To celebrate we are having a Take That week in The Scottish Sun - and showcasing the ups and downs of Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald and Jason Orange.

Today ALAN CARSON takes a look at Howard...

HOWARD DONALD wasn’t the best-looking member of Take That — but he had no shortage of fans.

Loving it ... on Circus Tour

Loving it ... on Circus Tour

And after the band reformed and released Beautiful World, Howard won a whole new legion of admirers.

During his That That days he transformed from wholesome boy-next-door to grunge rocker — although he reckons he didn’t change on the inside.

After being in the public eye for 17 years, he said: “I always said right from the start that I would never change if we became famous, and I honestly think I haven’t changed at all.

“And if you asked people who know me, they’d agree.

Before finding fame with Take That he dreamed of becoming a pilot although he won an apprenticeship spraying cars. And for the choreographer, break-dancing remained his true passion. He teamed up with a certain Jason Orange to form dance troup Streetbeat.

Dreads ... hairy look

Dreads ... hairy look

Six-foot green-eyed hunk Howard was also a part-time model.

He was signed to a firm run by Nigel Martin-Smith, who at the time was looking to launch a boyband.

Howard auditioned, four others were found including Jason and Take That was formed in 1989. Howard and Jason took on the role of band choreographers.

The release of album Everything Changes, on which Howard sang lead vocals on If This Is Love, in 1993 cemented their stratospheric rise to fame, and the boyband won the hearts of millions.

Howard, now 41, was, like the rest of the lads, shocked when Robbie quit at the height of their success in July 1995.

Rob left as the band were promoting single Never Forget, which Howard sings. The song reached No1.

By this point Howard had ditched his clean-cut image and had grown dreads and was sporting a lip-piercing.

After continuing for eight months without Robbie, Take That split — leaving fans devastated.

Heyday ... Nineties look

Heyday ... Nineties look

Howard said: “The break-up was very traumatic for me. It was like a divorce and I was stuck in the middle of it.

“But we always decided that once members of the band had had enough then we would call it a day. We always wanted to break up when we were on top.

At a loss at what to do with his life, Howard, from Manchester, drifted through the years.

He recorded single Speak Without Words and in 1999 he gave up singing and took a year out.

He said afterwards: “I have learned how to weed the garden. It’s hard having nothing to do especially as life was intense before.”

He eventually became a successful club DJ, working under the name DJ HD.

In 2005, he took part in the ITV Take That documentary which laid the groundwork for a reunion and he leapt at the chance to join the tour in 2006.

The dad-of-two features on lead vocals on two songs on 2006 album Beautiful World — the title track and Mancunian Way.

He then ran off and joined The Circus ... singing lead on three songs on the band’s latest album.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol....ld.html

To celebrate the three shows - which kick off on Friday - we're tracking Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Howard Donald as they moved from humble beginnings to becoming the UK's biggest band.

Today ALAN CARSON turns the spotlight on Jason...

SEXY Jason Orange achieved superstardom with Take That — then quit showbiz to backpack around the world when the group split.

But the sensitive dancer always suspected that the lads would get back together and recreate their old magic.

Hats off ... Circus Tour

Hats off ... Circus Tour

In 1999 — three years after the split — he said: “We spent so long together that we needed our own space when we broke up.

“There was no major fallout or showdown... we’re all doing our own thing.

“If there was any real friendship there, we can always resume it in five years’ time.

Jason joined Take That in 1989 when manager Nigel Martin Smith put together a boyband to rival teeny American faves New Kids On The Block.

Within four years, they were the biggest band in the UK after the release of albums Take That And Party and Everything Changes.

But Jason, who had previously appeared on 80s TV show The Hitman And Her, didn’t take lead vocals on ANY songs — instead he wowed fans with his dancing.

After a string of No1s, Robbie Williams stunned the nation when he walked out on the lads in July 1995.

They soldiered on for another eight months — bagging two more No1s with Never Forget and How Deep Is Your Love — before calling it a day.

Superstars ... Take That in early 90s

Superstars ... Take That in early 90s

Jason ditched showbiz to go back-packing around the world. He said: “Travelling opens your eyes — you see new things all the time and you learn.”

