A statement from promoters for Oasis‘ Live ’25 tour have thanked Manchester City Council following the band’s Heaton Park dates.
Liam and Noel Gallagher took to the stage for five sold-out shows at the park, with Cast and Richard Ashcroft opening for the band. Oasis’ first shows in sixteen years kicked off with two dates in Cardiff, and were followed by a series of Heaton Park concerts. A statement from Rob Ballantine, Director of SJM Concerts, has since been released and noted the “safeguarding” necessity at Gallagher Hill. The hill became a popular spot for those who were not lucky enough to bag tickets to the shows, with members of the public watching the show from outside the festival grounds. A wall was later put in place, attracting controversy.
But a statement from the show promoters has since confirmed the action was taken to “safeguard those gathering” on the hill to watch the show for free. Ballantine’s full statement can be found below.
“We were blown away by the incredible support, atmosphere and success of all five homecoming shows by Oasis. They proved they are the most culturally important band in the UK and those concerts will live in the memories of hundreds of thousands of music fans for years to come and will live in the folklore of Manchester music history for decades.
“Manchester City Council played a huge part in the success of the concerts and helped the City embrace the excitement with their promotion of Manchester Live 25 across the City. Along with the emergency services and TfGM, the safety and comfort of almost 350,000 fans was of paramount importance and a great success.
“Outside of the concert arena there were thousands of ticketless fans who gathered to hear and be involved in the events. SJM Concerts on behalf of, and with the full support and knowledge of Oasis, worked closely with the Safety Advisory Group chaired by MCC to discuss how best to ensure the safety of those gathering on what is now known as Gallagher Hill. It was unanimously decided the action necessary to safeguard those gathering, and steps were taken to ensure the safety of the crowd.
“Oasis themselves wanted to include Gallagher Hill in the concert and Liam gave a ‘shout out’ on both concerts of the final weekend and on the last concert a film crew relayed live pictures of the crowd onto the big screens of the main stage. Other ideas were explored but were not workable for technical reasons. Oasis printed commemorative T-shirts with Gallagher Hill in the Oasis logo and myself with a team of staff distributed these to people as they arrived on the Hill.
“SJM Concerts and Oasis want to thank the council, the emergency services and all members of the Safety Advisory Team on a first-class delivery of the biggest and most significant music events the City has hosted for many years. We would also like to acknowledge the incredible atmosphere generated by the fans who seem to have unanimously decided the gigs were the best nights of their lives! It was a privilege to be involved in the huge team of people making these concerts the success they were.”
Fans of the band took to the r/Oasis subreddit to share their love for Gallagher Hill, even when the wall was put up for safeguarding reasons. One user wrote: “Gallagher Hill is gonna be lore for a generation of Mancunians.”
Another fan fumed: “Absolute fun police.” A third wrote that, even with the wall in place, Gallagher Hill was “still a great place to go and listen even without the view of the screens, though.”
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