Review: Take That, Lancashire County Cricket Club
June 25 2009 by Jade Wright

ROLL up, roll, up, the circus is in town.

Take That have taken the big top as the inspiration for their latest tour, and they’re clearly loving every second.

Riding on a huge mechanical elephant and clowning around on unicycles, they left the trapeze and the tightrope to a team of acrobats, but their joy was palpable in each and every song.

It’s easy to see why – as comebacks go, they’re up there with Lazarus.

Before Patience, they were four washed-up ex-boybanders. Now, they’re back on the top of a wave – this tour quickly became the fastest-selling of all time, breaking all records by selling all of their 600,000 tickets in less than four and a half hours.

They’re playing every night until Sunday, and if their early performances are anything to go by, they have more than rewarded their devoted crowd, powering through a storming 90-minute set of perfect pop hits.

Starting with feelgood anthem Greatest Day, Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald sang and danced their way through Could it be Magic, Pray and A Million Lovesongs and Back For Good, on a small stage in the middle of the crowd, before taking off atop an enormous walking elephant to the main big top staging.

In a series of spectacular set pieces, acrobats twirled above the audience, while the famous foursome gave their all with Stomp, Up All Night, The Circus, The Garden and Said It All.

They took a trip down memory lane with Promises, It Only Takes a Minute and Take That and Party, before a first-class reworking of Never Forget – that had every one of the 50,000 fans singing at the top of their voices.

It didn’t go unnoticed, with the band thanking the crowd at every opportunity.

It’s hard not to be moved by a band of men in their thirties clearly so grateful to have been given a second chance to play the music they love.

They pulled out all the stops for Relight My Fire (sadly, missing Lulu, but with an enormous inflatable, dancing puppet man), Hold Up A Light and Rule The World.

As the lines “All the stars are coming out tonight, they’re lighting up the sky tonight for you...” the sky above the stage exploded into a cloud of fireworks.

And, at least for a little while, it seemed like the four lads who became men before our eyes really did rule the world...

Beautiful World 9/10

1:52pm Wednesday 24th June 2009

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By Richard Holton »

It's a perfect summers evening, The Take That circus has rolled into Manchester, for the first of five concerts in their home city, fondly referred to as “The greatest city in the world”, Set Against the pale blue skyline at Lancashire Cricket Club, there's a giant stage complete with a Big Top.

A quarter of a million of the tour's one million tickets were snapped up here and in the audience there's a healthy mix of men and women, young and old. Such is the Take That appeal.

Approaching the start of the show, the fans watch a perplexing dream-like circus performance by a handful of colourful characters. Suddenly; Gary, Jason, Mark and Howard appear on stage, to the surprise of their followers.

Each song, new and old, is accompanied by a separate circus performance with the boys changing costumes through the evening. The much talked about, mechanical circus elephant, which leads up to the song Shine, doesn't disappoint. The stage transforms into a full circus scene complete with trapeze artist, trampolines, sparkling gymnast and dancing girls.

There's a strong performance vocally and musically from the quartet, who switch vocal styles with an effortless ease.

With the fading light comes an opportunity to stun the fans again with a fantastic light bonanza. A giant ring master puppet engulfs the stage like a scene from Wizard of Oz. There are swirling spinning shapes and flames erupting to the sound of Relight My Fire. Frankly it's jaw-dropping. The light show, complicated choreography and well written songs shows Take That's healthy respect for their fans.

If you are one of the lucky ones with tickets, let me know, I 'd see it again tomorrow.

http://www.messengernewspapers.co.uk/leisure....et_Club

BOUNCING on to the stage like the clouds of helium-filled balloons that circle the air above them, homecoming heroes Take That are back in town.

And this time they’ve brought the whole circus with them for this, their first of five sold-out nights at Old Trafford.

With huge cheers ear-piercing screams echoing around Lancashire County Cricket Ground, our fab four of Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange, are lovingly embraced by the hometown crowd as the opening strains of Greatest Day ring out.

It couldn’t be a more apt show opener, for the 50,000 adoring fans packing into Old Trafford.

Even the sun decided to come out for the occasion after a rain-soaked day.

“Manchester, your boys are home,” screams Mark Owen before launching into Could It Be Magic. The fans lapped it up and everyone was in the mood for a party.

For their part, the Take That lads have thrown everything bar the kitchen sink into making this Circus Live tour their most incredible to date.

They’ve got quite a reputation to live up to – every tour yet has managed to outdo the one before.

Here, they top it all with, well, a Big Top.

The lads have wrung every last element out of their circus theme, taken, of course, from the title of their latest album, the second studio recording since their comeback in 2005.

We’re treated to everything from trapeze artists, contortionists, high-wire walkers and clowns streaming on to the stage.

In the most spectacular part of the show, the lads step into a magician’s cabinet which rises high into the air – then you realise they’re actually astride a huge mechanical elephant.

What other British pop band could dream up a spectacle like that?

They even impress with their own circus skills – Jason, Howard and Mark expertly unicycling down the central stage, only for Gary to steal the scene with his tiny comedy bike with stabilisers.

Humdinger of a show

All the theatrics are worked cleverly into different vignettes in this humdinger of a show, with the lads easing effortlessly between their '90s hits like Pray and comeback favourites like Shine and Up All Night.