He then did an acting course in New York with Max Beesley and won roles in Lynda La Plante’s Killer Net in 1999 and play Let’s All Go To The Fair.

Before Take That reformed — without Robbie — in 2006, Jason had again quit the limelight to study psychology at South Trafford College.

But he’s grown in confidence as a singer, taking lead vocals on Wooden Boat and How Did It Come To This.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol....ur.html

TAKE That play Hampden tomorrow, the first of three nights in Glasgow as part of their sold-out Circus Tour.
In the final part of our series celebrating the Fab Four, MATT BENDORIS turns the spotlight on the group's driving force - singer songwriter Gary Barlow...
HE was the ‘fat one’ from Take That who was the butt of everyone’s jokes.
But Gary Barlow has had the last laugh.
Not only has he been transformed from ugly duckling to a lean, mean fighting machine — he’s also orchestrated the comeback of all comebacks.
Gary was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1990s and penned 16 hit singles.
He notched up two No1 hits and five other top 40 singles as a solo artist in the latter half of the 1990s.
Barlow is also a five-time winner of the prestigious Ivor Novello Award.
And the new stream-lined Barlow, 38, has every right to be happy with his lot.
Take That’s upcoming Circus Tour became the fastest selling in history with 700,0000 tickets snapped up in one day.
But he hasn’t always had it this good.
By 2001, after Take That split, the blonde hunk had ballooned to l6st 8lb. Since then he’s lost 50lb and is a mini man-mountain of taut muscle.
He once said: “I was the fat, white one everyone pushed to one side so they could get a shot of Mark and Robbie.
“I’d never been in a gym until five years ago.
“I’m rebelling against where my body wants it to go. I can’t eat what I want to eat. If I did, I would put on 4lb every week.”
He added: “I was well into the obese bracket given my height (5ft 9in).
“I wasn’t in videos or doing photo-shoots anymore. I didn’t have to look good, I could eat what I wanted. But at the end, I was getting immobile.”
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Now he and bandmates Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald are Back For Good since reforming, minus Robbie Williams, in 2006.
Gary said: “I didn’t think we were owed it at all.
“I felt like we were really lucky to have had it last time.
“To have it again, I never even dreamed of it — none of us did. But it feels good.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol....ent-rig

BOY-BAND hysteria will hit Scotland when Britain's favourite pop act roll into town for the first of a hat-trick of shows at Glasgow's Hampden Stadium tomorrow night - but there will be no sign of the band's old mate Robbie Williams.

The Let Me EntertainYou singer has been told to forget all talk of a reunion and to knuckle down on finishing his own solo album.

And his former bandmate, Howard Donald, insists Robbie has given up on all hope of rejoining his old band and knows he will have to rekindle his own career without them.

Drawing a line under the Robbie rumours once and for all, Howard claimed that it was never really on the cards for Robbie to join the band.

"There has been all sorts of talk in the newspapers, but that's all it was," Howard insisted. "We know between us that he is a good friend. We respect that he is making an album and he respects our career, but everything is great."

The solo star's career had hit the doldrums in recent years and Robbie knows only too well that he would have benefited by association had he been given the chance to go onstage with Take That on any of their tour dates. It would have given him a captive audience of 1.2 million fans and would have been an enormous publicity coup.

But, as well as giving up on the idea, Howard says Robbie has finally come to respect his old band and has been told to buckle down and record a new solo album for release in October - giving him time to cash in on the lucrative Christmas market.

"Robbie has got his own career," Howard added. "We think he has an album coming out at the end of this year and we have this tour to concentrate on. There has been no time to see Robbie because we spent a very busy time in rehearsals and in dress rehearsals leading up to the show.We were getting the show together because we wanted it to be perfect for the fans."

The lads are playing not not one but three sell-out shows at Scotland's national stadium and Howard admits he is blown away by the level of success Take That have achieved.

"It really is incredible," he said. "To be honest with you, I lost track of how many shows we were playing in Scotland and when I saw that we were going to be in Hampden Stadium for three shows it really hit home to me just how great the fans in Scotland really are.

"It is quite unbelievable really to be playing three shows in the same stadium in Scotland in the one weekend. I have to pinch myself sometimes because it is hard to come to terms with the fact that we are even able to play stadiums. It's unbelievable."

