Nearly a year to the day after Oasis announced its reunion tour, the British band arrived Thursday at a sold-out Soldier Field and turned the venue into the equivalent of a massive pub stocked with oversized screens on which to view the action on the pitch. Or, in this case, the stage — though the real excitement was in the audience.

Thirsty for Britpop greased with glam-rock riffs, high decibels and cascading melodies, fans drank up stadium-ready anthems tailor-made for hoisting beverages, high-fiving mates and swaying arm-in-arm. All that happened regularly, along with plenty of fist-pumping and cheering on songs that celebrated fundamental escapism, as well as optimism and the permission to be yourself.

Led by oft-feuding siblings Noel and Liam Gallagher, Oasis played its part in the

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