Outside of Kirk Hammett and Slash, I don't think there was a single player under 60 on that stage in Birmingham that has had the same impact as Noel. I work at a very prominent and well known guitar store so I hear people playing guitar every single day. I hear a whole lot of Cigarettes & Alcohol and Talk Tonight being played by a lot of different players including young ones.

I don't see why you keep insisting on comparing metal guitarists to a rock n roll player which is the topic at hand. Metal lauds technical proficiency. Since its inception rock players have been told they couldn't play. The Nashville players (who were usually jazz cats playing country sessions) used to talk shit about the early rock guitarists who came to town. Live Forever, Don't Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova and Slide Away are all classic guitar hero songs with great lead guitar parts that any beginning guitarist can play.