Gallagher’s felt nervous on stage for the first time at the concert marking Manchester Arena’s reopening after May’s terror attack.
The former Oasis rocker’s current band Noel Gallagher and The High Flying Birds headlined the star-studded gig on Saturday (September 9).
The concert was the first at the Manchester, England venue since a terrorist detonated an explosive device after an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 and injuring 250.
One extraordinary scene in the wake of the tragedy occurred when a crowd in the city’s St Ann’s Square broke a minute’s silence held for the victims to sing Oasis’ 1995 hit Don’t Look Back In Anger as a gesture of defiance.
Noel, 50, said that as a result of the song’s adoption, he felt nerves for the first time before performing on Saturday.
“It was the first time I’ve ever got nervous going on stage because of what happened with that song in the aftermath of the bombing,” he told BBC Radio 6 Music. “It kind of became an anthem for defiance and people rallied round it in the minute’s silence and all that. Which I was watching live on the news when it happened and I was rendered kind of speechless.”
He added, “So as it (the gig) was getting closer I was thinking, ‘I hope I’m going to be able to pull this off because it was quite an emotional thing, you know what I mean.'”
Noel broke down in tears during his band’s set, and said he thought all the acts involved honoured the victims and survivors “properly”.
His estranged brother, former Oasis frontman Liam, was not impressed by his sibling’s tearful performance however as he took to Twitter to write that Noel “doesn’t give a f**k” and was faking his emotions. He had previously condemned his brother for not reuniting with him for a June charity gig held to raise funds for the victims’ families.
Blossoms, Pixie Lott, Rick Astley, The Courteeners, and Bugzy Malone also performed at Saturday’s reopening.