Take That's biggest tour has seen Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Howard Donald and Mark Owen deliver one of the most elaborate pop shows ever seen.

"We can't wait to get on that stage at Hampden," Jason agreed. "I just can't wait. It's going to be brilliant. It's the biggest tour we have ever done. It's a wonderful honour."

Fresh from Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, the lads hope to dazzle fans with their Circusthemed shows, which will see them performing acrobatic tricks and riding unicycles and include a huge hot-air balloon centre-stage, a giant circus tent, a high-wire, trapeze, and clowns handing out balloons.

The four-piece will dazzle on a £10million stage at Hampden, performing acrobatic tricks, in keeping with their latest chart-topping album, also called Circus.

And to make sure all their fans are catered for, whether young or old, Take That will be performing a selection of songs spanning their entire career - going as far back as their early 1990s hits to their most recent hit single, Said It All.

Fans of the band, which reformed in 2006, will arrive in their droves to catch their idols and support acts Gary Go and The Saturdays.

The fastest-selling show in UK pop music history boasts jugglers, trapeze artists and tight-rope walkers - and a set list including Take That classics, A Million Love Songs, Could it be Magic? and Shine.

A giant mechanical elephant and a 10.4mhigh puppet ringmaster sounds like the sort of stuff we might expect from Pink Floyd but not from a boy band, but Mark admits the band were determined to give their fans value for money.

"It's a big show, the biggest we have done," the 37-year old said: We think we've got a good set list and got the balance right."

At the start of the show, the stage will open up like the petals of a flower with the four members of Take That slowly rising up on a platform that gradually reveals itself to be balanced on top of the giant, 7.6m-tall mechanical elephant.

Then a section of the circular stage swings away and the elephant performs a full turn, blows some water from its trunk and begins to move.

The show was conceived by stage designer Es Devlin but it is down to Brilliant Stages project manager Clay Brock to make it happen. Brock, who has designed stage sets for Metallica, assembled a team of specialists, including structural engineers.

"The set designer dreams up these crazy ideas and has no idea how they're going to work," he admitted. "My job is to make sure we get it done on time and on budget with design intent. They wanted a puppet that leans forwards, holds out its hands and goes 'boo'. That was our creative direction."

"We had to do this earthquake scene for Metallica, where two pylons had to crash to the ground in two seconds," says engineer Andy Edwards of 3D Design, one of the specialists on the project. "Nobody else would touch it. It was a nightmare to do but we made it work.You do it on the basis of a gut feeling - you can do all the calculations, but you don't know if it will work until you try it."

The ringmaster puppet is constructed from five scissor lifts stacked one above the other. The one below the head has a cantilevered platform for the band to stand on. The scissor lifts are clothed with a body made from aluminium hoops joined with fabric that unfold as the puppet extends, like a jack-in-the-box.

After Sunday's third Hampden Stadium show, the entire set will take 37 hours to dismantle for the next show.

Howard said: "I think in the old days, when we are talking about the early 1990s tours, we danced and pranced around to choreography for every song. And we drank so much water onstage because of how much we were dancing and how much younger we were.

Now the whole show has been designed for a stadium tour which means everything needs to be much bigger and we need many more people and a bigger cast to make sure the stage doesn't look empty."

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news....1450130

WE’VE teamed up with online retailer Play.com to treat seven lucky CityLife visitors to a pair of VIP tickets to see Take That at Old Trafford between June 23 and 28. We also have eight pairs of standard tickets to give away.

HAVING A WHEELIE GOOD TIME: Mark gets to grips with the unicycle The spectacular stage set-up Take That performing live in Sunderland IN THEIR CIVVIES: Take That backstage

IT started with one man’s idea of the perfect pop group.

Manchester entrepreneur Nigel Martin-Smith had come across 1980s American heartthrobs New Kids On The Block while they were making a TV show in Britain and had the brainwave of replicating that formula using lads from the north of England.

Take That would be about old-fashioned, all-round entertainment.

These were pop stars who smiled, not snarled, did not advocate drink or drugs and were unfailingly polite – not just to the fans but to the media.

