Oasis/London,UK 7.5.2002

The first delivery of “WITNESS FESTIVAL 2002 COMPLETE” includes the CD-R “FINSBURY PARK FIRST NIGHT” which contains the first day of Finsbury Park, the biggest performance in July. Speaking of Finsbury Park, that alone is the masterpiece of 2002 Oasis. A famous period that comes to mind. Finsbury Park in 2002 was held for three days, but the most famous one is probably the last day when it was broadcast on radio. Audience recordings exist for the remaining two days, but CD-Rs of those were released in 2002, and the first day was released as “FINSBURY PARK FIRST NIGHT”. This time, it will be a reprint version. Since it is a gig in a vast outdoor plaza, both sound sources for the two days have the sound quality of a typical outdoor audience recording, but the first day is clearly better in terms of ease of listening. In particular, the sound image of Liam’s singing voice is well-balanced, and the secret to its ease of listening is that there is little phenomenon of the sound coming from the venue being blown away by the wind, which is common in outdoor recordings. Also, the fact that the large chorus, which was customary at Oasis gigs, is captured with a deeper balance than the performance, adds to the ease of listening, and the only place where the chorus is harsh is around “Moring Glory”, and I think it’s a good thing that the balance is such that it’s pushed to the right side. In fact, compared to the turbulent excitement that was captured in the radio broadcast on the final day, it seemed to have a calmer sense of realism. And after all, Finsbury Park was a big game for Oasis in 2002, and the performance content could not be bad on the first day. Liam’s level of excitement is at an incredible level. His voice is already coming out loud and I get chills listening to him attack so hard. It was a great performance on the last day, but you will realize that this day was also a great performance. On the final day, there was a tremendous chorus singing “She’s Electric” sung by Noel, but on this day it was not so much (bitter smile), and the chorus was more heated during “Don’t Look Back In Anger”. It is also attractive that the sense of realism is captured in a balance without being sarcastic. The finale, “My Generation,” begins with Noel dedicating it to John Entwistle, who passed away suddenly, and after the end, Liam shouts “Come on!”, and the high tension typical of Finsbury Park shines through to the end. The first day of Finsbury Park is surprisingly easy to listen to, yet surprisingly difficult to obtain. Finsbury Park, London, UK 5th July 2002 TRULY AMAZING/PERFECT SOUND Disc 1 (45:42) 1. Fuckin’ In The Bushes 2. Hello 3. The Hindu Times 4. Hung In A Bad Place 5. Go Let It Out 6 Columbia 7. Morning Glory 8. Stop Crying Your Heart Out 9. Little By Little 10. D’You Know What I Mean? Disc 2 (49:12) 1. Cigarettes & Alcohol 2. Live Forever 3. Better Man 4. She’s Electric 5. Born On A Different Cloud 6. Acquiesce 7. Force Of Nature 8. Don’t Look Back In Anger 9. Some Might Say 10. My Generation