Are They Back For Good? (Take That Ultimate Tour 2006)

Member Name: t4mof

Product:	Take That Ultimate Tour 2006
Date:	02/05/06 (1785 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good length concert, good value for money, very creative show

Disadvantages: No Robbie

I never classed myself as a Take That fan the first time round. I was a bit older than their intended fan base and as a student while they were at their height, I was more into Oasis.

Even when they announced that they were to tour again last November I wasn't there rushing to the front of the queue to buy tickets. But I had a friend from work, 5 years younger than me, and a massive Take That fan ten years ago. It was also her birthday at the end of April and so I set about getting tickets for their tour. I ended up buying them off eBay and paying slightly over the face value but the concert was worth every penny of even my inflated ticket price.

At bang on 7.30pm the stage became alive with Beverley Knight's warm up set. I'm not really into her music but she put 100% into every minute of her ¾ hour stint on stage. She has a very powerful voice which she put to good use as she got the crowd going for the main act. There was lots of shouting and screaming and generally everyone was out for a good time. Beverley Knight knew how to raise the excitement in the Arena and set about doing it well. Among other songs, she treated us to a fantastic rendition of "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" and a couple of classics such as "Another Little Piece of My Heart". The woman's talent cannot be denied.

Bearing in mind that the average age of this audience was probably about 10 years older than a usual boy band concert audience age, you would never really have known. Mexican waves and stamping in the stands added to the anticipation before Take That took to the stage. After a relatively short 20 minute break, the lights went down and the screaming went up.

The show started with models of Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason being projected onto the big screen behind the stage. Their manager was talking about bringing them back, and slowly the models began to move. Fingers stretched and necks eased back into place and there they were, 10 years after splitting up, back on the stage ready to entertain the crowd. The screaming was fever pitch as they launched into their opening track, "Promises".

The dance moves and choreography were there as if they had never left. Even though the boys are now really men in their mid-thirties, they put every effort and energy into each of their songs, running around the stage, waving to the fans and genuinely looking like they were enjoying every second of it.

One of the early treats of the show was a "tango'd" version of "It Only Takes a Minute". Set to a tango beat and slowed right down it was a good way of getting one of their earliest hits into the show without it sounding too immature. We were also treated to some tango dance moves by all of the band members with a professional dancer who had a back that rippled with muscles. It was given a close up on the big screens and there was an audible gasp from crowd.

"Pray" and "Babe" were also performed early on in the concert and Mark brought "Babe" right into the 21st century by asking the audience to wave their lit up mobile phones rather than cigarette lighters as he sang it. Behind him on the screen, they projected all the mobile phones and it really was quite effective.

The NEC Arena in Birmingham is quite a large Arena and I was pleased that our tickets weren't too far back but in preparing for the concert, Take That had even thought about those poor souls who had paid their money and were having to watch most of the concert on the large screens. A walkway was lowered from the ceiling as was a smaller stage which was positioned just over halfway back in the crowd. In red suits, Take That launched into a Beatles set singing songs such as "Hey Jude" and "I Wanna Hold Your Hand", each song complete with sixties style dancing and a lot of head shaking. Howard admitted himself that there had been reservations about doing Beatles songs but in the context of their live performance, it went down very well. After all, no matter what your age, they are well known songs guaranteed to get everyone singing. What I liked about this part of the show was the way they faced each four sides of the Arena while on their circular stage. It involved everyone there in a small part of their concert.

Then as a special treat for the fans on the floor, the band decided that they would get back to the main stage by walking back through the crowd. A novel idea but one that everybody loved!

"What Makes a Boy Band?" was another segment of the show as they all demonstrated how they must sing, dance, hide their sexuality etc. There was the "manager" asking them to do certain things and all the time they are keeping a drum kit banging to a beat, probably signifying the neverending monotony of being in a boy band - although don't quote me on that. I really liked this part of the show. It was something other than the group singing songs and humorous too with it's "tongue in cheek" references to life in a boy band. There was a comment about making sure none of them break away from the mould which was an obvious reference to Robbie Williams and that was greeted by an Arena full of boos. They were soon forgiven though and it was business as usual.

The show was rounded up with some of their biggest hits including "Relight My Fire", "Back For Good" and "Could It Be Magic".

"Relight My Fire" was theatre at it's best. Lots of fire, acrobatics and even a fire-eater on stage. Fireballs were going off here, there and everywhere and there were two occasions when a 8 foot high flame the width of the stage heated us all up. Even from halfway back and up the side, the heat was quite intense. Soon the flames were gone only to be replaced with pouring rain as the boys sang "Back For Good". I don't know how many litres of water poured down but Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason all seemed to appreciate being able to cool down as they slid across the stage in the huge puddle.

"Could It Be Magic" signalled Robbie's appearance, but unfortunately only as a hologram. He sang the intro before the rest of the group picked up the tempo and did the same dance routine from the time the song was released 12 years ago. I have to say I was very impressed that so late in the show they were able to jump up and down and participate in some breakdancing. Before going to the concert, I was expecting something as little more "Westlife-ish", perhaps singing ballads on stools, especially in the latter part of the show. But the same energy that greeted us in song 1, was still there right near the end.

And then, that was it. Except it wasn't really over. We still had "Never Forget" complete with arms in the air routine to finish the show off. And they finished it off fantastically.

I have to say I enjoyed every minute of the concert and if they ever tour again, I would be more than willing to pay my money to go and see them. Take that perform live as it should be done. They put on a show as well as a concert with superb lighting, great special effects and 100% effort into everything they do. It was also a solid 2 hour performance full of energy and excitement - a lot of other pop bands would do well to watch and learn. Take That are responsible for some fantastic pop songs of the nineties and are undisputedly one of the most successful boy bands ever. I think this tour may just add to their legend.

They are currently on tour now (April - June 2006) playing 50 dates across Britain. If you've got tickets, you'll have a fantastic night and if you haven't you could do worse than trying to get hold of some.

Summary: A fantastic night out reliving the nineties