There are concerts, there are arena spectaculars, and then there are productions that leave you wondering how on earth they managed to pull it off. Take That’s The Circus tour sat firmly in the latter category.
Although I’d always enjoyed their music, I was never one of the legions of fans during their 1990s heyday. In fact, it was only over the past few years that I’d truly come to appreciate them as one of Britain’s finest live acts. This was my third time seeing the band, but the first opportunity to experience The Circus tour, having missed it first time around. By the end of the evening, however, I realised the music had become just one part of an experience unlike any concert I’d attended before.
The evening began with a wonderfully deceptive piece of staging. Rather than launching straight into the enormous main set, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen appeared beneath a giant balloon on a smaller B-stage, opening with Greatest Day, Could It Be Magic, Pray, A Million Love Songs and Back for Good. Every eye in the stadium was drawn away from the main stage, allowing the real surprise to remain hidden.
Then came The Garden.
As a magnificent elephant carrying the band slowly made its way down the runway, the swishing tail ingeniously provided by the body of one of the show’s many acrobats, the vast circus world in front of it suddenly burst into life. It was genuinely breathtaking. What moments earlier had appeared to be a conventional concert stage transformed into an extraordinary carnival of colour, towering scenery, aerial rigs, acrobats, dancers and circus performers. It was one of those rare theatrical reveals that made an entire stadium collectively gasp. It was, without question, my highlight of the evening.
That sense of wonder continued throughout the show.
Inspired by The Circus album, the production embraced the magic of the big top without ever feeling gimmicky. During Said It All, a lone tightrope walker suspended high above the audience perfectly captured both the beauty and jeopardy of circus life, while the band’s transformation into clowns during What Is Love provided another wonderfully imaginative visual twist. Aerial artists, trapeze performers and a huge supporting company ensured there was always something extraordinary happening wherever you looked. Yet despite the scale, it never felt cluttered. Every visual flourish had its place, every transition felt seamless and every reveal perfectly judged.
Musically, the show was every bit as rewarding as the visuals. The setlist effortlessly balanced songs from The Circus with the hits everyone came to hear. Shine provided an irresistible burst of energy, The Circus became a natural centrepiece, while Up All Night, What Is Love and Said It All served as reminders of just how underrated that album really is. Alongside them came the songs that have become part of Britain’s musical landscape: Never Forget, Patience, Relight My Fire, Hold Up a Light and the inevitable, emotional finale of Rule the World.
Listening to the show unfold was also a timely reminder of what an extraordinary songwriter Gary Barlow is. We rightly celebrate the chart-topping singles, but hearing this catalogue performed live highlighted the remarkable consistency of his writing. Many of the so-called album tracks possessed the same melodic brilliance, emotional honesty and craftsmanship as the biggest hits. Few British songwriters have created a body of work capable of filling stadiums for more than three decades, and this concert quietly celebrated that achievement without ever needing to shout about it.
That quality of songwriting was precisely what allowed the production to soar. The astonishing staging never felt like it was compensating for weaker material. Instead, every visual flourish amplified songs that were already exceptionally well written, making the circus concept feel completely organic rather than imposed.
Relight My Fire deserves special mention. Just when you thought the production couldn’t become any more extravagant, the stage erupted with a towering inflatable figure, flames and dazzling visual effects that somehow still left room for the band themselves to remain the focal point. It was joyous, gloriously over-the-top entertainment at its absolute best, and another reminder that this production never stopped finding new ways to surprise its audience.
What impressed me most, however, was that none of it overshadowed the band themselves.
Despite the enormous production surrounding them, Gary, Howard and Mark remained remarkably grounded performers. Their warmth, humour and easy chemistry made the stadium somehow feel intimate, and their vocals have rarely sounded stronger. They have long since outgrown the “boy band” label, performing instead with the confidence and assurance of seasoned entertainers who know exactly how to command an audience without ever appearing anything other than genuinely down to earth.
Behind them stood an exceptional live band alongside their army of dancers, singers, circus performers and acrobats, each contributing to a production whose precision never faltered. It would have been easy for such an ambitious concept to descend into chaos, yet every movement felt meticulously choreographed while retaining a sense of spontaneity and joy.
Perhaps that’s what impressed me most. Every song became its own miniature theatrical production, yet the evening never lost its heart. Beneath the astonishing visuals were three performers who clearly still love making music together, and that genuine affection for both each other and their audience radiated across the arena.
I came hoping finally to experience The Circus songs live.
I left convinced that I hadn’t simply been to a concert. I’d witnessed one of the greatest live productions I’ve ever seen.
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