Take That

In the early 1990s , Take That caught the attention of the UK music scene with their first number 1 hit “Pray”, and since then, they have been at the forefront of the boy band genre.

With a huge dedicated fan base who have followed them since that 1993 number 1 single, it comes as no surprise that once again they are embarking on a huge sell out tour.

Tuesday 14th May is the start of a week long residency at the Utilita Arena in Birmingham where the evening sun is shining down on the swarm of fans gathered outside waiting to see one of Britain’s most iconic and loved bands.

Support comes from birthday boy Olly Murs , who is celebrating is 40th today.

Olly has his own huge fan base and probably could sell out the Utilita Arena in his own right judging by the amount of Olly Murs merchandise been displayed in the audience and with a relatively short set, he manages to squeeze in all of his hits for his adorning fans, many of whom are holding up happy birthday banners.

Olly Murs has been one of the rare success stories to come out of the X Factor and you can see that it is not lost on him that he is privileged to be able to do what he loves on stage.

A rendition of “Dear Darling” dedicated to his best friend , Caroline Flack , with the arena full of torch lights is the highlight of a great set.

Its fair to say Take That have had their fair share of success, problems and changes but they have to be admired for coming through it all to still be on top.

This tour is in support of their latest album “This Life”, and as always , fans are treated to a high energy performance of all the classics. Albeit maybe with a little less dancing than seen on previous tours.

The show kicks off with a new track “Keep Your Head Up” as they emerge in silhouette against bright background, to deafening screams from the fans, followed by another new track “Windows” and then into “Giants”.

With two giant stair cases being the focal point of the stage, for which the boys do a lot of running up and down, Gary even jokes asking “Who’s idea was this?”

With a giant retro TV prop, they set the scene to take everybody on a trip down memory lane with the story of Take That.
Step up Gary Barlow to start the story with a song he wrote at just 15 years old “A Million Love Songs”, before the guys give us a rendition of the for mentioned 1993 hit “Pray”.

The story goes on to talk about when they split up and gives the opportunity for each of them to sing their own personal solo tracks from that period. Gary Barlow starts with “Forever Love”, Mark Owen follows with “Clementine” before Howard Donald sings his solo effort “Speak Without Words”

With a phone prop, Gary makes a call and declares“ I think we should get the band back together” as they lead into the more recent era with “Patience”

Take That are known for big productions when on tour and have previously had some stunning creative sets and although this tour might arguably not be as quite as big a production as some previous ones, it is still impressive and the high standard that has come to be expected.

Also don’t be disappointed if your seats are towards the back as the boys make the effort to do several songs from a second stage at the back of the arena.

And that is what I like about Take That, everybody gets value for money and a good night is always guaranteed.

It’s hard to see Take That ever been knocked off the top of the tree, they have an army of fans young and old, always produce good music and always make the effort with excellent shows.

One word of caution though, if you are near the front, it is probably best to don’t dress to warm for “Relight My Fire”, a visual highlight of the show!

Set List:
Keep Your Head Up
Windows
Giants
Days I Hate Myself
Everything Changes
Sure
Shine
A Million Love Songs
I Found Heaven
Pray
Forever Love (Gary Barlow solo)
Clementine (Mark Owen solo)
Speak Without Words (Howard Donald solo)
Patience
The Flood
Get Ready For It
March of the Hopeful
The Champion
This Life
Greatest Day
These Days
Time and Time Again
Relight My Fire
One More Word
Hold Up A Light
Back For Good
Never Forget
Rule The World