Tour News & Media thread (Contains Spoilers)

[BarlowFan]

Pet Shop Boys to join Take That on tour

Pet Shop Boys have been confirmed as the main support for Take That's record-breaking summer Progress tour.
Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe will join the reformed boy band for the series of gigs starting on 27 May in Sunderland.
Pet Shop Boys said: "We look forward to every night being a huge celebration of pop music."
In a statement Robbie Williams said he was a "huge" fan of the band adding, "for me it will be an absolute joy to be able to watch them every night".
'Great tour'
Take That have been long-term admirers of the dance duo.
Gary Barlow said: "Pet Shop Boys was the first CD I ever bought.
"I've followed their whole career and always loved their unique approach to records and live performance.
"That combined with two lovely people means we're in for a great tour."
The biggest ever UK tour, it's the first time the original five members of Take That have toured together since 1995.
With a total of 1.34 million tickets snapped up for the shows, the run finishes with eight sold out night at London's Wembley Stadium.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/12957769

Related Articles: http://www.heatworld.com/Entertainment/Music/2011/04/Take-That-announce-Pet-Shop-Boys-as-Progress-tour-support-act/

http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/view/34004/Pet-Shop-Boys-fans-Take-That-choose-their-idols-over-Cheryl-Cole-for-Progress-tour/

[markande]

cooll i cant wait to seeeeee that i love take that and gary barlow

[BarlowFan]

We couldn’t be more excited about seeing Mark Owen, Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams on the Progress tour. We’re expecting big things – huge – and if their last couple of tours are anything to go by, then we know we’re going to get something amazing.
And now that we know that rehearsals for the big event have started already – in South London’s Wandsworth no less - we literally can’t wait to see what they’ve got to offer (oi cheeky, get your minds out of the gutter – we meant gig-wise).
Yesterday, Howard and Mark were both spotted outside The Arc, both on their way in to the rehearsal room. Luckily, there were some beady-eyed fans there to spot them, a few of whom nabbed Howard for a photo. Mark however managed to slip in without many people noticing him (other than us of course) – but he certainly did impress us with the fact that he was riding a bike rather than going for the old car-with-tinted-windows method of transport that most stars go for. In fact, he rode his sweet little bike over from his pad round the corner. Maybe it’s all a part of his ‘get fit’ routine before the tour starts?
Workers in The Arc have clearly already been tapped for information too but have refused to spoil any surprises on what we can expect (which we’re grateful for – there’s nothing like seeing those opening night pictures in all their glory). But the band have taken extra measures to make sure nothing slips out anyway by banning the use of camera phones from the venue. Oh, oh, we’re excited…

Source: http://www.heatworld.com/Celeb-News/2011/05/Take-That-have-been-busy-rehearsing-for-the-Progress-tour/

[BarlowFan]

IN a massive aircraft hangar, the five members of Take That are being put through their paces – again.

A gruelling 12-hour day hasn’t dampened the lads’ enthusiasm as tour director Kim Gavin bellows out yet another instruction from the edge of the stage.
For Robbie Williams, the last few months rehearsing in the 700ft aircraft hangar in Cardington, Beds, have been a particularly testing experience.
Getting used to the dynamics of being in a fivesome after years of rattling around on his own in his LA mansion had been strange enough.
But now the sell-out tour is looming large on the horizon – and everyone’s wondering if his stage fright will return when it kicks off next Friday in Sunderland.
“I get tremendous stage fright that’s getting in the way of me enjoying it,” he confessed.
“It’s terrifying. I want to find a way around it. I will do. And it gets stronger as you get older and it scared me – really scared me.”
His chronic panic attacks were once so intense he had to cancel some dates on his 2006 Close Encounters tour.
“I couldn’t get my head round why I couldn’t seem to relax or not feel pressurised or sick on the merry-go-round of a tour,” he’s admitted. “And I really don’t like it.”
But – against the odds – Robbie seems to be finally overcoming his demons.
A tour insider said that the lads – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Mark Owen and Jason Orange – had been rallying around their bandmate to allay his fears.
A source said: “This is a huge, huge tour – the biggest Rob has been on for years. Of course there are concerns he may find it hard to take. But all the signs are incredibly positive. Being on stage with four other people is a huge psychological boost for starters – and Robbie has taken great solace in that.”
It’s understood Jason, who sometimes suffers himself, has been a particular source of strength to Robbie with the pair drawing up a series of deep breathing exercises to ease the pre-show tensions.
“Rob and I will help each other out,” he said. “We share a lot of things and stage fright is one of them.”
Robbie’s dad Pete Conway also insisted that his son’s stage fright “won’t be an issue”. He added: “I know he suffered from that earlier on. But he’ll have all that support of his band of brothers.”
The pressure is most certainly on. This is the first time Take That have toured together as a five-piece since 1995.
According to the pre-tour hype, the live shows will see the band perform all their biggest hits with Robbie also singing some of his tracks on his own.
“There’s going to be a bit for everybody,” Robbie said. “I’m going to be doing a bit, the lads are going to be doing a bit, and then we’re all going to be doing a bit.”
A source said: “Robbie has been given a large slot in the middle of the show where he’ll sing lots of his solo stuff – with the rest of the band nowhere to be seen. If there was any lingering doubts that Rob wasn’t up for it, this would be a suicidal decision. Clearly, those putting the tour together have every faith in him.”
Director Kim Gavin, who is also putting together the Olympics opening ceremony, has been the driving force behind making this tour the most imaginative the boys have ever staged.

