Noel Gallagher has been telling Radio X’s Johnny Vaughan about the times he’s had to stop a gig mid-way through a set.
The most notorious time was in September 2008, when a drunken “fan” charged the stage while Oasis were performing at Virgin Music Festival in Toronto. The individual shoved Noel, meaning the star fell forward onto the stage monitors, leaving him with three broken ribs.
Noel joked: “My first thought was: Why me? Why not him? Why not the other fella. I’m writing all the tunes here, mate!”
The stage invader was intercepted seconds before he had a chance to get to Noel’s brother Liam, however. In a court statement, Gallagher claimed the incident felt like being “hit by a bus”. The culprit later pleaded guilty to causing bodily harm, and was sentenced to 12 months house arrest
Noel was talking to Johnny on Radio X following the announcement of his new single We’re On Our Way Now and the forthcoming High Flying Birds greatest hits album Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021). which will mark 10 years of his solo career.
But that wasn’t the only time that there were unwelcome visitors to the Oasis stage, as Noel recalled.
“Twice, that’s happened,” he said. “One guy actually got on stage one night, hopped past our kid, to me. It was more effort to get over here.
“The song was going on while there was fighting – which was amazing. It was Bring It On Down, which is quite a violent song anyway.
“One of our mates, who was working on the merchandise stall for us ended up on stage. I was like, Why aren’t you on the merchandise stall? He was like, ‘Cause we’re havin’ a fight!’ We were robbed of £17 that night.”
Gallagher also remembered a time when Oasis had to stop a show mid-set at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium because the barriers at the front became damaged.
“We were halfway through a song and obviously I was stood to the side of the stage and somebody came on and said ‘Can you stop the show because the barrier’s cracked and we need to get everyone to move back’.”
“I stopped the band. Unfortunately, no-one told the singer. You know, the guy in the bucket hat with the maracas.
“He thought I was deliberately stopping the show to somehow make him look a fool. An argument ensued, onstage, between me and him while I was saying ‘Can everybody take a step back please’.
“He was going, ‘What are you taking a step back for, that’s not very f**king rock ‘n’ roll, is it?'”
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021) is released on 11 June and can be pre-ordered via the band’s official website.
Souce: Radio X