Take That - Manchester

Well the day arrived ... Saturday 4th June 2011. We'd waited a good six months for this day after spending a frantic morning trying to secure some tickets.

Heard a few reviews from the Sunderland shows and Manchester the previous evening. They'd got a huge job to upstage the Circus tour.

We arrived at the City of Manchester Stadium and after walking half way around the stadium to find our gate we then had to walk up to Level 3. We "people" watched for an hour or so until Pet Shop Boys came on. A great support act who belted out hits like Go West and Suburbia.

We then got the count down and the rain!  First on a rainy slippy stage it was just Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason. Within minutes Mark removed his shoes and socks and sang barefoot ! They performed some of their hits from their time as a four piece band. This included  Rule the World, Greatest Day, Patience and Shine. They alternated between the main stage and the smaller stage.

Then Robbie came on in spectacular fashion hanging from the top of the stage and did an awesome set belting out Let Me Entertain You (which he did), Rock DJ, Come Undone and finishing off with Angels.

Then the five were reunited. They song Flood to a back-drop of acrobats suspended in a huge wall of water. They then belted out a Million Love Songs, Babe, Everything Changes and Back For Good, Pray, Never Forget and finished off with Relight my Fire and Eight Letters. It was good to be seeing all five of them on "home" soil.

They even handled a mechanical problem which stranded both Mark and Howard in the robot (apparently named Om) hands. Step ladders were out and Mark and Howard made their way down out of Om's hands and back to join the others.

Fantastic night. I'd go again tomorrow if I could get tickets !