A group of dedicated Take That fans arrived at Principality Stadium early Monday morning to secure front row positions for the band's highly anticipated circus tour concert in Cardiff on Tuesday evening. While most attendees will arrive after doors open at 5pm on June 16, these enthusiasts willingly sacrifice sleep to stand at the barrier, spending nearly 36 hours chatting and camping outside the venue, reuniting with friends they have made while following the band across the country.
Nurse from Edinburgh Leads the Campout
Claire Guckian, a nurse from Edinburgh, spoke to WalesOnline as she prepared to spend Monday night in a tent outside the stadium. She arrived at 6:30am on Monday and will not leave until doors open at 5pm on Tuesday to guarantee her barrier spot. 'We have to be at the front. We've been following them for over 30 years, so once you've done the barrier, you can't not do it,' she explained.
Claire, accompanied by two best friends who traveled from Dubai and Aberdeen, is no stranger to camping outside stadiums. During this tour alone, she has camped for Take That performances twice in Glasgow and once in Sunderland, always securing a barrier spot. 'On Glasgow Friday night, we'd been queuing for 32 hours. We went straight to the gig, walked out at 11pm, and went straight back into the queue for Saturday night. We got about two hours sleep because non-camping people started arriving at about 3am to get in the queue.'
A Community of Fans
Claire spent Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night camping in Glasgow before traveling to Cardiff on Sunday. After the gig, she heads to London to see Harry Styles perform at Wembley Stadium. 'It's like family. A lot of these girls we all know each other because we are all in similar groups on social media. Some of us are only friends through this, and it's like meeting up with family who you haven't seen for two years since they were last on tour. We all get together, we have lunch and dinner, maybe a few drinks, but there's something about all getting together before we go in. It's like a community, it's really really nice.'
Facilities such as toilets outside the stadium are available, and Claire praised the welfare and security team for their care. An organized list system allows campers to leave for shopping, and they ensure to take camping equipment back to hotels or cars before doors open to avoid littering. 'Loads of people think it's mad. We'll book a hotel for three days and not stay in it but just put our camping gear in there,' Claire added.
Enduring Dedication
During the day, fans chat and reunite with people they only see during Take That tours, comparing it to a barbecue or reunion. 'It never gets boring. I used to bring card games for the queue, but you never get time to play them,' Claire said. Having been a fan for over 30 years, this tour holds special sentiment for Claire, who was pregnant with her now 16-year-old son during the original circus tour. 'It's been amazing, absolutely epic. The first time I saw this tour, I was at one of the first gigs in Dublin, and I was supposed to go to other gigs in London and Manchester. I found out I was pregnant just after the Dublin gig, and I wasn't allowed to travel. I took my 16-year-old son to Glasgow as a bit of a cathartic thing because the last time he was at the circus I was pregnant. It's magical. I think it's brought a lot of joy back for a lot of people, and the amount of work that goes into it is just phenomenal.'
