OASIS silenced the critics in Bolton last night as a united Liam and Noel rocked the Reebok without a sign of their reputed rivalry.

The death of a fan, who died on Saturday night after apparently thumbing a lift home on the motorway, was announced to the 35,000 crowd by request of the band.

But the music was the reason the fans were there and the sight of the Gallagher brothers swaggering on stage threw the ecstatic crowds into euphoria.

Midway through the concert Noel and Liam gave a big hello to their mum who was in the stands -- maybe that helped keep their behaviour and the language more civilised.

Before the concert, crowds could be seen sprawled on grass verges within a mile of the Bolton Wanderers stadium as the hot weather led thirsty fans to the nearest off-licences and pubs.

But the high spirits, piles of litter and traffic mayhem failed to upset residents living nearby.

Many didn't even hear the concert and the special complaints hot-line, set up especially for irate "neighbours", failed to record even one criticism.

After a slow start, Oasis began whipping the crowd into a frenzy with a brilliant Supersonic.

Noel's "B" side Step Out was a definite highlight of the night -- especially when the girls began stripping their tops off to the delight of an entire crowd who savoured the moment on giant video screens.

Gas Panic proved a little bit too understated with signs that the band were ebbing.

But Oasis proved the crowd were definitely mad for it with a superb Roll with It, followed by Stand By Me which the crowd belted out as one voice. One of the vivid memories of the night was the rock hit Cigarettes and Alcohol -- followed by a wry smile from Liam.

Liam has come under a lot of criticism lately but his performance on stage was incredibly professional -- despite pointing to a girl in the audience and asking her for her phone number!

Support bands Johnny Marr's Healers and The Happy Mondays passed the time for the crowd, some of whom were more interested in getting the beers in than listening to their songs.

The former lead guitarist and songwriter for the Smiths, Johnny Marr, opened the afternoon of rock. The standing crowd surged forward in a mass of bodies.

Bez and Shaun Ryder went down a storm as their Manchester hits echoed around the giant stadium.

In fact, if there was any complaints about the venue, some in the audience felt that the acoustics could have been better -- especially in the upper tiers.

One of the event organisers, Lewis Jameson, said: "This is the closest to home that Liam and Noel will come.

"They couldn't play at Maine Road because it was already booked and they refuse to play at Old Trafford, for their own reasons, so Bolton with its new stadium proved the answer.

"It is a beautiful stadium and has been perfect. The vibes have been good from everyone here. Bolton people have been very understanding. The stewards have realised that this is much different to a football match.

"It was very sad to hear about the Oasis fan's death. Liam and Noel care about their fans passionately. They always urge their fans to look after each other. That's why they requested to make a special announcement before their set urging their fans to take care going home."