The first of the famous five was keyboard-playing Gary Barlow, a Frodsham lad signed to Martin-Smith’s talent agency in Manchester.

Gary, born January 20, 1971, had been only 12 years old when he landed his first job playing in a club in Connah’s Quay, North Wales.

While playing the hits of Barry Manilow, he began writing his own songs from the age of 13. In 1989, Gary entered the Manchester Evening News Search For A Star talent competition and was voted, prophetically, the performer with the best long-term future.

The second member of Take That was Oldhamer Mark Owen, born January 27, 1972. He was a natural entertainer, doing Elvis impressions as a small child.

While still at school, Mark got himself a job as tea boy at Strawberry studios, Stockport. When Gary turned up to record there, the pair formed a band, The Cutest Rush.

Another duo came Martin-Smith’s way. Howard Donald and Jason Orange were well-known break-dancers.

Howard, the oldest member of Take That, born April 27, 1968, hailed from Droylsden and was a natural athlete who, after school, had found work painting cars, but his real life was on the club scene of Manchester.

Wythenshawe lad Jason, born an identical twin on July 10, 1970, also lived for the night.

He left school to work for Manchester’s direct works department, but became better known as a dancer on the late-night TV show The Hitman And Her.

So Gary was the brains of the outfit, doe-eyed Mark the cute pin-up, and Howard and Jason the beefcake.

All that was missing was the joker in the pack. Robbie Williams, born February 13, 1974, was an aspiring actor from Stoke-on-Trent, still at school when he was asked to audition.

Take That came into existence in late 1990, travelling to club gigs in Martin-Smith’s car and home again the same night to save hotel bills.

Coco Savannas

Teen magazines began to take notice of the fivesome in summer 1991 and the first glimmerings of Take That mania came when 1,000 youngsters surged forward at a gig in Coco Savannas nightclub in Stockport.

Five fans were treated for crush injuries.

Take That signed a record contract with RCA and the hits were soon coming thick and fast.

When they turned up to the HMV store on city centre Market Street for a signing session, 3,000 youngsters came and the fivesome had to escape the store disguised as policemen.

Other signings in large towns were cancelled for fear of similar scenes.

The fans were now a determined army, exchanging information about the lads’ home addresses and phone numbers.

Parents' terrace home

Mark told how one fan put a ladder up to a bedroom window of his parents' terrace home in Oldham, trying to see in.

Take That were famous beyond their dreams, but also trapped in the bubble of their own fame.

The first cracks appeared in the Take That machine when Robbie – frustrated by the band’s regime and increasingly aligning himself with his new chums in Oasis – left the band during tour rehearsals in 1995.

Take That soldiered on as a foursome, staging a breath-taking set of shows at the M.E.N. Arena and Earl’s Court which drew fans from all over Europe.

But months later, in February, 1996 – with suicide helplines at the ready for grieving fans – a press conference was called at the Hilton International Hotel at Manchester Airport.

“The rumours are true,” Gary declared. Take That were to split.

“My dream is that after five to 10 years we could come back and do it all again,” he added.

In the following 10 years, Gary launched a solo career which stalled, but became a hugely successful songwriter and producer.

Mark had modest success as a solo artist and won the reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother in 2002.

DJ

Howard became a DJ and Jason did some acting, studying and travelling. Gary, Howard and Mark all became fathers.

But the big story, post-Take That, was the immense success of Robbie who sold more albums in Britain than any other solo artist, but did it with songs which told us how unhappy he was, and performances which often sneered at his boy band past.

In 2005, the foursome reunited to talk about a greatest hits album, and then an ITV documentary. Robbie took part, too, but, tantalisingly, was interviewed apart from the other four. Interest was so great that, in November, 2005, a reunion tour was announced, with 560,000 tickets sold in record time.

Robbie remained a spectre at the feast, appearing as a hologram during Could It Be Magic.

A new album, Beautiful World, sold in its millions and singles such as Patience and Shine took up where Take That had left off in 1996 at the top of the chart.

heyday

By December, 2007, Take That were performing 11 nights at the M.E.N. Arena, one more even than in their 1995 heyday, and polishing yet more BRIT awards.

There was more timeless pop in The Circus album, followed by a show to beat all that had gone before.

