When Oasis walked onstage for their first-ever U.S. show at a tiny club called Wetlands in New York City on July 21, 1994, the 250 people crammed into the sweaty dive weren’t quite sure what to make of the youthful Brits. For a start, they weren’t moving. As the band roared through soon-to-be classics like “Live Forever,” “Cigarettes & Alcohol” and “Supersonic,” the five-piece remained defiantly motionless.
“It wasn’t the kind of show Americans were used to,” remembers journalist Jon Wiederhorn, who was reviewing the show for Melody Maker. “In America, grunge was in its heyday and bands were jumping and bouncing all over the place. You didn’t just stand still with your hands behind your back to sing rock songs to a crowd!”