AFTER being at the helm of 2009’s Circus tour and the Beautiful World tour two years previously, he’s got a proven track record for the spectacular.
Each detail of the tour – from the costumes to the theme – is a closely guarded secret with each member of the production team at Cardington signing a confidentiality agreement.
In 2009, the show featured the boys singing on top of a gigantic mechanical elephant which walked through the centre of the stage. A tour insider said: “It was an eye-popping moment – and all the better for the fans not having a clue that it was going to happen.”
Publicly, the band will reveal little. Gary said they’re “looking forward to coming up with big ideas” while Mark let slip a bit more when he admitted: “We recycle our stages so the elephant will be reincarnated in the shape of something else.”
But a casting sheet was sent to prospective dancers in February asking for a “Mad professor” style dancer for a “futuristic/sci-fi” theme. The request suggested the show would be inspired by the 1985 movie Back to the Future starring Michael J Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as nutty professor Doc Brown.
A source said: “If you think flying machines, robots, space and futuristic landscapes, you won’t be too far off the mark. It will be a massive no-expense-spared production – with the costs of staging it likely to run close to €57million.”
Such is the scale of the shows, a close confidant of the band said an “eye-watering” amount of money from sales and sponsorship had been ploughed back into the production.
The insider said: “Sure, the band will be making good money. But it could be a hell of a lot more.
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of cash they are pouring back into the stage sets and visual aspect of the show.”
Older, wiser – and arguably a little thicker around the waist – the Take That of 2011 are a different entity from the early-1990s vintage. Then there were endless streams of groupies and boozing until the early hours.

Now Robbie and Mark – happily reunited with his wife Emma after his spell in rehab last year – are teetotal. And rather than painting the town red, the lads like nothing more than playing darts, pool and relaxing their aching muscles in ice-baths to prepare themselves for the next date.
The various wives and girlfriends will also be accompanying them on the road. Robbie’s new wife Ayda Field is particularly excited by the prospect of going on tour.
She said: “I’m looking forward to coming back and supporting Robbie on tour. I love it here. It will be great to be with the wives.”
Rob’s dad Pete also insisted they will be better behaved than in the early days. He said: “They’re much more mature these days. It won’t get as wild as it used to.” Off stage at least...
Source: http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2011/05/18/take-that-secrets-of-the-tour-115875-23137505/

[BarlowFan]

