By Adrian Thrills


Welcome to the stage: Robbie joined the rest of his Take That bandmates after they introduced him to the crowd


As Gary Barlow reminded fans last night, Take That have made a habit of starting tours in the North East of England.

So it was in keeping with band tradition that the Stadium Of Light was the venue for the group's first show in 16 years with Robbie Williams.

And - despite the grey clouds and drizzle that swirled around the floodlit arena - the newly-restored five-piece brought a warm glow to a chilly evening as they opened their Progress Live tour with a lavishly staged spectacular in front of 54,000 devotees in Sunderland.


Progress Live isn't just the pop event of the summer. With its 29 sold-out stadium shows, it is the biggest tour to ever grace these shores.

By the time the band play the last of eight record-breaking shows at Wembley Stadium in July - one more than Michael Jackson did on his Bad tour - they will have royally entertained 1.8 million fans.

The night featured plenty of brotherly bonhomie, group hugs - and a series of spectacular visual effects that included a fully mobile, 60 foot high robotic man, tracksuits fitted with LEDs and a huge wall of water that was scaled by dancing acrobats in wetsuits.

First, though, the band engaged in a classic pop tease as Barlow and fellow group members Mark Owen, Jason Orange and Howard Donald came onstage sans Robbie.

Man band: Robbie Williams, Gary Barlow, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Howard Donald hold hands on stage as they reunite in concert

Here he comes: Robbie Williams was brought down onto the stage on a mechanical hand before jumping onto another prop to start singing


This was the line-up that made the Beautiful World and Circus albums to usher in an era of renewed success in the Noughties, when the band returned after a ten-year hiatus.

The opening numbers reflected this period. Smart in a velvet tuxedo, Barlow led the band through Rule The World, Greatest Day and the singalongs Shine and Patience.

Despite the drizzle which arrived bang on cue as the band came on, spirits were lifted by a huge blast of yellow confetti and an Alice In Wonderland-style troupe of dancing trees, roller skating bees and a large purple caterpillar.

The band's between-song banter may have been a little stilted and scripted, but the singing was peerless.

'I realise I'm using the word brilliant a lot tonight,' said Barlow, before adding: 'We've got someone else who might just come along later.'

Screaming fans: A whopping 54,000 fans filled the stadium in Sunderland for their Progress Live 2011 tour


To loud cheers, that moment came 30 minutes into a two-hour set. Robbie, clad in black, was winched onto the stage, where he ran through an electrifying salvo of his solo hits.

His return has given the group fresh impetus. Without him, they can be a bunch of cuddly nice-guys who rely heavily on Barlow's penchant for writing lush, mature piano ballads.

With Williams back in the fold, there is an air of edgy unpredictability.

There is also, of course, Robbie's tendency to be a loose canon. In what was otherwise a show fit for all the family, the end of Rock DJ was marked by some risque asides as Williams blurted: 'I've done coke and sh****d a whore - that's what a super injunction is for.' With Robbie, there is always a risk.

Musically, however, his live re-integration went well. There were emotional scenes and a few tears as the five came together onstage for the first time. And the second half of the evening was a collective triumph.

Extravagant stage show: The giant mechanical robot on stage was nicknamed Om by the band


Songs from recent album Progress came next. On comeback single The Flood, Robbie sang of 'shouting love at the world,' reiterating that Take That - like The Beatles in the Sixties - have made it their job to cheer up the nation.

By this point, the show's visual centrepiece, the robo-man, nicknamed Om by the band, had emerged from behind the stage.

By the end of the show, he was standing aloft in what would have been the stadium's centre circle.

So where does this extravaganza leave Take That? If they straddle an awkward divide between maturing 'man band' and serious musical entity, they do it with aplomb, one minute indulging in stadium rock pyrotechnics and the next enacting a choreographed dance routine to old hit Pray.

Grim beginning: Fans had to brave the rain and cold weather before entering the stadium in Sunderland for the spectacular show

Camping out: Fans queing outside the Stadium of Light in Sunderland ahead of the concert


But the whistles and bells would be nothing without a catalogue of great songs - and the combined might of Take That and Robbie is truly something to behold.

Returning for a gleefully received encore, the quintet sang a poignant No Regrets - a Robbie solo hit inspired by his 1995 departure - before launching into a high-octane cover of the disco-era classic Relight My Fire.

Robbie might have supplied some of the most electrifying, crowd-pleasing moments.

But in one of the country's newest football theatres, this was a home win for the team.

For one night at least, Take That turned it into the Stadium Of Relight.

The Take That look: Fans arriving for the concert made sure to wear their Take That T-shirts to celebrate their night with Gary, Howard, Jason, Mark and Robbie

Die hard fans: These two women even made a home made poster to show their love for Take That

Sounds good: The boys are back in business as they film the video for their new single, Love Love


source:dailymail