Liam Gallagher dedicates Oasis song to brother amid rape charge, hints at return next year

Liam Gallagher dedicated Oasis’s 1997 hit Stand By Me to his older brother Paul during the penultimate UK show of the band’s Live ’25 reunion tour at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday night, as fans pressed for a possible return next year.

Paul Gallagher, 59, has been accused of rape and several related offenses. Gallagher denied the rape charge when he appeared at Harrow Crown Court, which was sitting at Southwark Crown Court in London, on Friday. He pleaded not guilty to coercive and controlling behaviour, three counts of sexual assault, three counts of intentional strangulation, two counts of making a threat to kill, and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. The alleged offences are said to have occurred between 2022 and 2024.

The dedication came as the singer paused mid-song before launching into Stand By Me, with lyrics that include, "I've got a lot of things to learn" and, "Stand by me, nobody knows the way it's gonna be." The moment underscored the tension surrounding the band and its members amid ongoing legal proceedings facing Paul Gallagher.

Earlier in the show, Oasis performed a string of fan favorites, opening with Hello from their 1995 album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?, with Liam Gallagher holding a maraca as he greeted the crowd. The set list included Some Might Say, Morning Glory and Roll With It, building toward a closing trilogy of Don't Look Back In Anger, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova. The performance occurred during a tour that has seen the band visit Ireland, Canada, the United States and Mexico ahead of two final UK shows at Wembley as part of Live ’25 before they head to Japan, South Korea, Australia and South America.

Oasis announced their reunion in August last year, sixteen years after their dramatic 2009 split sparked by a backstage incident between Liam and Noel Gallagher. In the Wembley show’s broader arc, the band also dedicated Live Forever to boxer Ricky Hatton, who died earlier this month at the age of 46; Hatton’s image was projected on screen after the track from Definitely Maybe, drawing cheers from the crowd.

As the North London gig wrapped, the brothers arrived on stage hand in hand to perform a set that has fed rumors of the band’s possible return to the iconic Knebworth site—the scene of their famous 1996 festival-style performances. Oasis is billing two final UK shows at Wembley, with a larger global itinerary on the horizon.

The Live ’25 tour has represented a rare, high-profile reunion for Oasis, who originally split in 2009 after a long-running feud between the Gallagher brothers. While Paul Gallagher’s legal proceedings continue, the music side of the band has continued to captivate a broad, loyal audience that remains engaged with the possibility of future appearances, including questions about whether the group will return to Knebworth in the coming year.