Take That tell Andy Welch about the plans for their new tour and how the band’s line-up could change again ...
THEIR schedule includes eight nights at the City Of Manchester Stadium, and there is no other band in the country, if not the world, that could fill a 60,000-capacity venue for more than a week.
Then take into account that all 1.34m tickets for the tour sold out within a day and the achievement seems even more impressive.
The sheer scale of what’s ahead for the fab five in the next few weeks isn’t lost on the band, who kick off their eight-night stint here on June 4.
Today, they’re taking a break from rehearsals and tour preparations for a few interviews, but even between their appointments, there are items to approve, posters to sign and other assorted tour-related duties to carry out.
Gary Barlow and Mark Owen have been nominated as the main talkers, with Howard, Jason and Robbie busying themselves with other tasks in the background.
"It’s all coming together now," says Owen, looking very much like a man who’s glad to be grabbing a quick cup of tea and a sit-down.
"If you’d have asked three weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been so sure, but it’s really coming together now. I feel like we’re in a really good place."
Barlow adds: "The idea of actually going on tour is really exciting. But there’s always so much to do, so there is a worry. I’m not really excited until we’re done and ready. I might not get that feeling until the first or second night, as late as that."
But slight apprehension aside, the mood at Take That HQ is positive and upbeat. Everyone looks gym-toned, primed and ready.
Both Owen and Barlow talk about how happy they are that Williams has returned to the fold, saying it was the intention all along.
"Rob’s return has been so well accepted by the fans," says Barlow. "Even when we came back in 2005, the goal was to get us all back together eventually, but the fact that’s actually worked out that way is incredible.
"I think it’s lovely because it gives everyone a platform now to do whatever they want. I think for us, as well, it’s about getting people used to the fact that this band will always change. The band might be one of those things we can all do and toy with and come back to whenever we want. We want to keep things interesting. Too many bands go stale and people leave because of that.
"I want to make sure this is an environment where people can come and go as they want. When anyone feels like they want to create something good, we can all get in a room and do it."
Perhaps Gary says this so he can have a temporary ‘get out’ clause to concentrate on his X Factor role.
Of late, the band have been busy creating their new Progress tour. It can’t have helped that their last tour was such an amazing success.
"That’s just it," says Owen. "How are we going to top the last one? That was the first question we had to ask.
"The first and most important thing we did was to get the songs sorted and build the show around that," Owen says. "When you look at the songs we’re going to play, even if we go up there and do nothing but stand and sing, there are some great songs.
"We have a lot of confidence in the set list we’ve built over 20 years. But us being us, we can’t just go up and do that, we have to think, ‘We could sing the song, but we could also do it while flying out of a plane. Come on!’
"There are certain members of the band who push the theatrics a little more than others," he continues, a mischievous expression suggesting he’s one of those keen to make things as spectacular as possible.
As we all know, Robbie Williams rejoined the band ahead of writing and recording Progress, which has sold more than two million copies in the UK.
The Take That of 2011 is a very different band to the one he left in 1995, and his absence from their 2005 reunion and subsequent two albums, Beautiful World and Circus, was almost as big a story as the reunion itself.
Now he’s back in the band, how did he feel about what they’d become, and what the tour would entail?
"Rob’s had to come in and do things he hasn’t done for 10 years or so, and be part of a group," says Owen. "It’s a whole new thing for him, but seeing how well he’s adjusted to it is great. There was a feeling like, ‘What if he doesn’t want to put clown make-up on while he’s singing’, but he’s definitely part of the band in the truest sense."
If you watched fly-on-the-wall documentary Look Back Don’t Stare last year, you’ll have seen how the reunion came about and recording sessions for Progress took shape.
What you won’t have seen, however, is a band rehearsing their classics of the 1990s. Again, the duo aren’t giving much away today, but Owen will admit to a lot of reminiscing.
"Now and again I’d catch myself looking over my shoulder thinking, ‘Oh, we’re back, all of us’ and I’d laugh inside. I can’t believe it. I keep getting this warm feeling."
Source: http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/tv_and_showbiz/s/1421183_interview-take-that-on-their-massive-uk-tour

[BarlowFan]

ROBBIE WILLIAMS' Take That bandmates will become his BACKING singers as the star belts out his solo hits during the group's reunion tour.


The lads' willingness to step back and support him seems to prove they are finally at peace with his meteoric individual stardom.
A source said last night: "The guys agreeing to sing backing to Robbie's classics throughout the shows really is significant - all the hard feelings have been put behind them.
"At first he was to go it alone for a mid-set medley but they agreed they all needed to perform on the songs, even if it is just backing harmonies.
"They are not solo artists. They are Take That."
GARY BARLOW, HOWARD DONALD, MARK OWEN and JASON ORANGE have been deep in rehearsals working out their backing vocals and harmonies for Robbie's solo tunes.
They will join him on tunes including Rock DJ, Angels and Let Me Entertain You during the tour which kicks off next Friday in Sunderland.
Meanwhile, all five singers have been perfecting their routines for Take That classics such as Back For Good.
The source added: "Spirits are high and the fans are in for an eye-watering stage spectacle. This really will be the group's finest hour."
Final rehearsals for the tour - the group's first as a five-piece since 1995 - are taking place in an aircraft hangar in Cardington, Beds.
Robbie, 37, has brought goals with him to rehearsals for impromptu five-a-side games. The source said: "He used to drink during rehearsals to relax. Now he plays football."

