TOUR REVIEW t ' s time to come out and say it : I
TAKE THAT
Wonderland Tour
TOUR REVIEW t ' s time to come out and say it : I
I am not a Take That fan . Well , not since I was 12 , before I discovered other genres besides mass produced pop . So how I came to be at their Wonderland Tour at the O2 was more a case of doing a friend a solid rather than a prospect that filled me with joy . The conversation went like this : Best Friend : " Kelly , do you fancy a trip to the O2 on Tuesday ?" Me : " OK , why ?" Best Friend : " If I tell you , you won ' t go !" Ah how well she knows me . So , when I say I thoroughly enjoyed the evening , take that as high praise indeed ! It ' s fair to say the boys won the most hardened sceptic over !
Performed in the round , there was an overall atmosphere of audience involvement throughout . Gary Barlow , Mark Owen and Howard Donald , opened the show from three points in the audience and made their way to the Take That symbol stage to strains of ' Wonderland ', the tour and album ' s title track . I admit to being awestruck as I watched a ' pop concert ' more akin to witnessing a Cirque du Soleil extravaganza or a West End musical masterpiece .
Taking a step back from the breathtaking production that seduced me , was it all a bit much ? Were the aerial gymnastics and pyrotechnic stunts overcompensating for a lack of raw musical talent ? We all know Barlow as songwriter extraordinaire , but are Take That talented musicians ? The ' classics ' like , ' Satisfied ', ' Pray ',
' Patience ' were notably void of any theatricals . The comparatively stripped down numbers allowed the songs themselves to ( ahem ) ' Shine '. The sceptic in me does wonder if this speaks volumes about the newer material not being able to stand on its own . The arena lit up in more ways than one when the opening bars of anything early rang out .
I don ' t want to sell Take That short , as it would be so easy to dismiss them in this way . There were glimpses of much more than the bold showmen . We even heard much more of Howard ' s vocals than we might have been used to and the guy can sing ! In fact , all members shared the lead vocal limelight , which really made this man band a group of equals , rather than the ' Gary and Robbie Show ' I had known as a kid . The highlights for me genuinely were the quieter moments , when Gary took to the piano and Mark to the guitar .
There was without doubt something for everyone here , and it ' s never easy to be all things to all people . Despite question marks for me around possible over-production , we have to remember who Take That ' s audience are and were .
All the band seem to be genuinely concerned with is that they put on a spectacular show and everyone has a good time . What we was a show in every sense of the word . A Wonderland . I ' d say mission accomplished . - KA
SETLIST
Wonderland Greatest Day Get Ready For It Giants Kidz Underground Machine Relight My Fire Superstar Hope Beautiful World Wait Satisfied Lovelife How Deep Is Your Love New Day Shine Back For Good Patience Pray It ' s All For You The Flood Cry These Days
Encore : Never Forget Rule The World
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