[Herald Review] Noel Gallagher rocks Korean music fans across generations

British rock legend Noel Gallagher, a key member of the rock band Oasis, thrilled fans in Korea last week with his second gig in the country in eight months.

On Friday evening, around 18,000 fans gathered at Kintex in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds concert. The audience included long-time fans who enjoyed Oasis's music during their youth in the 90s, as well as younger fans in their teens and twenties.

South Korean band Silica Gel opened the concert as a special guest. Vocalist Kim Han-joo expressed excitement, saying, "It's an honor to take the opening stage for my all-time idol."

Since the breakup of Oasis in 2009, Gallagher has been with the High Flying Birds. The concert began with songs from High Flying Birds and transitioned into Oasis hits.

Gallagher opened the show with "Pretty Boy" and "Council Skies," tracks from his latest album "Council Skies," released in June last year. The audience cheered, called out Noel's name, and waved their hands above their heads.

The 57-year-old rock star performed 16 songs non-stop, changing guitars between each track. The brass band accompanying Gallagher and his bandmates enriched the sound. Fans danced and enjoyed the upbeat songs freely, but also created a beautiful wave of light with their phone flashlights during emotional tracks like "We’re On Our Way Now."

In the latter part of the concert, he performed Oasis songs such as "Going Nowhere," "Whatever," and "The Masterplan." He ended the main set with "Little By Little" but quickly returned to the stage amid enthusiastic calls for more.

The encore began with Joy Divisions's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and included Oasis songs "Stand By Me," "Live Forever," and "Don’t Look Back In Anger," which brought the crowd's singing to a peak.

During the nearly two-hour performance, Gallagher often coughed between songs, but his charismatic stage presence remained unshaken. As a long-time fan of Manchester City, he placed a life-size cutout of manager Pep Guardiola on stage and displayed the team’s logo, bringing laughs from the audience whenever the stage cameras focused on it.

After the concert, Gallagher posted photos taken by his daughter Anais on his social media with the caption "Seoul" and retweeted a fan video of the crowd singing.

Gallagher will take a break due to health issues after completing his scheduled world tour through August.