Pop-Break Live: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

Last True Rock Star: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds Live at Webster Hall

The music of Noel Gallagher has always been apart of my life. Even when I was younger and didn’t pay attention to who wrote what or which artist sang what, I remember hearing “Wonderwall” and always smiling.

Television is what actually introduced me to Oasis, thanks in part to FOX’s teen drama The O.C. using a cover of “Champagne Supernova” in one of their most memorable episodes. Also, I can vividly remember hearing “Don’t Look Back In Anger” for the first time while watching the NBC spy comedy, Chuck. From then on, I began listening to everything Oasis, but soon became upset when I learned that the band broke up back in 2008.

Thankfully, Noel Gallagher is still around, writing beautiful songs and sharing them with the world under his High Flying Birds moniker. I never thought I was going to see him perform the songs I grew up, but there I was last Thursday at Webster Hall seeing one of my favorite musicians of all time play classic Oasis songs like “Fade Away” and “The Masterplan” to a sold out crowed.

Noel was recently awarded the best rock interview award from Rolling Stone, the first of its kind. If you ever watched or read an interview with Noel you will know why he was given that award almost immediately. His candid and unapologetic attitude is what’s missing from today’s music proving once and for all that he is the last true rock star.

His set at Webster Hall was nothing but pure magic. Besides playing a few Oasis tracks, Noel performed a majority of his High Flying Birds catalogue including the uplifting track “Everybody’s On The Run” off his debut album, and “The Dying of the Light” off of Chasing Yesterday, his latest album that was released in March. Everything about his performance was incredible. His stage presence commands the entire room, while his voice has somehow gotten better with age. Oasis may never reunite, but it doesn’t really matter; Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds are an incredible act to see live and a testament to the legendary musicians importance in music.

Setlist

• Do the Damage
• (Stranded On) The Wrong Beach
• Everybody’s on the Run
• Fade Away 
(Oasis cover)
• In the Heat of the Moment
• Lock All the Doors
• Riverman
• The Death of You and Me
• You Know We Can’t Go Back
• Champagne Supernova 
(Oasis cover)
• Ballad of the Mighty I
• Dream On
• The Dying of the Light
• The Mexican
• AKA… Broken Arrow
• Digsy’s Dinner 
(Oasis cover)
• If I Had a Gun…

Encore
• The Masterplan 
(Oasis cover)
• AKA… What a Life!
• Don’t Look Back in Anger