TAKE That are back in Glasgow this weekend, more than 30 years after they first burst on to the pop scene in a blaze of floppy hair, baggy jeans and screaming fans.
Take That: This Life On Tour will be at the OVO Hydro from Friday to Sunday (May 3 to 5).
Hit after hit – including A Million Love Songs, Pray, Babe, Everything Changes and It Only Takes A Minute - have ensured the group’s status as one of Britain’s biggest and best-loved pop acts.
They have played in Glasgow several times over the decades, starting in July 1993 when they performed at what was then the SECC.
The original line-up was Gary Barlow, Robbie Williams, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Howard Donald.
The city went wild, and when fans got wind of the fact the boys were staying at a hotel in East Kilbride, chaos descended on the South Lanarkshire town.
Girls and young women flocked to the Westpoint Hotel (later the East Kilbride Stakis and now the Holiday Inn) desperate to catch a glimpse of the band.
Staff eventually had to block up windows to the indoor pool, as so many fans crowded into the grounds to peer through the glass.
Some even dug up areas of grass outside the main doors, in the vain hope one of the band might have walked on that particular piece of hallowed turf.
Within a few months, Take That were back in Glasgow, with two more performances at the SECC on December 1 and 2.
By June 2009, Robbie had left the group, so it was a new-look foursome who brought The Circus tour to Hampden – tickets sold out in just under 30 minutes.
In 2011, extra police were on standby as tens of thousands of fans arrived in the city for Take That’s gig at Hampden. Bars around the Southside braced themselves for a busy night.
In 2015, it was as a threesome - Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald – that they stormed the SSE Hydro, supported by X Factor star Ella Henderson.
The Glasgow Times pop reviewer at the time was impressed by the trio’s recreation of their 90s Could It Be Magic dance moves, an eye-watering stunt high above the stage in a flying bike, and “spectacular” renditions of some of their biggest hits, Rule the World, Shine and Never Forget.
Take That are renowned for their huge productions and incredible live gigs, and currently hold the record for the most performances at London’s O2, with 34 headline shows.
Their 2011 Progress tour broke box office records by selling more than one million tickets in less than 24 hours, becoming the biggest tour in the UK and earning them a place on Billboard’s annual Top 25 Tours list, placing third worldwide.
In 2019, the band celebrated their 30th anniversary with the 38 date sell-out Odyssey tour, which saw them play to 29 arenas and 9 stadiums, selling more than 650,000 tickets.
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The band do love Scotland, they claim - Mark Owen even got married here. He and wife Emma tied the knot at Cawdor Parish Church in the Highlands and Gary, Howard and Jason were among the guests.
Gary has said in previous interviews that the band’s first ever live shows were in Glasgow’s pubs and clubs, in the very early 90s, as they tried to make a name for themselves.
He told the Daily Record: “The Scottish crowds are legendary and you’re guaranteed a good show whenever you’re in town.”
The fans may no longer be screaming schoolgirls, and ‘boyband’ no longer applies, but brace yourself Glasgow, as this weekend, the city belongs to Take That…..
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