The foursome even test out a rock ‘n’ roll section, rather Beatles-style, all grabbing a musical instrument to play.

Interestingly they ditch the Beatles medley that has been a mainstay of recent tours for a romp through their own early hits instead.

Dressed in clown gear, they ham it up with '90s-style dance grooves to the likes of Promises, It Only Takes A Minute and Take That And Party.

An eye-popping finale is guaranteed with fan favourite Never Forget played out with a marching band of drummer boys.

The lads conclude proceedings dressed, rather fittingly, as ringmasters of their own special circus to lead the crowds in a mass dance-along to Relight My Fire and Jason paid tribute to all the Manchester fans, saying: “It really means a lot to be back.”

Just when you think they can’t pull anything else out of the bag, out come the fireworks for a spine-tingling singalong to Rule the World.

An estimated £10m was lavished on this tour, and it’s not hard to see where the money has gone.

One thing’s for sure – you’re never going to feel short- changed at a Take That gig.

Take That play Lancashire County Cricket Club on Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 24, 26, 27 and 28). Gates open at 4pm. £45, £55. Call 0871 2200 260 to check for returns.

*The Script and Gary Go support on June 23-24, James Morrison and Gary Go on June 26 and Lady GaGa and Gary Go on June 27-28.

Stage times:

June 24 Gary Go (6.35pm) The Script (7.30pm) Take That (8.45pm)
June 26 Gary Go (6.35pm) James Morrison (7.30pm) Take That (8.45pm)
June 27 Gary Go (6.35pm) Lady GaGa (7.30pm) Take That (8.45pm)
June 28 Gary Go (6.35pm) Lady GaGa (7.30pm) Take That (8.45pm).

Reviewed: Wed, 24 June, 2009

http://www.citylife.co.uk/music....n_style

Мдя, в Лондоне тоже явно раньше не начнут. Офигеть, вообще, сколько времени там придется болтаться!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0FDuYIazwQ

Shine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfwztmiBZgI

What Is Love (the boys putting on their clown make up)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQ4Lz8HVuWg

It Only Take A Minute

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMZcoG5VzoQ

Howard and Jason Unicycle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQKLcxqOBso

Mark and Gary on bikes (very funny)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrfkX9XI5rc

IF YOU saw Take That on their last — Beautiful World — tour, you’d be forgiven for wondering just how they were ever going to top that.
But the fab four have done just that.

The Circus Live tour is simply breath-taking, amazing, spectacular. The superlatives do not exist to describe it. And I have never seen anything quite like it.

When you take the ingredients into account — the most successful comeback act ever, a giant elephant, jugglers, high wire walkers, acrobats and trapeze artists, all set against the backdrop of a big top — you’ve got an idea of just what an incredible combination it is.

The magic started with a group of clowns, blowing bubbles and riding on a cart covered with enormous balloons between the main stage and the centre stage.

As the wacky group gathered centre stage, the anticipation heightened, and the audience realise there were just a few seconds to wait.

And there they were hidden by the balloons, our favourite foursome. ‘Today this could be the greatest day of our lives,’ sang Gary. And I think we all knew it was going to be . . .

Just a few bars in, Take That reminded us why (as if we needed reminding) after nearly 20 years they are still at the very top of their game.

Then followed TT classics in the shape of Could It Be Magic, Back For Good and Pray, and when saxophonist Mike Stevens appeared on stage it could mean only one thing — A Million Love Songs.

The boys proved throughout they still have the moves — especially Howard and Jason — and Gary mocked his own ‘dad dancing’ to perfection. The crowd loved it.

As the band launched into Back for Good giant jets of water engulfed the stage — remember the very wet video — another thrilling element to an incredible show.

The four slipped on silver ring master style jackets. Then the most amazing thing happened.

A giant robotic elephant emerged up through the stage, dancers on board operated its silk ears and another hanging off the back even performed as its tail.

Howard, Jason, Mark and Gary climbed onto the animal’s back and were transported to the main stage, set up with a huge big top.

Other big highlights included Howard singing What Is Love as the boys — dressed as clowns — applied full clowning makeup on stage. Surreal, but extremely effective.

Howard, Jason and Mark showed off their unicycling skills down the runway among the crowd, while Gary once again poked fun at himself by appearing on a kid’s bike with stabilisers.

The performance of the night had to be Relight My Fire. Flames erupted from the stage, dancers hula hooped fire rings, and a giant inflatable ringmaster rose up from the stage, a creepy human face projected onto his blank one.

And just when you thought it was all over, the boys returned for an encore — Never Forget again — and pulled their last trick out of the bag: Rule The World with a beautiful firework finish.

There was not one bad thing you could say about this concert.

It was a fantastic mix of old and new, the boys sang and danced perfectly, AND really looked like they enjoyed themselves.

The DVD is already at the top of my birthday list!

The boys play a final date in Manchester tomorrow night, then reopen the last leg of the show at Wembley at the beginning of July.

http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/burtonm....=428758

А Гари куда это "косит лиловым глазом"?

Джей

I ran a thousand miles to be by your side...

Классно!!!
У TanyaB есть шанс успеть увидеться с ними в Манчестере.

I ran a thousand miles to be by your side...