Take That's wonderfully weird Circus tour made its return to Hampden Park on Friday night (June 12) after 17 years with a vow to be 'bigger, bolder and braver' than ever before. The now three-man band really did say 'Take That!' to the rest of the UK music industry. I left the stadium wondering how any other artist could possibly compete with the incredible theatrics and staggering production of this two-hour show.
A Tale of Two Tours
I am fortunate enough to be able to say I have experienced this unique show that celebrates creativity, individuality and pure joy twice, having attended the original The Circus tour in 2009. Looking back, I can vividly remember being blown away by their famous mechanical elephant, while slightly terrified by the giant skeletal interactive ringmaster on stage.
Not many can say that a concert is memorable enough to stay with them for over 15 years. So I was curious to see how Take That could recreate such an iconic spectacle and make it even better.
Even Better Than Before
Aside from the obvious differences - like the absence of ex-member Jason Orange and the fact Take That are now in their mid 50s - the energy, the brilliantly bizarre circus acts and Take That's overall performance was somehow even better than I remembered.
That being said, it is impossible to take in the entire show due to the sheer abundance of dancers, acrobatics, trapeze artists, tight rope walkers, and clowns across two stages and a runway at almost all times.
Organised Chaos
Unlike most artists' tours, where the most dramatic moment usually comes at the end of the evening, this show offers spectacle throughout. Bursts of confetti, glitter explosions, huge fire flames, eruptions of coloured smoke, and water sprinklers were all going on through the night. The best way to describe it is organised chaos that was an utter pleasure to witness.
In my opinion, Take That don't need all the extra razzle dazzle. They are born showmen, with their voices and impressive in-sync 90s dance moves most definitely confirming they've still got it, which is what stood out the most to me.
Without it all, they would still have been great, but of course taking it the extra mile is what makes this show unforgettable.
A Nostalgic Comeback
While this comeback not only gave fans a chance to relive Take That's most famous ever tour, it was so apparent that the trio were also fondly reminiscing on stage. Not many boy-bands can say they have made it as long as them.
Their two nights at Hampden comes on a huge weekend for Scotland as we return to the World Cup and Take That were well aware of their audience. Howard Donald started a 'No Scotland No Party' chant early into the gig and Mark Owens belted out 'Scotland are going to win the World Cup', much to the delight of some 51,000 stadium fans.
The Show Unfolds
The pair arrived on stage with Gary Barlow under a bundle of colourful circus balloons in sparkly black caped suits, kickstarting the night with their 2008 hit Greatest Day. From there things just became funner as they broke into a co-ordinated dance with dozens of inflated clowns while belting out their track Hello.
One thing Take That do exceptionally well is their ability to evoke a vast spectrum of feelings through their diverse music catalogue. The show was a an emotional rollercoaster with moments of nostalgia, lighthearted laughter, inspiration and tears.
One second the crowd was energetically chanting out their 1993 hit Pray. The next they were swaying and dabbing their eyes to A Million Love Songs and the dazzling saxophone solo that came with it.
Rounding up the first act, the trio reappeared in the iconic moving elephant, carrying them in a red box on top of it back to the main stage while they sang The Garden.
Mark Owen then delivered one of my favourite moments with his energetic performance of Shine. This concluded with yellow smoke flares before Gary took to the piano for a few tear jerking solo tracks.
His performance of The Circus was made even more powerful by the highly skilled acrobat who walked a tightrope the length of the runway stage.
Silly to Sublime
The silliness turned up a notch when Gary, Mark and Howard returned to stage to slowly cake themselves in clown makeup and change into circus costumes.
The transition from silly dance moves and sparkly clown trousers to a goosebumps worthy performance of Never Forget is just one reason this show stands out among others.
There was just seconds before the energy quickly turned sinister for Relight My Fire and the giant skeletal ringmaster made its return. The incredible Zoe Birkett appeared on stage to sing female vocals on the track which originally featured Scots singer Lulu.
The final two songs summed up the magic that was present for the entire night. They performed Hold Up A Light and Rule The World, uniting the crowd as they held up their phone torches and a golden display of fireworks shot into the air to conclude an enchanting five-star show.
Hampden also got the recognition it deserved as Howard declared at the end of the show: 'Scotland are always the best crowd.'
