VANCOUVER -- In the face of critical backlash, British superstars Oasis to took the stage in Vancouver Friday night to prove they are still one of the best rock-and-roll bands of the '90s.

Although GM Place was far from sold out for the group's third trip to Vancouver (with only the floor and lower seating bowl occupied) the brothers Gallagher and cohorts put on a solid and surprisingly playful show.

After sauntering on stage to the strains of Thin Lizzy's Boys Are Back In Town, Oasis drove through a blistering set that included past hits like Supersonic, Cigarettes and Alcohol, the unrelenting Wonderwall and selections from their latest release, Be Here Now.

Oasis have never been ones to get overly excited on stage. Standing in one spot, barely moving a muscle has generally been their style.

This time, however, singer and notorious hooligan Liam Gallagher showed a different side not seen during their two previous stops in Vancouver.

The kinder, gentler Liam was all over the stage with his now-famous bowlegged swagger, interacting with the front rows and talking -- although somewhat incoherently -- between songs.

Could it be our man Liam is feeling a bit self-conscious about the band's waning popularity? Or has marriage calmed Britain's bad boy of pop down?

Besides a more affable stage presence this time around, the 24-year-old frontman sounded great. His powerful sandpaper vocals soared above the wall of guitars created by sibling Noel, rhythm guitarist Bonehead and bassist Paul McGuigan.

Showing what could only be construed as an actual appreciation for their fans, the band encored with the amazing Liam and Noel tag-team, Acquiesce.

Oasis has only begun to practise the time-honored rock tradition of the encore recently, making it all the more impressive.

At the end, Noel thanked the crowd for listening and cracked: "It's nice to see you're behaving yourselves this time!"

No, there were no repeats of the much publicized Oasis gig wherein the Brit chart-toppers walked off stage after only five songs, implying being pelted with coins and plastic cups was a poor welcome to Vancouver for the self-described greatest rock band in the world.

JAM! Rating: 3.5 out of 5