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/music/3591333/Robbie-Williams-Take-That-mates-will-be-his-backing-singers-during-reunion-tour.html

[BarlowFan]

Take That are about to play to almost 1.5 million people, and that’s in the UK alone. Their tour kicks off on May 27 with the first of four nights at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light. We find out how the group are planning to give their fans a night to remember

As we all know, Robbie Williams rejoined the band ahead of writing and recording Progress, which has now sold more than two million copies in the UK since its November release.

The Take That of 2011 is a very different band to the one he left in 1995. Now he’s back in the band, how did he feel about what they’d become, and what the tour would entail?

“Rob’s had to come in and do things he hasn’t done for 10 years or so, and be part of a group,” says Owen. “It’s a whole new thing for him, but seeing how well he’s adjusted to it is great.”

Both Owen and Barlow talk about how happy they are that Williams has returned to the fold, saying it was the intention all along.

“Rob’s return has been so well accepted by the fans,” says Barlow. “Even when we came back in 2005, the goal was to get us all back together eventually, but the fact that’s actually worked out that way is incredible.

“I think it’s lovely because it gives everyone a platform now to do whatever they want. The band might be one of those things we can all do and toy with and come back to whenever we want. We want to keep things interesting.

“Too many bands go stale and people leave because of that.”



Take That facts

Half of the stage the band will use on their upcoming tour was made in the USA, while the other half was made in the UK. Neither of the firms involved could manage to make the whole thing.

The stage show will include the use of hydraulic platforms. Barlow jokes: “We should buy that company. We must keep them going ... every two years we give them a fortune.”

Take That, combined with the solo sales of Robbie Williams, have sold more than 80 million albums. They’ve had 14 number one albums, 18 number one singles, played to more than 14.5 million people live, won 20 Brit Awards, eight MTV awards and five Ivor Novellos.

Progress was released in November 2010, and has since sold more than two million copies. A million of those were sold in the first 24 days on sale, making it the fastest-selling album of the century.

Pet Shop Boys will be supporting Take That on Progress Live. Williams says: “I’m a huge Pet Shop Boys fan, so for me it will be an absolute joy to be able to watch them every night.”

Source: http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/entertainment-in-newcastle/music/2011/05/20/interview-take-that-on-their-progress-live-tour-72703-28732478/2/

[Ria]

I wonder if Rob has ever been a part of such a high production show before? Were any of his solo tours as big (production wise) as the Take That shows?

The hydraulic platforms sound amazing!!!

Although not totally sure about the return of robbie being well accepted by fans

[BarlowFan]

A lot of what we've already read before...

WHEN extra tickets for Take That’s Villa Park supershows went on sale on Friday morning, they sold out within an hour.

Desperate fans recruited entire families to man the phones, internet servers creaked as they struggled to cope, and promoters of the Progress Live tour watched as the cash counters spun faster than the average petrol pump.
There will, of course, be capacity crowds when Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and some bloke from Stoke called Robbie Williams turn up at the home of Aston Villa on June 27 and 28.
It will, say Villa supporters, be the first time that the ground has been completely full for two fixtures on the run.
By that time, Take That’s UK tour will already be 17 shows old, and well bedded in. They open at Sunderland’s Stadium Of Light this Friday for four giant gigs, followed by eight nights at the City of Manchester Stadium.
There are a couple of dates at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium, three shows at Glasgow’s Hampden Park – and then bring on Birmingham.
So what is it that makes 1.5 million tickets sell out in a matter of minutes? Why is the quintet’s 27-show trip around the UK (which ends in an unprecedented eight nights at Wembley Stadium) such a big draw?
Well, there’s the Take That phenomenon itself. After re-inventing themselves as a quality pop band, they’d have sold out the tour as a Fab Foursome. But the return of prodigal son Robbie has sent sales soaring sky high.
“Rob’s return has been so well accepted by the fans,” says Barlow, who adds that it was always his ambition to bring his old mate back into the band, even if they did have well-publicised differences.
Williams frequently took verbal potshots at his former boy band partners, and famously performed an outrageous punk version of Barlow ballad Back For Good at the Aston Villa Leisure Centre – a stone’s throw from the stadium he will play in June.
“Even when we came back as a foursome in 2005, the goal was to get us all back together eventually,” insists Barlow. “But the fact that it has actually worked out that way is incredible.
“I think it’s lovely because it gives everyone a platform now to do whatever they want. For us, as well, it’s about getting people used to the fact that this band will always change.

