Nobody who caught Oasis’ set at the V Festival in Staffordshire, England, on August 22nd, 2009, knew they were watching a band just hours away from complete implosion. The group had been on the road for a year at that point, supporting their new album Dig Out Your Soul , and had a mere four gigs to go before it wrapped up. They took the stage at the end of the evening following sets by James, Elbow, and Snow Patrol and performed a 19-song set heavy on classics like “Wonderwall,” “Supersonic” and “Champagne Supernova.
” It wrapped up with “I Am The Walrus,” which had been a part of their live repertoire since their earliest days. The first sign of trouble came the next night when they canceled the second night of the V Festival due to “Laryngitis,” but rumors were swirling that the group was once again in a state of disarray. Noel Gallagher later claimed Liam simply didn’t show up to the show due to a hangover, but the following weekend, he arrived at the Rock en Seine Festival in Paris ready to play.
Someone made the mistake of putting the band in a tiny dressing room, and soon enough, tempers were flaring. According to Noel’s account in 2011, Liam was furious over the bad press he’d gotten over canceling the last show. “He thinks I’m some sort of fucking puppet master who controls the media in England,” Noel said.
“So we get to Paris, and he’s reeling off journalist’s names. It’s all manner of people I have never met, ‘You fucking t.