Three decades later, and the impact of these gigs is still monumental. Two and a half million people across the UK applied for tickets, either queuing at box offices or phoning dedicated booking lines to try and get tickets, with only 250,000 fans being successful in doing so. The Manchester band broke box office records with two of the biggest outdoor shows the UK had seen at the time.
The reason these two gigs are remembered so fondly and still discussed to this day is because it was the peak of Oasis. They’d helped establish this legendary Britpop movement and celebrated its greatness over the course of two nights with a quarter of a million fans. It truly was a celebration because the line-up was filled with emerging and established acts that defined the '90s: The Prodigy, The Charlatans, Cast, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene and The Chemical Brothers.
It was a weekend made for the experience of the fans. They didn’t want anyone to forget these gigs, and the line-ups, setlists and simply everything put into these sets made that very clear. They even brought out The Stone Roses’s John Squire on guitar for two songs; every moment created was built to be remembered and designed to be discussed decades later. The band had two UK number one albums under their belt and the knowledge that within these two nights they were untouchable, with people travelling from all over the UK to witness their greatness.
It was an era of music that will never be able to be recreated. It wasn’t just music that Oasis created; they created a movement and changed how the world viewed rock music, as Britpop placed a completely new spin on the genre. Of course, there were other key bands in this era, like Blur, who were just as crucial to the Britpop scene, but Oasis' influence can’t be denied as we still see new and up-and-coming bands eager to recreate their iconic sound.
Knebworth cemented Oasis' greatness and impact on the UK music scene; it’s an era that will never be duplicated despite how hard some may try to revive it. Noel Gallagher stated at Knebworth to the crowd, "This is history, this is history, right here, right now. This is history".
Oasis’ guitarist, Bonehead, has since looked back on these gigs and said he wished the band had taken their final bow after Knebworth, knowing they’d never again reach the highs they created on that stage. There was nothing that could come after and top these gigs; it was a mutual knowledge between the fans and the band, something directly translated into the demand for tickets, with millions eager to experience the band at their best.
Knebworth was important to the fans, and still is today, because live music is incredibly powerful and always will be. Yet these gigs specifically were inherently special because it was a community of hundreds of thousands, everyone gathering to watch the powerful moments created by a working-class band driven by two brothers who had managed to build something far greater than themselves. For many fans, it was a life-changing gig; the excitement and electric energy that must’ve flowed through the crowd and created something that could never be forgotten.
Oasis crowned themselves one of the greatest rock bands when they stepped onto the Knebworth stage for two nights, and made sure no one would forget their brilliance for many years to come.
Freya Weir
Image: ‘Knebworth 1996 (Live)' Official Album Cover
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