Oasis at Murrayfield beats Taylor Swift for most "ground-shaking" gig in Edinburgh

8 August 2025, 12:49 | Updated: 8 August 2025, 12:52

Liam Gallagher performing with Oasis on the ground-shaking Dig Out Your Soul tour in July 2009. Picture: Alamy

According to scientists, the Gallaghers' last show in Scotland beat performances by the Chili Peppers and Kings Of Leon in terms of "peak earth-shaking power".

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Oasis were responsible for the most "ground-shaking" live performance at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium when the band last played there in June 2009.

According to an analysis of seismic data by the the British Geological Survey (BGS), the Gallaghers' final show in Scotland for 16 years topped the chart for the most powerful "seismic concert" at the venue in the past 20 years.

The Oasis show on 17th June 2009 gig beat Red Hot Chili Peppers in June 2004, Kings of Leon in June 2011 and even Taylor Swift in June 2024 after scientists measured the peak earth-shaking power of each event.

2009-06-17 - Oasis - Wonderwall + Supersonic - Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh, Scotland

The measurements were taken from a seismic monitoring station, located 2 and a half miles from the venue.

According to Sky News, the power output is not related to the volume of the band or the crowd, but the movement of fans jumping and dancing in time to the music, with the height of the jumping and weight of the crowd also potential factors.

At a peak power of 215.06kW, the Oasis gig was more than twice as powerful as the next strongest event - which was the Red Hot Chili Peppers date, which was measured at 106.87kW.

Murrayfield Stadium's most seismic concerts:

Oasis, 17th June 2009: 215.06kW
Red Hot Chili Peppers: 14 June 2004, 106.87kW
Kings of Leon: 26 June 2011, 96.18kW
Taylor Swift: 8 June 2024, 82.56kW
Foo Fighters: 8 September 2015, 78.65kW
Harry Styles: 26 May 2023, 65.38kW
Beyonce: 20 May 2023, 29.31kW
Robbie Williams: 31 May 2025, 14.18kW
Bon Jovi: 22 June 2011, 13.20kW
Spice Girls: 8 June 2019, 10.63kW
One Direction, 3rd June 2014: 6.82kW

BGS seismologist Callum Harrison told Sky: "In 2009, seismic signals generated by Oasis fans were consistent with a crowd energy of 215kW at its peak - enough to power around 30 of the scooters featured on the iconic Be Here Now album cover.

"Our network of sensors around the country is sensitive enough to pick up ground movement from a source miles away that may not be detectable to humans - and precise enough to register exact timestamps for when the events occur.

"The peak energy reading was recorded around 8.30pm on that June evening back in 2009, which correlates to the time the band first took the stage and performed Rock 'N' Roll Star, which couldn't be more fitting in terms of topping our seismic music chart."

Harrison added: "Improving our understanding of historical earthquakes is an important part of BGS research in trying to understand and mitigate the seismic risk around the country."

Oasis will appear at the Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh tonight (Friday 8th August), Saturday (9th August) and Tuesday (12th August).

Calium Harrison said it is "certainly possible" the band could beat the score from their 2009 gig, adding: "We'll just have to wait and see.

"The main contributing factors are going to be how energetic the crowd is. If they're jumping along with the music, how high or how fast are they jumping?"