OTD 7 years ago, U2 played Oasis classic 'Don't Look Back in Anger' with Noel Gallagher.
Seven years ago on the “Joshua Tree” tour, U2 brought out Noel Gallagher to cover Oasis‘ “Don't Look Back in Anger.”
During U2's show at Twickenham Stadium in Twickenham, England, the band played a pretty normal concert. The setlist generally featured the same songs, though Bono sang “Happy Birthday to You” to his daughter, Eve Hewson.
The show seemingly ended with a performance of “The Little Things That Give You Away,” which, at that point, was unreleased and from Songs of Experience. Gallagher then joined them on stage.
The performance
“Thank you for bringing your High Flying Birds with us,” Bono said to Gallagher. “May you take us somewhere else, somewhere that only you can?”
Gallagher started the song by singing the first verse of “Don't Look Back in Anger” as U2's Bono watched on. He and Bono allowed the crowd to take the chorus. The Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. all played softly in the background.
During the solo, The Edge got his moment. He put a twist on the iconic guitar solo. While it begins similarly to the original one, he puts his own spin as it continues.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds were the opening act of several of U2's “Joshua Tree” tour shows. Their relationship spans decades, as Oasis opened for U2 on the “PopMart” tour as well. They opened the two shows in Oakland, California, on June 18 and 19, 1997.
“Don't Look Back in Anger” is up there with “Wonderwall” as Oasis' biggest song. Despite the band breaking up, Gallagher continues to play it during his concerts.
Bono and Gallagher are clearly close. Inhaler, which is fronted by Bono's son Elijah Hewson, opened a couple of shows for Gallagher and the High Flying Birds.
The 2017 “Joshua Tree” tour
Not to be confused with the 1987 tour of the same name, the 2017 “Joshua Tree” tour celebrated U2's album of the same name for its thirtieth anniversary. They played the album in full across North America and Europe in 2017.
An extension of the tour came in 2019. The band visited Oceania and Asia with 15 shows being played. While the setlist largely stayed the same, there were some tweaks made. The constant is The Joshua Tree being played in full from “Where the Streets Have No Name” to “Mothers of the Disappeared.”
Who are U2?
The 2019 leg of the “Joshua Tree” tour is the last tour U2 has embarked on. Since then, they played a 40-night residency in Las Vegas at the Sphere.
The Sphere shows commemorated the band's 1991 album, Achtung Baby. They played the album in its entirety each night of the residency, along with some of their biggest hits.
U2 made their album debut with Boy in 1980. They quickly followed that up with October and War in 1982 and 1983, respectively. The Unforgettable Fire came next before The Joshua Tree, their biggest success to date.
Since then, the band has released 10 studio albums. The most recent was Songs of Surrender, a collection of 40 re-recorded songs from their back catalog. It tied in with Bono's memoir, Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story.