“The band might be one of those things we can all do, and toy with, and come back to whenever we want. We want to keep things interesting. Too many bands go stale and people leave because of that.

“I want to make sure this is an environment where people can come and go as they want. When anyone feels like they want to create something good, we can all get in a room and do it.”

Barlow goes on to joke that there is too much to fit in now that they’re back together, and admits: “The band is different with Robbie. We work in a different way. What we have now is too much talent in the room!”

It’s indicative of the compromises made by the band that the Villa Park setlist will include not only all the Take That fan favourites but also a showcase for Williams’ chart-topping solo material.



“Rob’s had to come in and do things he hasn’t done for 10 years or so, and be part of a group,” says Owen.

“It’s a whole new thing for him, but seeing how well he’s adjusted to it is great. There was a feeling like ‘What if he doesn’t want to put clown make-up on while he’s singing?’ or ‘How’s it going to work with all of us?’

“But he’s definitely part of the band in the truest sense. In fact, we have to hold him back now.

“He wants to put make-up on during every song!”

Further details of the show are being kept secret because Barlow wants the fans to be surprised on Friday night at the Stadium of Light.

It’s believed that the production will be on a smaller scale than the Circus tour, which recreated the big top experience with a huge cast of dancers, circus acts, gymnasts, performers, actors and extras.

“That’s just it,” says Owen. “How are we going to top the last one?

“That was the first question we had to ask when planning the Progress tour.

“The first and most important thing we did was to get the songs sorted and build the show around that. When you look at the songs we’re going to play, even if we go up there and do nothing but stand and sing, there are some great songs.

“We have a lot of confidence in the setlist we’ve built over 20 years.

“But us being us, we can’t just go up and do that. We have to think ‘We could sing the song, but we could also do it while flying out of a plane. Come on!’

“There are certain members of the band who push the theatrics a little more than others,” he continues, a mischievous expression suggesting he’s one of those keen to make things as spectacular as possible.

“After we’ve decided on a setlist, we have to find a happy medium with the production side so everyone is comfortable, and then, once we’ve run through it a few times, we can have fun with it.

“It’s all coming together now,” he adds, looking very much like a man who’s glad to be grabbing a quick cup of tea and a sit down amid the organised chaos of rehearsals.

“If you’d have asked me three weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been so sure, but it’s really coming together now. I feel like we’re in a really good place. We’ll be ready for the end of the week.”

Barlow adds: “The idea of actually going on tour is really exciting. But there’s always so much to do, so there is a worry. I’m not really excited until we’re done and ready.

“I might not get that feeling until the first or second night – as late as that. But we’ll give the crowd at Villa Park a good night out come June 27. Of that I’m certain.”

There is every indication that Progress Live will still be a BIG show. Half of the stage the band will use on the as made in the USA, while the other half was made in the UK.

“Neither of the firms involved could manage to make the whole thing,” explains Barlow. “We’ll also be using hydraulic platforms. We should buy that company. We must keep them going. Every two years we give them a fortune!”

Another measure of the band’s stature is that 80s legends Pet Shop Boys have agreed to be their support act, despite the fact that they are still capable of selling out Birmingham’s NEC themselves.

Says Williams: “I’m a huge Pet Shop Boys fan so for me it will be an absolute joy to be able to watch them every night.”

If you watched fly-on-the-wall documentary Look Back Don’t Stare last year, you’ll have seen how the big reunion came about and recording sessions for Progress took shape.