Again, there were rumours that Robbie may put in an appearance, but, if once it seemed ludicrous for megastar Robbie to deign to rejoin his old chums, now it was ruled out for fear that Robbie would appear to be trading on Take That’s greater success.

As he prepared to go out and entertain a total of a million people at the start of The Circus tour, Gary said: “Later on in our lives, when we’re looking back, if there’s a moment when it’s as big as it’s going to get, I feel it’s these next four weeks.”

All agree that Take That 2009 is a more contented, more democratic organisation. If the first tour was about nostalgia, they are now thinking more about the future.

But the surreal idea of a “boy” band in which one member, Howard, is 41, is not lost on them

“It felt really natural,” Jason said of being pursued by fans in the 1990s. “I suppose it’s a bit sad in a way, but all famous people have to admit it, that there’s a part of them that craves attention. And we got it.

“This time around, it feels a bit more unnatural. We’ve said a few times, being in advancing years, still having people coming to the concerts seemingly hysterical, and being a pop star, it seems faintly ridiculous.”
http://www.citylife.co.uk/music....l_shine

Dean Kirby

June 20, 2009

TAKE That fans have been fleeced out of thousands of pounds in an elaborate international internet scam.

Fraudsters have targeted the band's Circus Live tour - which plays to an audience of 250,000 over five nights at Old Trafford Cricket Ground next week.

Fans were duped into handing over credit card details on credible-looking websites, including takethattour.com, which have nothing to do with the Manchester group.

Police are investigating after one victim, Navinder Leftwich, from Ashton under Lyne, was conned out of £230 on tickets for herself and daughters Jade, 10, and Alex, six.

Navinder, 37, who bought the tickets for Tuesday's Old Trafford show, said: "I just feel so sorry for the girls because they were really excited about going.

"The website looked very plausible - it had a padlock logo on it when I ordered the tickets, so I assumed it would be secure.

"I would say to anyone who goes on the internet to book tickets, please be careful."

On the website victims were told tickets would be sent 10 days before the show or could be picked up at the venue on the night. But this hasn't happened and the website has been closed by those behind it.

Concert organisers are still discovering the full scale of the scam but it is expected to run into thousands of pounds. Fans have already been left out of pocket at shows in Coventry, Sunderland and Cardiff.

Demand

The Circus Live tour became the fastest-selling in pop history with 600,000 tickets sold in less than five hours and the Manchester shows will be the biggest live music events ever seen in the area.

The chart-topping band - Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald - added extra dates to cope with demand.

Takethattour.com was set up overseas and it is understood the conmen behind it set up similar sites selling tickets for Take That shows and other major concerts, including Oasis. Concert promoters urge fans not to buy from unofficial websites.

A spokeswoman for SJM Concerts, which is promoting the Take That tour, said: "These websites are not authorised to sell Take That tickets. SJM Concerts and the Concert Promoters' Association continue in the pursuit to shut these down.

"This is a matter for the government who, despite constant requests, refuse to legislate against touting."

Many fake ticket sites are hosted outside Britain and are not covered by our law. Some of the Take That sites appear to have been set up in Hungary and Canada.

Carole Smith, from the Concert Promoters' Association said: "The police advice is that nobody should ever buy tickets from a website unless it has a UK address and phone number, is a limited company and is registered for VAT."

A spokesman for consumer advice service Consumer Direct said: "Fake ticket sites have been a problem over recent months and they can be very difficult to spot."
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news....et_scam

MILTON KEYNES – UNITED KINGDOM – June 25, 2009: Less than two years after legendary British band Take That completed their sell-out Beautiful World comeback tour, the band is on the road again, taking “The Circus Live” Tour across the UK – thanks once more to Volkswagen’s people-carrier, the Caravelle.

The Caravelle has long been a popular choice with those in the music industry, thanks to its space, versatility, understated appearance and reliability. Take That chose the Volkswagen Caravelle for their Beautiful World Tour in 2007 and are delighted to be back in one this year.

Gary Barlow, lead singer of Take That, commented: ‘We love the Caravelle. It’s comfortable when we’re travelling and even with the four of us, it’s really spacious.’

