Featured image and gallery: Sally Stretch
Three decades after they first emerged in Manchester, Take That return home to the Etihad Stadium and deliver an unforgettable show, combining circus theatrics and crowd-pleasing hits from across their catalogue. Formed in 1990, the group have released multiple chart-topping albums and embarked on numerous world tours, including 2009’s record-breaking The Circus Live.
Welcomed by generations of fans at their second night at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen prove that Take That remain one of Britain’s most accomplished live acts.
Opening the show, American singer-songwriter Belinda Carlisle thankfully doesn’t bring any ‘Summer Rain’ to Manchester, instead delivering summer joy with beautiful renditions of classic hits such as ‘Heaven Is A Place on Earth’ and ‘Circle In The Sand’, rousing the crowd and kickstarting the show.
The Script follow with a passionate performance, warming up the Etihad ahead of their own UK tour in November. Frontman Danny O’Donoghue’s energy is contagious as he runs around the crowd, high-fiving and stopping for selfies with excitable fans. With infectious enthusiasm, O’Donoghue performs the classic ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’ and new single ‘Man In The Arena’ further raising the energy levels and readying fans for Take That.
Before the headliners take the stage, a sea of mimes swarms the Etihad, handing out balloons to fans and performing elaborate stunts as two performers take turns jumping off a balloon-adorned truck. At one point, a performer leaps into a hot air balloon and is taken up into the sky moments before Take That make their entrance.
The night opens with ‘Greatest Day’ and ‘Hello’ as Barlow, Donald and Owen dance among the mimes, high-five audience members and stride around the B-stage. Later, a mechanical elephant emerges to transport the trio to the circus tent main stage as ‘Shine’ kicks in to ecstatic cheers. During Barlow’s piano performance of ‘Love Ain’t Here Anymore’ and ‘Nobody Else’, a tightrope walker crosses perilously overhead, leaving the audience holding their breath.
Throughout the night, Take That take time to thank the fans, from the ones that were there from the beginning to the children who were raised listening to them. The encore of ‘Rule the World’ is a heart-warming end, as fireworks erupt into the night sky. As the band finally leave the stage, ‘Rule The World’ is still being sung by fans across the stadium.
The Circus tour is a feast for the eyes and ears. More than a concert, it is a spectacle sustained by vibrant energy from start to finish. It serves as a reminder of a group still delighting audiences decades into their career and proving that, while they may have been part of the music scene for a long time, they are showing no signs of slowing down.
Take That’s The Circus tour returns to Manchester on 1st July.
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