UPDATE 1-British rock band Oasis start comeback tour in Cardiff

Oasis, the biggest British rock band of the 1990s, start their reunion tour in Cardiff on Friday, bringing the feuding Gallagher brothers back together on stage for the first time in nearly 16 years. The band, whose hits "Live Forever" and "Wonderwall" helped define "Britpop", announced the shows nearly a year ago, setting off a frenzy for tickets.

Guitarist, main songwriter and vocalist Noel Gallagher, 58, told talkSPORT radio last week the band was "sounding huge" in rehearsals. "This is it, there's no going back," he said.

The group, whose debut album "Definitely Maybe" was released 31 years ago, split in 2009 when Noel said he could no longer work with his younger brother Liam. The barbs continued, but fans still hoped the band would reform.

"The thing that makes the Oasis reunion special is the thing that makes any reunion special: It has to be something that people really want and something that people thought they'd never see. And Oasis ticks both those boxes," music journalist Mark Sutherland told Reuters. Fans started to gather early outside the city's 74,500-capacity Principality stadium, where official Adidas-Oasis football shirts were on sale for 85 pounds ($116).

"They're more than a band, it's almost like a movement," said Matt Hobman, 48. "It's like a piece of Britishness." The Gallaghers will be joined by original member Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, as well as Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Joey Waronker.

Oasis' debut album "Definitely Maybe", released in 1994, was a milestone in "Britpop", a bright, guitar-led reaction to U.S. grunge music. Its follow-up, "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", featuring "Wonderwall" and "Don't Look Back in Anger", was the best-selling album of the 1990s in Britain and brought the band's breakthrough in the United States.

Many fans waited for hours in online queues to buy tickets last year, only to find prices had jumped when they eventually had a chance to get them. Britain's competition watchdog launched an investigation into Ticketmaster over the sale, including the use of "dynamic pricing" to hike the cost to fans at the last minute.

Those waiting for the gates to open had put any concerns about ticket prices far behind them. "I'd be willing to pay anything to see the reunion, especially first night," said 19-year-old student Ellie Wilshaw from Manchester, who was wearing a bucket hat with the slogan "Biblical".

After playing two shows in Cardiff, the Oasis Live '25 tour will continue in the Gallaghers' home city of Manchester. It continues in Britain and Ireland, followed by shows across North and South America, Asia and Australia. ($1 = 0.7330 pounds)

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