Take That bring their record-breaking circus tour back to Hampden this weekend after seventeen years
Take That’s the Circus Tour returns after 17 years(Image: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Take That))
It’s Amazingly Weird Circus Tour Makes Its Return Hampden Park 17 years later on Friday night (June 12) with a pledge to go ‘bigger, bolder and bolder’ than ever before.
Now the three-member band actually said ‘Take that!’ To the rest of the UK music industry. I walked out of the stadium wondering how any other artist could match the incredible theatrics and staggering production of this two-hour show.
I am fortunate to be able to say that 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 clearly remember being blown away by their famous mechanical elephant, while being a little intimidated by the giant skeleton interactive Ringmaster on stage.
Get Daily Record Premium for just £1 per month in special offer to celebrate the World Cup
Not many people can say that a concert is memorable enough to stay with them for more than 15 years. So I was curious to see how Take That could recreate such an iconic spectacle and make it even better.
Apart from obvious differences – such as the absence of a former member jason orange And the fact that Take That are now in their mid-50s – the energy, the brilliantly bizarre circus acts and the overall performance of Take That was somehow even better than I remembered.
That being said, it is almost impossible to take in the entire show due to the abundance of dancers, acrobats, trapeze artists, tight rope walkers and clowns on two stages and one runway at all times.
Unlike most artist tours, where the most dramatic moment usually comes at the end of the evening, this show features spectacular performances throughout. Bursts of confetti, glitter explosions, huge flames, explosions of colorful smoke and splashes of water all continued throughout the night. The best way to describe it is organized chaos which was a joy to watch.
In my opinion, Take That doesn’t need all the extra glitz. He’s a born showman, his voice and impressive in-sync 90s dance moves definitely confirm that he still has this ability, which is what stands out to me.
Without all of this, they still would have been great, but going the extra mile is definitely what makes this show unforgettable.
However, this comeback not only gave fans a chance to relive Take That’s most famous tour of all time, it was also evident that the trio were reminiscing on stage. Not many boy-bands can say that they’ve made it as long as them.
Their two nights at Hampden come on a big weekend for Scotland as we return to the World Cup and Take That were well known to their audience. Howard Donald started the ‘No Scotland No Party’ chant at the start of the program and Mark Owens said ‘Scotland are going to win the World Cup’, causing approximately 51,000 stadium fans to cheer.
The pair took to the stage with Gary Barlow in shiny black caped suits beneath a bundle of colorful circus balloons and opened the night with their 2008 hit Greatest Day.
From there things got even more fun as they started a coordinated dance with dozens of inflated clowns while singing their track Hello.
One thing he does exceptionally well is his ability to evoke a vast spectrum of emotions through his diverse musical catalogue. The show was an emotional rollercoaster with moments of nostalgia, light hearted laughter, inspiration and tears.
Within a second the crowd was energetically chanting their 1993 hit Pray. Then they were swaying and bawling their eyes out to A Million Love Songs and the dazzling saxophone solo that accompanied it.
Completing the first act, the trio reappeared in the iconic walking elephants, carrying them in a red box above them and back to the main stage, while they sang The Garden.
Mark Owen then delivered one of my favorite moments with his energetic performance of Shine. It concluded with flames of yellow smoke before Gary played the piano for some tear-jerking solo tracks.
Their performance of The Circus was made even more powerful by a highly skilled acrobat who walked on a rope the length of the runway stage.
The silliness increased even further when Gary, Mark and Howard returned to the stage and slowly put themselves into clown makeup and changed into circus costumes.
The transformation from the silly dance moves and shiny clown pants to the hair-raising performance of Never Forget is one reason this show stands out from the rest.
The energy quickly became terrifying for Relight My Fire just seconds before the giant skeletal Ringmaster made a comeback. 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 throughout the night. He performed Hold Up a Light and Rule the World, rallying the crowd as he raised his phone’s torch and sent a golden display of fireworks into the air to conclude a breathtaking five-star show. Hampden also received the recognition it deserved, with Howard declaring at the end of the show: “Scotland is always the best crowd.”
Leave a Reply