Take That's Howard Donald, Gary Barlow and Mark Owen at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester
The boys were back in town, and what a show Take That put on for fans on their big Manchester homecoming on Friday night. The atmosphere at the Etihad Stadium was electric as Mark Owen, Gary Barlow and Howard Donald showed off their rebooted Circus Live tour across an action-packed two hour show.
The evening started with guest stars Belinda Carlisle and then The Script entertaining fans, before Take That took to the stage at 8.30pm. Manchester roared its approval with one of the noisiest reactions on the tour so far.
It was noted by the band themselves, with Howard Donald saying at the finale of the show: "The Manchester crowd do not let us down."
How does 2009 Circus compare to 2026?
The main thrust of the show is unchanged from the original with the big moments, like the Greatest Day big balloon start and the elephant’s arrival, soundtracked by anthem The Garden, as Gary, Mark and Howard riding the beast out into the ecstatic crowds. And yep, it's just as special - if not even more dazzling than the original.
The setlist also closely follows the original tour, in the same sequence as its 2009 forerunner.
The main changes come due to the fact that former bandmate Jason Orange has not returned for this tour, with Gary, Mark and Howard now performing as a trio. Jason's solo number, Wooden Boat, from the 2009 Circus tour, does not make it into the show. Nor does How Did it Come To This, the Circus album track on which Jason took lead vocals and which featured in the original tour.
The main "new song" to be added to the song list is the trio’s new track, You’re a Superstar which is already proving to be a fan favourite.
We also get Mark Owen serenading the crowds with his big 90s hit Babe - which the Manchester crowd absolutely loved on the opening night. Mark even noted how impressed he was that we knew every word.
Gary's solo piano section also includes new additions - during this bit he performs Love Ain't Here Anymore and Nobody Else, as well as The Circus which was part of the original tour setlist.
It's quite interesting to spot some of the changes to the costumes and staging too - like the clown outfits during the 90s megamix section now blinged-up with sequins including on the iconic bowler hats.
The finale remains the fire-festooned Relight My Fire but with an even bigger staging than before with the giant ringmaster puppet brought to life by Pop Idol star Zoe Birkett who voices the spooky creature, before joining the lads to sing the "Lulu bit" on the song.
Why was the show being filmed and was it Netflix or Amazon?
Fans arriving at the stadium on Friday night were greeted with big screens informing us that the show was being filmed for a livestream. This naturally sparked lots of interest, given we all know that Amazon have announced a livestream will be shown from Saturday night's show.
Everyone was pondering what the filming on Friday for, was it a test run for Saturday or something else? Confusion then ensued when The Script headed onto stage for their support slot, and frontman Danny O'Donoghue shouted out to the crowds not once, but twice, that they were all being filmed for a NETFLIX live show. Was this another Take That series that fans did not yet know about?
Well, no. It turns out Danny got his streaming services confused on the night. The MEN has had it confirmed from a Take That spokesperson that Danny was simply mixed up, and that the filming on Friday night was a test run for Saturday's big AMAZON live stream, not Netflix.
What was going on with the queues?
This was a sold out gig at a 50,000 capacity stadium so there were always going to be queues. But my oh my were there queues. Big queues to get in for a lot of fans, many of whom have complained to the MEN about it.
But also inside the venue, there were (predictably) huge queues for the ladies toilets, and for all the bar areas too. Some bars even ran out of prosecco in the section where we were sitting (in the South Stand), which seems quite extraordinary given the size of the operation here as a Premier League stadium.
Lessons to learn if you're heading along on either Saturday or Sunday night for the shows - get there as early as you can so you can get inside so you're not worrying about missing any of the acts. The show starts promptly at 6.25pm with Belinda Carlisle and then The Script at 7.20pm so you don't want to miss them!
Oh, and think about timing your loo and bar breaks just at the start or before the end of the support acts as it's quieter in those moments. Also, be aware that the bars stop serving drinks at 10pm so you will need to have bought what you need before then.
You can also expect a humdinger of a queue on the way out if you're thinking of using the tram to get back to the city centre. It was just massive. If you're able to walk, do consider taking the walking route back to Piccadilly (it takes around 30 minutes) and catch connecting trams there.
The biggest moments - and photo opps you don't want to miss
I mean there's always something magical to capture on your phone at this humdinger of a show. Every song has fantastic staging, special effects, dancers or something eye-popping going on.
Even the slowies - like the wonderful tightrope walker walking out across the crowd while Gary plays The Circus on the piano on stage. Or the truly special moment where Gary, Howard and Mark all apply their clown make-up on stage while Howard sings the ballad What is Love.
But for those of you wanting to capture the perfect Instagram moment, here's your check list of rough timings of the BIG moments.
- The Greatest Day confetti - Watch out towards the end of the first song for the first burst of colourful confetti around the hot air balloon - makes for a great pic at around 8.38pm.
- The Pray dance - you've probably seen videos of this bit on social media on repeat. The moment when Gary, Mark and Howard recreate the ultimate Take That dance to Pray comes at around 8.50pm.
- The elephant - everyone wants to capture this one, it's perhaps the best Take That concert moment of all time. It emerges from the stage when the band sing The Garden at around 9.03pm.
- The Big Top reveal - after the excitement of the elephant, comes the Big Top reveal and a full on circus extravaganza is revealed as Mark sings Shine backed by acrobats, trapeze artists and clowns. Then get your cameras ready at around 9.12pm as colour bombs shoot into the sky - it's special.
- The unicycling - during the clown section of the set, you will get to see Howard and Mark testing their skills with a unicycle right along the runway (as well as Gary's own hilarious little cycle too). This is during the 90s megamix at around 9.52pm.
- The giant ringmaster - Some find this giant puppet a bit spooky, but there's no doubting it's a spectacular finale as it emerges with a booming voice (voiced by Pop Idol star Zoe Birkett). Then watch as flames burst out from the stage as the band return at around 10.12pm.
- The fireworks finale - A simply spectacular end to the night as the boys belt out Rule the World, and a euphoric conclusion as dazzling fireworks light up the night sky. The first shoots during the song start at around 10.28pm.
Stay at the end if you can... If you're not in a rush to get out of the stadium at the end, then just stay and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the sheer joy of the scene when they pump out Dirty Dancing's I've Had the Time of My Life. As the lights come up you can watch, and join in, as the crowds go totally wild recreating their best Johnny and Baby dance moves. Watching everyone so happy just about sums up the Take That fan experience - and it's no better way to end the night.
