The fans waited a very long time for a kick-ass show, which they got but not for very long.

Liam Gallagher and Foo Fighters sent tremors down the city of Seoul and shivers down the spines of music fans gathered at Jamsil Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on Tuesday.

“Live Forever Long” offered Korea a chance to see Gallagher and Foo Fighters for the first time in five and two years, respectively. And it did not disappoint.

Opening the night was Korean band The Monotones, kicking things off with “A” and “Glorious Day.”

“I was thinking, should I do it Liam’s style, or “Dave Grohl’s style? I decided to just do it The Monotones’ style,” said vocalist Hunjo, as the band warmed up the crowd of some 8,000 who had mostly come to see the two music legends.

As the staff began to change the stage for the next artist, “Gangnam Style” was heard at the venue.

Wrong concert? It was actually Gallagher, paying tribute to the Korean fans by playing the country’s biggest hit to date.

Liam Gallagher performs during the “Live Forever Long” concert in Seoul on Tuesday. (Live Nation Korea)

As if he needed further introduction, he showed everyone who he was by playing “Rock ‘n Roll Star” from his Oasis days. The hit track was from “Definitely Maybe,” the breaking debut of his former band, and touched the many nostalgic fans still reminiscing about Oasis.

Former Oasis frontman said he decided to play more Oasis songs, as he wanted to give fans what they wanted.

What followed was the steely electric guitar intro of “Morning Glory,” from “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” which is among the biggest commercial and critical successes in the British music scene. The song had the crowd pumped up and on their feet, as they rocked out to the tunes of the 1995 hit.

A testament to the singer’s popularity, a wide-spectrum of age groups were present at the scene, although most of the fans jumping up and down in the standing section were in their 20s and 30s. They had grown up adoring Oasis and looked to be still hyped up at the sight of their hero.

After catering to the fans’ nostalgia, Gallagher went on to show what he had in store for the future, playing “Wall of Glass,” “Greedy Soul,” “Bold,” and other songs from his first album as a solo artist “As You Were.”

“This one’s call Universal Gleam. So I’ll make it so, mate,” said Gallagher as the fans held up their smartphones to scatter lights across the mid-August night.

Korean fans, whom he called “mental,” sang along to every word of his hit songs. The excitement factor was dialed up to 11 when the singer cracked open the biggest Oasis hit in Korea: “Wonderwall.”

“There are many things that I would like to say to you, BUT I DON’T KNOW KOREAN!” sang Gallagher, to the shrieking delight of the fans.

No one wanted to see the Brit take off, but despite cheers of “encore!” and “Li-Am! Li-Am!” it was time for the next artist to take the stage.

And oh boy, did the Foo Fighters take the stage.

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters sings during the “Live Forever Long” concert in Seoul on Tuesday. (Live Nation Korea)

Foo Fighters perform at the “Live Forever Long” concert in Seoul on Tuesday. (Live Nation Korea)

The last phase of the concert started off with the quiet guitar riff and soft vocal of Dave Grohl in “All My Life,” which soon escalated with the rock band exploding and the frontman growling into the microphone.

The crowd literally took off to the upbeat tunes of “Learn to Fly,” then they were swaying their heads and rocking onto “The Pretender,” “My hero,” “Big Me” which peaked with the crowd singing along to “Best of You.”

Grohl vowed to come back to the country before bidding good-bye with “Everlong.”

True to their reputation, the global rock stars put on one hell of a show. But empty spaces left in the standing area and the sight of some fans leaving after Gallagher’s performance left a feeling of uneasiness, considering the stars’ popularity here.

When approached by The Korea Herald, one of the fans who was leaving replied that she is a fan of Oasis but not of Foo Fighters.

While both stars boast international fame and enjoy a considerable fan base in the country, their fans generally do not overlap given their difference in their music. This may have resulted in some fans leaving during the show.

Some fans complained that the time dedicated to their star was too short, given that the tight schedule did not leave room for an impromptu encore. The turnout for Tuesday’s concert -- 8,000 -- was considerably smaller than the 20,000 at who showed up to see Psy earlier in the month.

The concert left the fans a memory to cherish, but also a lingering question: Could it have been better?


By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)