It was a night of top class entertainment at Halifax’s celebrated Piece Hall, as UK pop royalty Gary Barlow lined up, supported by soul sensation, Beverley Knight.
Knight got the evening off to a spectacular start, sparkling in the evening sunshine with a set of exceptional vocals. She really is one of the UK’s greatest voices and whether it’s on stage in Halifax, dishing out lively, hopeful soul tunes, or on the West End stage, Beverley Knight is someone you need to add to your list.
Some of those on the barrier had queued from 6am to make sure they were ready for the headliner though, but they hadn’t tired or lost their energy as they welcomed Barlow to the stage with the screams and adulation that he’s become used to through the years with Take That.
In true showbiz style, Gary marched on to the stage in a black, sparkly jacket, glinting as the sun went down behind the Piece Hall. Starting off in his comfort zone, seated at the piano with solo hit Open Road, it’s a nice easy intro, ahead of the energy that’s to come. Dipping into Take That’s back catalogue for the vast majority of the set, Barlow rises from the piano stool and launches into Greatest Day, and now, the fans join in with the gusto that he was looking for.
Gary can really do no wrong in the eyes of these fans, but there is a slight lack of energy and spontaneity about his chat between songs. In these moments, he feels very scripted and lacks a bit of the bounce and zip that he has when he’s got the support of Mark and Howard. As I say though, these fans could not care less and are happy to hear the superstar keep delivering hit after hit.
There are some strong solo pieces, aside from the Take That numbers, notably Let Me Go, a poignant, yet upbeat number that keeps the energy going. Barlow is a consummate crowd-pleaser though, and he knows that everyone has really come to hear the sounds of their youth, transported back to the nostalgia of the mid-1990s with a medley of swing-based Take That hits (Sure and Everything Changes) before a real deep cut of Whatever You Do To Me, which had the die hard fans in rapture.
And from there, the hits kept coming – Pray with a more pedestrian version of the choreography than in bygone years, their comeback hit Patience, and of course a return to the keys for Barlow’s signature hit A Million Love Songs, accompanied as ever by musical director Mike Stephens on saxophone.
Shine is as always, a singalong guarantee, then it’s a change of jacket – to red sequins this time – for a timeless run-in of hits to take us all home. Relight My Fire, Back For Good, Rule The World and of course Never Forget, provide a close to the music that will never miss, especially among these fans. Every single pair of hands was in the air for the closer, even those husbands and partners who had perhaps been brought along slightly less willingly than others! There is something undeniable about the end to this setlist and it’s hard to resist the feel good that comes along with them.
It’s Barlow’s first trip to Halifax, and it’s clear he’s taken by the unique nature of this venue, which continues to deliver with another strong programme of gigs throughout this summer. With this retrospective, drawing from all aspects of the Barlow-Take That songbook, it’s been a masterful piece of musical entertainment. As the arms come down, and the final chords of Never Forget follow Barlow off the stage, there are a lot of happy faces around Halifax. One thing is for sure, these songs are cemented as timeless pop classics that can unite a crowd showing that Barlow, and Take That, still rule the world.
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