The Circus comes to town! (Take That ... The Circus Live Tour)

Member Name: jeffjen

Product:	Take That ... The Circus Live Tour
Date:	06/06/09 (1397 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great perfromance and spectacular set.

Disadvantages: None

Last night the circus came to town as Take That kicked off their Circus tour at the Stadium of Light here in Sunderland. Playing two dates, the boys are performing again tonight to over 50,000 fans.

It's the start of an exciting week in Sunderland as Oasis are also playing at the Stadium in a few days time, and anticipation has been building throughout the week.
59 Take That trucks rolled into town earlier this week, as work began on the stage set up, which was promised as something spectacular, and seeing it last night, it did not disappoint.
My daughter was a huge Take That fan when she was younger, and many of these young fans - now grown up - were out in force to see their childhood heroes once more, and were jumping about in their seats like 16 year olds all over again! The crowd was a mixture of young and old alike, proving Take That are still attracting fans both new and old.

James Morrison and Gary Go did a good job of warming up the crowd, who had stood in the rain outside for hours waiting for the doors to open.
Then, as carnival music began playing, onto the stage came a host of circus performers making their way via a train to the centre circle, which they covered with giant balloons before Take That rose up into the circle to sing 'The Greatest Day' - very apt for all the fans who had waited months to see their favourite band perform.

The band put in a polished performance, singing both songs from their 'Circus' album and many old favourites, such as Could It Be Magic, Pray, Back For Good, Shine, Patience, and Never Forget.

The spectacle continued with water fountains, evil laughs from a giant mannequin, spectacular lights and a giant Elephant which appeared as the stage unfolded and carried the band into the air and back to the main stage which was filled with circus performers.
A funny moment occurred with the band on unicycles riding towards the circle, when Mark Owen fell off, and Gary Barlow instead riding on a kiddies bike!

The band interacted well with the crowd and made references to both Sunderland and Newcastle supporters, wearing red and white much to the enjoyment of the Sunderland fans, but then told the crowd they would be wearing black and white later! Everything was taken in good humour though, despite the fierce rivalry between the two cities, as everyone joined in the party atmosphere.

Jason Orange put in a good performance taking the lead for 'Wooden Boat', as the guys each played instruments. This went down really well, but there again, so did every song, as the band put in a slick, faultless performance which ended with 'Relight My Fire'.
The crowd were hungry for more, despite singing every song all night, and the band returned to perform 'Rule The World' as fireworks exploded into the sky.

It was a truly magical night!

Summary: A great night for young and old fans!