This 4th of July marks a monumental occasion: the much-anticipated return of Oasis, one of the undisputed leaders of ’90s Britpop, to the concert stage. The Oasis ’25 Live tour is set to be their first live appearance since their 2009 split, kicking off with dates across Europe and North America. The tour will then head to Asia in October 2025 for three nights in South Korea and Japan, before continuing to Australia and concluding in South America in November 2025.

This long-awaited comeback brings to mind a question for Filipino fans: do you remember when Oasis was supposed to perform in Manila? What exactly happened? Let’s journey back to 2002.

In July 2002, Oasis released their fifth studio album, Heathen Chemistry. The album featured eleven tracks, including hit singles like “The Hindu Times,” “Stop Crying Your Heart Out,” “Little By Little/She Is Love,” and “Songbird.” To promote the album, the band embarked on the Heathen Chemistry World Tour, their first major global trek since the Standing on the Shoulder of Giants Tour in 2001. The tour began in England in February 2002 and concluded in Germany later that year. Before its conclusion, the tour made stops in Japan during the first week of October 2002, followed by an Australian leg and visiting Southeast Asia leg that was scheduled to end in Manila and Singapore on October 23 and October 26, 2002, respectively.

The Oasis concert in Manila was slated for October 23, 2002, at the iconic Araneta Coliseum, promoted by Midas Promotions. Ticket prices were as follows: Php2,750, Php2,200, Php1,050, Php700, and Php300. Excitement was palpable; tickets went on-sale via Ticketnet. However, just few days before the show, the band announced the cancellation of both Southeast Asia shows for the Heathen Chemistry Tour.

The reason cited by their tour agent was heightened concerns over terrorist attacks in the region, specifically referencing the tragic Bali Bombings and the Zamboanga bombing. Their tour agent announced: “Due to recent terrorist attacks in both Bali and in the Philippines, Oasis has regretfully decided not to play its show in Manila on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2002. The band did not wish to perform a show under extreme security precautions that would have to be taken in order to guarantee crowd and band safety.”

While the show promoter, Midas Promotions, diligently worked to reschedule the Southeast Asian dates, it unfortunately never materialized. Oasis eventually made their return to the region during the Don’t Believe the Truth Tour in February 2006, gracing stages in Thailand, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The band even brought their final world tour to date, the Dig Out Your Soul Tour, to the region in April 2009, just months before Noel Gallagher’s departure from the band later that year.

For many Filipino fans, the memory of that canceled 2002 Manila show still stings. I spoke to some friends who had tickets for the original Oasis Live in Manila 2002 concert.

“I was excited for my kababayans, of course. The band I’d seen so many times was finally coming to the Philippines. So it sucked that it got canceled because of the bombings in Indonesia,” shared Le-van De Guzman, a huge fan of the group who’s even scheduled to catch their 2025 World Tour in Manchester and the U.S. “Hopefully someone tries to bring them here for this reunion, even for the rumored 2026 tour.”

Jasmin Torralba, a devoted fan of Oasis, vividly recalls the rollercoaster of emotions leading up to the band’s supposed 2002 concert in Manila. “A month before the concert, I was a whirlwind of excitement and anxiety,” she shared. “Sleep became a luxury, as I tossed and turned, dreaming of the perfect experience.” She remembers a different era for concerts, one without the now-common perks. “Back then, things were different: no meet-and-greets, no VIP priority lines.” Jasmin and her brother had secured VIP Standing tickets, their sights set on “that coveted front-row center spot.”

However, their anticipation was shattered just five days before the show. “On Friday, October 18, 2002, our hopes were crushed,” Jasmin recounted. The October 23rd concert was canceled due to terrorist bombings in Indonesia. “It was a complete disillusionment, an epic fail,” she lamented, still puzzled by the decision. “We couldn’t understand why they had to scrap their entire Asian tour, especially when the rest of their world tour continued.”

Despite the past disappointment, Jasmin’s enthusiasm for a potential future Oasis show in Manila remains undimmed. When asked about the possibility, she emphatically stated, “Definitely! Not Maybe! 😊 It’s the Filipino fans’ second chance at getting their dream of seeing Oasis live come true. It’s also something we all never thought would still be possible.” She highlighted the band’s enduring appeal, noting that “generations today are rediscovering the band’s music through online streaming. I personally know Gen Zs who are singing along to Oasis songs. This is long overdue!“

While the full band never made it to Manila, Filipino fans did get a taste of Oasis when vocalist, Liam Gallagher performed at the Mall of Asia Arena in August 2017. He showcased songs from his first solo album, As You Were, alongside a string of Oasis classics, including “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,” “Morning Glory,” “D’You Know What I Mean?,” “Slide Away,” “Be Here Now,” “Live Forever,” and an acoustic rendition of “Wonderwall.”

While fans worldwide are rejoicing over Oasis’s 2025 reunion tour, a strong desire remains among Filipino fans to see them perform live here in Manila. I believe anything is possible; if they choose to extend their tour to Southeast Asia someday, it could definitely happen.

It wouldn’t be unprecedented. I recall Guns N’ Roses reuniting from 2016 to 2019 and including Southeast Asia on their tour, a region they never visited during their heyday. Similarly, U2 brought their 30th Anniversary Joshua Tree Tour to our region in 2019, marking their first time playing here.

For a band of Oasis’s stature, there’s clearly a huge demand for them to either visit or extend their tour to Southeast Asia.

As fans around the globe rejoice at the news of Oasis’s 2025 reunion tour, a lingering hope remains: that we might still see them perform on Philippine soil one last time.

Words by Kevin Pableo
Special thanks to Le-van De Guzman and Jasmin Torralba