Gary Barlow has admitted he “can’t see a way” he could ever undertake Take That’s The Circus Live tour again, as the 2026 revival came to an end this week. The 55-year-old singer posted a photo on Instagram reflecting on the conclusion of the tour, which rebooted the band’s hugely successful 2009 production.
Barlow's emotional farewell
“And another tour comes to a close. Somehow, this one feels a little different,” Barlow wrote. “With the other tours, it’s always comforting to know there will almost definitely be a next time. But I’m pretty sure this tour won’t return.” He explained that he was 38 when the original Circus tour took place, and performing it at age 55 presented a whole other challenge. “I just can’t see a way I could physically do this show again. So, it’s with an extremely heavy heart that I leave The Circus in my past. I got to run away with The Circus twice. Now I’m running towards our next exciting, brand new show.”
Tour highlights and scale
The Circus Live Summer 2026 tour saw Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen revive one of the band’s most celebrated live productions, featuring fire-breathers, stilt-walkers, clowns, acrobats, tap dancers, and a 30-foot-tall mechanical elephant. Originally staged in 2009, The Circus Live broke UK records as the fastest-selling tour in history, with over 600,000 tickets sold in under five hours and more than one million fans attending sell-out shows across the UK and Ireland.
Stadium run and support acts
The 2026 stadium run began at Southampton’s St Mary’s Stadium in May and continued across the UK before ending in Dublin. Support on some UK dates came from Irish pop-rock band The Script, who also opened for Take That on the original 2009 Circus tour. Last week, Donald thanked fans in London, writing on Instagram: “Played to 200 thousand people over three dates at the London Stadium @westham in the blistering heat which was a challenge in itself! Undies were soaked and had to wrung out. Thank you for giving us the much needed energy and love to get us energised for the show.” He added: “You are amazing London and we are amazed at the sheer scale of support after all these years! We will always do our best. The Circus will always be difficult to top and will be missed! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
Band lineup and future plans
Jason Orange, who took part in the original 2009 tour, was not present in this revival after he left the band in 2014. Take That are set to release their 10th studio album later this year, with songs “You’re A Superstar” and “Sweet July” already released. The group, formed in 1990 with the original line-up also including Robbie Williams, have had 12 singles reach number one on the UK Singles Chart and remain the most successful boy band in UK chart history.
