Rate this bewildering spectacle *Star Review*

Take That Live at The O2 Arena, November 30th 2007

 

Happy New Year, everyone! As a special 2008 treat follow the jump to read a dazed yet heart-felt review of the almighty live experience that is Take That…

I’ve been to quite a few gigs over the years. Not wanting to sound like a 15-year-old who spends too much time reading NME and going to any gig that might have some tenuous connection to ‘New Rave’, a so-called genre of music I so bitterly and vehemently loathe, I’d like to think I’ve seen some fairly interesting and seminal bands. Particular highlights have been Orbital’s final show at Brixton Academy in 2004, Mogwai destroying the Albert Hall in 2006, Eugene Hutz from Gogol Bordello standing on a bass drum in the mosh pit being supported by yours truly and my good friend Luis and more recently an absolutely life-altering show at Camden’s Roundhouse with Sonic Youth performing their masterpiece ‘Daydream Nation’ in it’s entirety. This isn’t the section where I try and show off my tastes and experiences in music, it’s only to show what direction I’m coming from when approaching the rather deliciously tricky subject of Take That. The direction could only really be described (quite accurately by a friend) as the opposite direction from vicious eclecticism.

Take That are awesome and I’m not in the least bit ashamed to admit that. I’ll put my hand up and proudly say that I am a recent convert to the chapel of Barlow, Owen, Orange and Donald. Their comeback was one that barely registered on my musical radar (what a horrible phrase) but it was only when I saw their live DVD of the Ultimate Tour that it became apparent that these guys are very good at what they do. No, I mean really good. Every part of the production was incredible and so overwhelmingly professional it was a joy to behold. Over the course of the DVD I gradually warmed to them, this bunch of middle-aged guys busting out all these old dance moves and singing songs that I remember from years of Top of the Pops as a kid. Feeling a little sheepish and strangely exhilarated at having just watched a Take That show I couldn’t help thinking about what it would be like to actually be there… I mean, the experience and atmosphere must be absolutely incredible. This was a band that had suicide hotlines set up immediately after they broke up back in 1996. Try as you might it’s simply not possible in the slightest to ignore the impact Take That made on the music business. The general consensus seems to be that the Mancunian boys really were the best and perhaps will never be bettered. Forget Westlife with their string of same cover song after same cover song and Boyzone with their vile syrup-laced balladry featuring the infernal man, Keating.

After ten years the reunion couldn’t have come at a better time. With pop music suffering a chronic identity crisis it was time to get some much-needed fun injected back into it’s wracked and wretched form. All fireworks and celebration then, a blaze of smiles and now-older girls almost unbelieving at this, a most improbable and incredible revelation. They had returned!

Woohoo! *smiley face*

Months of waiting after purchasing tickets for the Beautiful World Tour (at 9am on the day of release, thanks Beth!) and my overall love and deep respect for this band grows. It’s abundantly clear that Take That have brought the shine back to pop music and made it downright likeable again. This continues until eventually November 30th rolls around, hot crikey it was worth the wait. So as a nice break from all this wonderfully entertaining hyperbole here’s a little collection of snaps from the evening…

 

The gang’s all here, pointing to a plastic flag that cost £2. Nice.

 

 

The gates to entrance H. Judging from the way the stressed-looking guy in charge kept pacing up and down, I believe he thought the ‘H’ was for Hades or something. Never have I seen a man so terrified about an impending flood of people, he’s clearly a man to have never worked the festival circuit…

 

 

A useful shot of Beth showing how close we kinda were to the stage (somehow).

 

 

Not even capacity and yet it’s still a boatload of people. A load of screaming people.

 

 

A stern Gary Barlow serenades a captive (screaming) audience with ‘Reach Out’.

 

 

Not sure what this one was, might have been Howard singing ‘Beautiful World’

 

 

The antics continue on the secondary stage. Afore-mentioned antics include a fabulous disco ball, a rotating light rig and a face-meltingly brilliant rendition of ‘Could It Be Magic’.

 

 

Part-way through an impossibly filthy version of Sam Unsted’s personal favourite ‘Give Good Feeling’.

 

 

Lots of people putting hands up in the air during the giddy heights of ‘Never Forget’.

 

 

The exquisite closing song ‘Pray’ brings the house down and any doubts I had over the £50 ticket cost along with it.

 

 

Beth Immediate Post-Show Reaction Shot. I think she enjoyed it somehow.

Anyway.

The show itself was incredible, unbelievable, spectacular and just about any other glowing adjective you can think of. I danced a bit here and there, fine, no problem. In hindsight however I felt that maybe I could have got in the zone a bit more. You know how sometimes you’re at a gig and things just start to make sense through the beer-haze and before you know it you’re jumping around with little or no self-control? That didn’t really happen this time. I was too distracted by everything. There’s so much going on in any given moment that after a while makes for quite a numbing and sobering experience. I don’t mean this is in a derogatory sense, it’s simply an experience the likes of which I’ve never seen before.

The set list was primarily derived from their current album, Beautiful World, and I’ll admit I do prefer the new songs. Tracks like Shine and Reach Out lend themselves well to glorious over-the-top performances and also help cement the band’s revitalised career, they seem to have progressed over their ten-year absence with a considerable amount of care and maturity. All in all a Take That show is a highly recommended experience, I loved almost every second of it even though for most of it I had no idea what was going on.

Rated: 6 out of 7