Apart from being the chosen vehicle for celebrities, the Volkswagen Caravelle is equally at home as a family vehicle, luxury limousine or the ultimate MPV with space for seven people and their luggage. A choice of powerful yet frugal TDI engines means impressive performance and economy.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2009/06/25/467171.html

They look so great!! Alena, check out the car regitration, maybe we can look this van around London

He’d have Gary Barlow as his ringmaster, Howard Donald and Mark Owen on unicycles and Jason Orange as the trampolinist.

“They are naturals,” said director and producer Laci Endresz, who taught the lads all their tricks for the Take That Circus Tour, which is in Manchester tonight and until Sunday.

“Jason is honestly up to professional standard on the trampoline and Howard is also fantastic on the unicycle.

“They are such determined boys. There was no way they were going to let themselves not be good at it,” he said.

For a month before Take That’s biggest-ever tour kicked off back in June, Laci and the Blackpool Tower Circus acts who feature alongside Take That in the tour practised five days a week, literally teaching the four lads the ropes.

“Howard bought them unicycles for Christmas so they had been practising a bit, but there were lots of tumbles when we started off.

"I had to hold them as they learned, much like a dad teaches a child to ride a bike,” he laughed.

Gary doesn’t do as much of the physical performing as his band mates due to his back injury ahead of the Comic Relief Mount Kilimanjaro climb. Laci advised him against pushing himself too far.

But he said Gary did have a surprise for fans during the extravaganza — which cost £10 million to stage. He is keeping tight-lipped about what it is.

“There is an act with every song, including two trapeze artists, a trampolinists, a high-wire act, a flaming hoop act performed by my wife and a 17-year-old unicyclist,” said Laci, who will be in the audience at Lancashire Cricket Ground tonight. “My favourite is the opening song with the stilts, and I also love Shine. It has seven acts on stage at once.

“This show will go own in history. It is fantastic and has to be seen to be believed. I don’t think there has been anything like this ever before.”

Born in Hungary, Laci is a fifth generation circus family member, graduating from the Hungarian Circus Academy to spend 25 years on the flying trapeze.

Father of Mooky and Bubu the Clowns, Laci also runs circus shows worldwide. This year, his 19th at the seaside resort, he presents Blackpool Circus and Magic Shows which run until November.

Laci Take That for being so down-to-earth and said they were a pleasure to work with.

“I’ve got a story for you, he said. "The acts are from all over the world, mainly China, and so they don’t know much about Take That. On the first day they practised alongside the lads for a whole morning, thinking they were Take That’s understudies because they were so lovely and laid-back. They couldn’t believe they were celebrities.

“The lads made a point of getting to know the names of everyone they work with from the circus and they know them off by heart.”

“They have been to see the shows in Blackpool many times. Gary comes a lot with his family. They love circus. This tour has done a wonderful thing for circus to bring it to nationwide attention again,” he said.

“They are like brothers and Gary is the eldest. They share a dressing room and they just work so well together.

"I joked with them that if they ever give up their day jobs I would love for them to work for me.”

l TAKE THAT CIRCUS TOUR — Lancashire Cricket Ground Manchester, tonight Saturday and Sunday, before the grand finale run at Wembley Stadium finishing on July 5.
http://www.blackpoolcitizen.co.uk/leisure...._Circus

American pop sensation Lady Gaga was a no-show at the Take That concert in Manchester.

Lady Gaga was booked as support act for Take That's spectacular Circus tour.

She was booed by the 50,000 strong crowd at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground in the group's hometown last night.
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The second support act, Gary Go, entertained the crowds instead.

A fan said an announcement flashed up on a big screen which said: 'Sorry Lady Gaga will not be performing tonight.'

A fan who posted a comment on Lady Gaga's website said she had pulled out of the concert 'due to being ill'. There was no explanation on her or her record company's websites.

Fans who posted comments on Take That's website expressed their disappointment. One wrote: 'How dare Lady Gaga not turn up? She lost herself 50,000 fans last night!'

Lady Gaga performed at Glastonbury on Friday night, wowing the audience with outrageous costumes during an hour-long set.
http://www.rte.ie/arts/2009/0628/gaga.html

Все, кому я срочно понадоблюсь, мой номер вы знаете!

