ltd) and her husband Lim Yu Beng (TV and theatre actor)! They're a polite pair of rock fans, only headbanging occasionally throughout the concert. Even Yu Beng stood up only once to dance to the music. But I'm ahead of myself here.

The lights dimmed, the music softened, and the crowd got excited. And then there they were, the people I've been waiting to meet for the past 12 years. From then on, it was a glitzy blur for the rest of the night, and that's a good thing. Liam's rocking! Noel's rocking too! The band's rocking, and so was the crowd! They just kept churning out hits after hits. That's a showcase of their impressive career. They, along with Blur, kick started the Britpop phenomenon. And rightly so, as they're such an awesome live band. Curse the indoor stadium for its inferior acoustics!

When the band started to play "Wonderwall" and "Don't look back in anger", there was a tinge of nostalgia down my spine, which made me realised that I'm not as young as I want to be anymore. Gone are the days of endless homeworks and UEC threats. Gone are the days of staying up late over at friend's place. Gone are the days of curiosity and exploration. Well, maybe still a fair bit of the last one, but it's all different now. It just made me wanna stand up and sing till my lungs burst, so I did. So were the whole stadium. Everyone was completely mesmerized by the music, singing along with their hands raised up high, and the atmosphere was magical. Perhaps, just perhaps, the music had awoken something in them too. Or some TIME. When there's no 9/11. No Bush. No Blair. And no freaking boy bands. Yeah, those times were splendid, weren't they?

After the show ended, I was about to leave, when I spotted a crowd gathering near the loading bay. Then it occured to me: I can wait for the band there too! So I found myself a nice spot, and waited. We had a nice time hackling the security guards ("When are they coming out? Tell us leh..." "Can I have your pass?" "Are they staying at the Four Seasons") After about an hour (what took them so long?), they finally came out from their room and walked to their van. The other band members were polite enough to wave when the fans cheered, but Liam, being the arrogant bastard that he is (which we loved), wore his sunglasses (at 12am?) and raised his right fist like a boxer. As for his brother Noel? He just went straight into the van. Always the charmer, that Noel.

As soon as their van started moving away (with the traffic police bikes in front, no less), I felt that they'd pass by me, and they did. The fans gave chase, me included. I was the only that was running beside their van, waving my hands like a mad man. I could almost touch the van! I could see the band starring at me like I'd grown horns from my temples. Then I started thinking: what if they're waiting to see me trip and fall? Therefore, I stopped running, and the van drove away, along with the band, never to return again, quite likely.

It was a wonderful night! Now that's what I call a "once in a lifetime experience", man... ROCK ON!