‘Tonight, I’m a rock ‘n’ roll star.’-Noel Gallagher

I am a massive Oasis fan and the moment they announced they were finally reuniting after 15 years (and thinking it was never going to happen), I was going to go. While there were rumors they would come to North America, when the U.K. dates were announced that was not a given. Also, the draw of seeing them at Wembley Stadium was too strong so I woke up at 3 am to enter the lottery and secured a ticket for night one! I planned the rest of my trip around the concert and two nights in London. I am really privileged to have visited London a lot so there is not really any pressure on what I should or shouldn’t do, which is really lovely especially when the rest of your trip is jam packed!

I stayed at the Hub Westminster Abbey via Expedia and it was amazing! The price was great (relative to being one of the most expensive places in the world) and centrally located. Westminster Abbey was around the corner and two tube stations within blocks. I was a bit nervous as the room did not have any windows but it was fine for a couple of night. I was only there to sleep and couldn’t beat the location. Give and take!

I arrived from Reykavik and just sort of bummed around London. I visited the Oasis Pop Up shop near the iconic Berwick Street, SoHo of the ‘What’s the Story Morning Glory‘ album cover (one of my favorite all time records and zero skips). I bought a poster but the official adidas tour merchandise was in sizes way too big for me. So I ordered it online and wore it for their Los Angeles show. I ate a quick bite at Nando’s and then crashed hard.

I had a full day before heading to Wembley and really wanted to see the Tower Remembers at the Tower of London. For the 80th Anniversary, the famed and controversial royal palace placed ceramic poppies across the grounds. This display was first presented for the 100th Anniversary of the end of World War I. Poppies became symbols of peace and sacrifice in the wake of the Christmas Day Truce in Flanders, known for their poppy fields. On December 25, 1914, British, French, and German soldiers celebrated Christmas, together, in No Man’s Land. A deeply personal event as my great grandfather, Ernest Beech of Saint Helens (of the famed Fish and Chip shop), was there that day and my dad is named for the German soldier he befriended and never saw again.

It was pretty emotional walking through all of the poppies and worth the years long wait to get there. I bought a piece of art that is a limited run and was able to share with the Tower shopkeeper about my great grandfather and his small part in why the poppies sweep across the Tower grounds. The Tower of London is pretty expensive but I think worth it. You can see the crown jewels, information on coronations (updated for Charles III), the armory, and the location of Anne Boleyn’s execution (one of my favorite historical figures). It is also is supposedly haunted but I have never seen anything from beyond.

After I was finished, I wandered a bit through Notting Hill, including the famed Bookshop from Notting Hill (one of my favorite movies). A quick stop to Marks and Spencers for some takeaway and I headed back to get ready for the concert!

I have been an Oasis fan for more than 20 years. I am really fortunate to have seen them (at the time) twice, at the Hollywood Bowl and Madison Square Garden, Noel Gallagher twice in Philadelphia, and Liam twice, including last summer in Manchester. Seeing them in Wembley was more than I could have imagined, truly magical. One, I never thought I would see them live again and Wembley is such a key part of the band’s lore. It was night one and the emotion of everyone there was something that was so hard to put into words. The band was also really emotional on stage. The setlist is a full no skips, while not all of my favorite songs were played there is not one song that I would replace (I couldn’t even say that about The Eras Tour, lol). Paul McCartney was also there but I did not run into him going to the loo this time (IYKYK). The couple next to me was kind of a blah (the woman was VERY drunk) but could not dampen my evening. I sang at the top of my lungs for two and a half hours.

Leaving Wembley is not for the faint of heart but we all started to sing Wonderwall while in the MASSIVE queue to enter the tube. It was one of the best nights of my life. While I had seen Liam and most of the band sing their debut last summer, hearing Noel on Live Forever, Whatever, and Slide Away, you just cannot put a price on that. I still watch my videos from that evening. And even through by the time of the show I knew I was going to see them at the Rose Bowl, I would do it all again. Just me and 80,000 Oasis fans experiencing the greatest band on earth.