А я полетела исполнять свою самую безумную и самую заветную мечту!

И снова я опоздала блин...

The flamboyant pop star disappointed thousands of fans when she missed both the Saturday and Sunday night support slots at Old Trafford Cricket ground, with her spokesman blaming ill health.

The chart-topper seemed in good spirits as she headed to the Body Positive centre in Whalley Range as part of a scheme encouraging young people to volunteer.

But, when asked by reporters about her illness at the weekend, she replied: “I would like to keep the questions on the organisation if that’s alright, but I feel fine today thank you.”

She told the M.E.N. that she would return to her support slots with Take That at Wembley Arena on July 4 and 5.

She said: “I’ll be with them at Wembley next week.”

The blonde New Yorker, famed for her quirky fashion sense, wore a huge saucer shaped hat on her head that appeared to be made from hair.

She surprised a group of volunteers when she turned up at the centre on Monday afternoon.

The volunteers have been helping community-based projects to earn a ticket to her gig at the Manchester Apollo on July 13 in a scheme organised by the Orange RockCorps programme,

Lady Gaga helped out with a huge mural portrait that volunteers had created in her image, painting the words, “Love + Art + Kindness” in pink onto it.

She said: “It’s been so amazing coming here today, the volunteers were so cute because they didn’t know I was coming. They looked up and were saying: ‘That looks like Lady GaGa.’”

The singer had handpicked the Whalley Range project, which supports anyone living with or affected by HIV, to visit.

She said: “I have lots of people in my life who have been affected by the virus and a lot of gay and lesbian friends who are confronted with fears about that sort of lifestyle and the situation of HIV that we have to be mindful of everyday.

"I just wanted to spend some time with them today, and do a bit of painting with them today.”

She also spoke of her excitement ahead of her sold-out gig at Manchester Academy on Monday night.

She said: “This is my first headlining performance with my band, and you’re going to get a very exciting show. It’s going to be a really fun night.”
http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news....no_show

Angry fans complained after the star failed to appear as one of the support acts at the Old Trafford Cricket Ground on Saturday, with no explanation given.

A spokesman for Lady Gaga told the BBC the star pulled out at the last-minute as she was "feeling unwell" and would not be performing on Sunday either.

He added she was "currently resting on doctor's orders".

"Lady Gaga was feeling unwell on Saturday and, after consulting her doctor, the decision was reluctantly taken that she was unable to perform with Take That at Old Trafford last night and tonight.

"Lady Gaga is currently resting on doctor's orders, but is looking forward to rejoining Take That at Wembley next weekend.

"She would like to thank Take That for supporting her decision, and apologise to the band and her fans for being unable to perform," he added.

Take That

The 50,000-strong crowd booed after a big screen notice announced on Saturday the singer would not be performing.

According to fans, first support act Gary Go entertained the audience instead, but began an hour later than originally scheduled.

A 31-year-old fan from Stockport said: "It was a bit disappointing because there was nothing to get you going. You were stood there like a sardine."

Margaret Graves, 58, of Hoylake, Wirral, said: "Gary Barlow said 'thanks to Gary Go whose got us out of a real spot'."

She added he apologised to fans for Lady Gaga's non-appearance and said: "'Don't get me started, you should have heard me backstage'."

Fans have been posting their disappointment on Take That's website with one writing: "How dare Lady Gaga not turn up She lost herself 50,000 fans last night!"

The star performed a one-hour set at Glastonbury on Friday night.
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Lady GaGa is not in Take That's good books.

Pals feared the singer, who is supporting the lads on stage, was heading for rehab after she collapsed back stage with exhaustion at their Manchester gig.

So the boys won't be happy to hear that she was spotted necking drinks at the Lowry Hotel bar instead.

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Take That were left one support act short after the stroppy diva said Glastonbury had worn her out and refused to take to the stage minutes before she was due on.

GaGa is now resting on "doctor's orders" and is due to return at the Wembley gigs at the weekend.

But Gary Barlow isn't happy about her skipping his homecoming event. He told fans: "Gary Go got us out of a real spot. You should have heard me backstage."

Not a way to make fans and influence people GaGa...
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