I also ran across a performance of the song in Tokyo in late September, 2002, and the fan comments
really caught my attention. The first one, the only one immediately visible when I clicked on the link for the video:
I think Liam is 90% of the song
Others I saw as soon as I clicked on the comments:
I love this performance. Liam is too cool for this planet.
My god how epic is Liam's look and standing position here.
Wow what a great song awesome performance by the best singer and band ever this is awesome oasis at it's best ever amazing
Might not be Oasis at peak, but as a visual spectacle, I've never seen Liam looking more cool
These are some of the Oasis fans who were never going to find Noel acceptable as a substitute for Oasis, even though Noel wrote almost all their songs and could handle lead vocals.
Liam's singing isn't great here. He'd just turned 30, but he'd been damaging his voice for years with cigarettes, alcohol and drugs (especially cocaine). Still, he had the looks and attitude that had made them superstars. Attitude he'd had already when he was singing about being a rock'n'roll star before he became one. Noel needed him, just as much as he needed Noel. And I think Noel realized that, as Liam worked to improve his voice in recent years, was singing Oasis hits including ones that Noel had taken lead vocal on, and was selling out venues - even Knebworth - with his own band.