Oasis have made a quiet but significant change to their setlist ahead of their long-awaited ‘Live ’25’ reunion tour — axing the track “Hello” due to its ties to disgraced glam rocker Gary Glitter.
The song, which opened the band’s iconic 1995 album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, features the line “Hello, hello, it’s good to be back,” lifted from Glitter’s 1973 single “Hello, Hello, I’m Back Again”.
The chorus melody also nods to the original track, leading to Glitter and producer Mike Leander receiving co-writing credits alongside Noel Gallagher.
A source close to the band told UK’s The Sun newspaper, “The lyrics of the song would obviously have been a good fit for the reunion tour, but the band have decided to leave it in the past. It would be inappropriate to play it given its connotations to Glitter and his convictions.”
Now 80, Glitter — real name Paul Gadd — was sentenced to 16 years in 2015 for child sexual abuse. He previously served time in Vietnam for sexually abusing two girls, but was investigated in 1997 when thousands of child abuse images were found on his computer.
Despite the decision to shelve “Hello”, spirits are reportedly high in the Oasis camp, with Noel and Liam Gallagher putting their famously fractious relationship on ice to celebrate 25 years since their landmark Knebworth shows.
The reunion marks the first time the brothers have shared a stage in 16 years.
Australian fans will be among the first to witness the historic comeback, with Oasis confirmed to bring the ‘Live ’25’ tour Down Under later this year.
In a full-circle move, Brisbane indie-rock favourites Ball Park Music have been tapped as national support — an idea personally championed by Liam Gallagher, he claimed last month.
The local inclusion aligns with the Minns government’s new push to encourage international acts to take Australian artists on tour, offering financial incentives to boost homegrown support slots on major bills.
The incentive will see the NSW Government reduce the venue hire fee by a significant $20,000 for each eligible show across the Venues NSW network, and by $5,000 at Sydney Opera House.
To be eligible, at least one Australian act must be included as support on an international act’s headline tour. The local act must appear on the same stage as the international act, and they must also be announced at the same time as the tour.
The incentive will be available for an initial two-year period starting today (May 5th).
