Relaxed Take That lads are in a Wonderland
WHAT goes on tour, stays on tour – but not according to Take That. I was delighted to be invited along to meet Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen for an exclusive look behind the scenes of their latest world tour, Wonderland, last week.
Actually it’s more like under the scenes as it’s a round stage!
The lads of course lit up the Hydro in Glasgow for the last three nights, as part of their massive 32-date UK tour over the course of two months.
You might remember I chatted with them before their brilliant Wonderland album was released earlier this year.
Then Gary invited me to have a natter again when his musical stage show Calendar Girls hit the West End.
And again I caught up with him last week – he must be sick of the sight of me. Now he knows how my viewers feel!
Gary was looking blond and raring to go! He told me the ’90s were back in fashion...and that maybe one day I would be too.
Thanks Gaz, remind me if I ever get married again not to make him best man again!
Selecting which songs will be on the setlist for the tour is a democratic affair now.
“We start by saying we all want to do,” said Gary. “Mark will say what he wants to do, then Howard will say, then I’ll say. Then we’ll try to make a setlist out of that.
“We’re doing stuff off of Take That And Party on this tour. We’re going back to 1992!
“There are no songs I think, ‘Oh no, not that one’. Songs like Pray, I’ve done about 5000 times. But the stage we’ve got makes it feel brand new. When I go and watch Elton John and he finishes with Your Song I wonder how he does it.”
Many artists have superstitions before going on stage. Keith Richards eats a shepherd’s pie, for instance.
“We generally have a little hug,” said Gary.
“We usually start by having a group hug, then we go up in a lift and appear on stage.
“But in this one we start in a different corner of the arena, which is weird for us.”
The last time I spoke to Gary he told me about his appearance in the next Star Wars movie, which quickly went everywhere. Could he tell me any more…? “Have I told you about Chewbacca having a brother?” he said, quietly. “I could put in a word for you?”
What is it they say about familiarity breeding contempt?