Friday, the 11th of July. Manchester. First row. First homecoming show of the best band in the world. Everyone in the queue, where I have been waiting patiently since early morning, arriving around 6 am, agrees on one thing – this is history. We came from all around the world, really – with Italians leading the queue, followed by the fans travelling from Korea, Australia or the US. Having travelled from Germany myself, I’m amongst the people being interviewed from the early hours. People struggle to find the words as they get approached by reporters from various British media and repeatedly asked what this band means to them. Everything, my whole life, the best day I’ll ever have is what resonates the most with me. Words are failing me as I’m trying to describe how seeing the two brothers walk hand in hand onto the stage to the sound of Fuckin’ in the Bushes made me feel. “Don’t be expecting us holding hands and kissing n cuddling” to quote Liam precisely. I swear I shed a tear every time they expressed this new-found appreciation and love for one another.

From the second Liam hit that first note of Hello, I couldn’t believe my ears. They sound so grown up. So majestic. The whole set is absolutely mesmerising, quite similar to Liam’s Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour set. Liam’s voice has never sounded better. Noel’s guitar solos are breathtaking, featuring his iconic red ES-355 Gibson. Joey Waronker joining the band on the drums brought an unexpected kick, speeding some of the tunes up a notch. They levelled up in a way none of us expected. Dare I say, it overpowered Knebworth in every aspect.

The setlist featured some of the crowd’s favorites, including Champagne Supernova or Wonderwall, as well as some unexpected deep cuts like Fade Away or The Masterplan. I genuinely never experienced a crowd singing back at such volume. 80 000 people seemingly knowing every single lyric had me wondering which band could ever pull a comeback this triumphant. After 16 years. Nobody. This was one for the books. A comeback of the century.