Oasis arrive in Edinburgh for Murrayfield shows

The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over.

When the clocks stopped on Oasis's original run in 2009, fans could not have imagined it would take 16 years for Liam and Noel Gallagher to perform together again in front of a Scottish crowd.

Now, 5,896 days after their last appearance at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, the band are back for three nights at the arena on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday.

An estimated 70,000 fans are expected to pack into the stadium each night - which could see a new record set for the largest stadium gig in Scottish history.

The gigs come at the height of Edinburgh's festival season, with the population of the city already near-doubling over the course of the month.

But there is little doubt that Oasis is the hottest ticket in town.

An official fan shop selling licensed merchandise opened on the city's George Street on Monday and has already welcomed thousands of customers through the door.

On Thursday, a promotional car parked outside was welcomed with the ultimate show of Edinburgh hospitality - being slapped with a parking ticket.

Teddy and Carly Cheesebrough travelled from the US for the gig after getting married in Edinburgh 22 years ago.

Carly said she had been a fan since Teddy introduced her to the band when they met in 2000.

She said it was the first time they had come back to the city since they wed, leaving their four children at home.

"We decided to get in the lottery and if we get it, we're going back to Scotland," she said.

"All four kids had to stay at home, they were pretty bummed.

"We have seen them six to 10 times in the States but this is the first time we have been back to Scotland since we got married."

Doors open at Murrayfield from 17:00 each day, starting on Friday.

Support will be provided by 90s indie stars Cast and former frontman of The Verve, Richard Ashcroft.

Tickets are colour coded and only permit entry to the stadium at certain points.

Those with green or orange tickets can enter through Roseburn Street.

Purple ticket holders can enter through Roseburn Park or Riverside Street and blue ticket holders go through the Roseburn Crescent entrance.

ScotRail has put on late-night services on top of an already enhanced festival timetable for travelling fans.

Additional trains to Glasgow Queen Street, Dundee, Perth and Dunblane will leave from Haymarket, about a 15-minute walk from Murrayfield, after the gigs.

As Liam sings in the setlist opener, nobody ever mentions the weather can make or break your day.

The years may not be the only thing falling like the rain for fans on Friday as there could be a chance of a few showers shortly before the band take the stage. However, those are predicted to pass fairly quickly.

The crowd are far more likely to spend their day in the sunshine on Saturday, but it will still be blustery and may feel slightly cool – the perfect weather to break out a parka.

Tuesday will see the best of the conditions, with fans urged not to lose their faith in the summertime during the day when a few scattered showers are forecast, as it is expected to improve into the evening.

The Murrayfield shows are the fourth UK venue played by the band on the reunion tour.

They mark a poignant return to the country for the Gallagher brothers and guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs.

The three are the only remaining members of the original band signed to Creation Records in 1993 after being spotted performing at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow by record executive Alan McGee.

Only a dozen people, including an intrepid Japanese tourist with a video camera, were in the audience that night.

Three years later, an 80,000-strong crowd watched them perform at Balloch Castle following the success of their first two albums.

Some ticketless fans even swam across Loch Lomond and broke down fences just to see them perform live.

Their last Scottish gig, on 17 June 2009, came just two months before their split at the Rock En Seine festival in Paris.

Federica Femia and Emilia Cacciapuoti wanted to see them in Milan, the next scheduled stop on that tour.

But the gig never went ahead.

On Thursday, they bought a special edition of the 1997 album, Be Here Now, at the George Street shop.

Federica said are now hoping to make up for lost time after travelling to Edinburgh from Rome in time for Friday's opening gig.

"I never managed to see them when they were together and they broke up right before the concert in Milan," she said.

"This is to make up for that."