What you won’t have seen, however, is a band rehearsing their classics of the Nineties for the live dates.

Owen admits to a lot of reminiscing during the build-up to getting back out on stage as a five-piece group.

“Now and again I’d catch myself looking over my shoulder thinking ‘Oh, we’re back, all of us’ and I’d laugh inside,” he says.

“I still can’t believe it. I keep getting this warm feeling.”

If you add the group’s album sales to Robbie Williams’ solo sales, they’ve shipped a staggering 80 MILLION albums.

They’ve had 14 number one albums, 18 number one singles, played to more than 14.5 million people live, won 20 Brit Awards, eight MTV awards and five Ivor Novello Awards.

There’s seemingly no stopping them. Barlow has been confirmed as one of the new X Factor judges and Donald has signed up to do a DJ stint in Ibiza as soon as the Take That tour ends.

And don’t write off Robbie Williams’ solo career. Word is that there’ll be another album once the Progress Live tour has conquered the world, as it most surely will.



Source: http://www.sundaymercury.net/news/midlands-news/2011/05/22/take-that-s-gary-barlow-birmingham-fans-can-expect-a-night-to-remember-66331-28738607/2/

[Bev]

I wonder if Rob has ever been a part of such a high production show before? Were any of his solo tours as big (production wise) as the Take That shows?

The hydraulic platforms sound amazing!!!

Although not totally sure about the return of robbie being well accepted by fans

Hmmm exactly my thoughts Ria, maybe its 'head in the sand' syndrome on Garys part, he cant NOT have seen or heard some of the reactions surely!?

[Ria]

I wonder if Rob has ever been a part of such a high production show before? Were any of his solo tours as big (production wise) as the Take That shows?

The hydraulic platforms sound amazing!!!

Although not totally sure about the return of robbie being well accepted by fans

Hmmm exactly my thoughts Ria, maybe its 'head in the sand' syndrome on Garys part, he cant NOT have seen or heard some of the reactions surely!?

They all must know, but maybe theyre just focusing in the positive, which is a good thing I suppose

[Bev]

I wonder if Rob has ever been a part of such a high production show before? Were any of his solo tours as big (production wise) as the Take That shows?

The hydraulic platforms sound amazing!!!

Although not totally sure about the return of robbie being well accepted by fans

Hmmm exactly my thoughts Ria, maybe its 'head in the sand' syndrome on Garys part, he cant NOT have seen or heard some of the reactions surely!?

They all must know, but maybe theyre just focusing in the positive, which is a good thing I suppose

Yeah just wish I could do that more!!

[BarlowFan]

For the last few weeks, under a covered hangar at RAF Cardington in Bedfordshire, the final rehearsals have been taking place in utmost secrecy for the pop event of 2011 – Take That’s Progress Live Tour.

Sponsored by Samsung, it is the biggest stadium tour in UK and Irish history, kicking off at The Stadium Of Light in Sunderland this Friday.
Propelled by the return of Robbie Williams to the fold, it will see them perform as a five-piece for the first time since 1995 – to more than 1.75m people over 29 nights just in the UK and Ireland – including eight nights at Wembley Stadium, eclipsing the record set by Michael Jackson’s Bad tour in 1988.
It is a remarkable achievement for any band, let alone one which only returned to the live arena five years ago.
But it creates pressure, too.
In a quieter corner of the imposing shed – the biggest covered structure in the UK, originally built for airships in 1915 – sits production director Chris Vaughan, remarkably calm for someone in charge of one of the biggest tours the world has ever seen.
“I am numb from worry or excitement,” sighed Vaughan who, having been with Take That on every tour since their first in 1993, is seen as a trusted pair of hands.
“In truth it’s going phenomenally well. I feel more relaxed [than The Circus tour] at this point, even though it is twice as big scale-wise,” he admitted.
The Mayor of Bedford at one point stepped in to help Vaughan get access to the airbase where they are building the whole outdoor show under cover and away from prying eyes.
The band joined the crew for rehearsals three weeks ago. Much about the tour is shrouded in secrecy and Vaughan was tight-lipped on themes, although perhaps dropping a hint when talking about the unique engineering in designing the “bridges to Babylon”.
To give an idea of scale, Brixton Academy would “be just big enough to fit the catering crew now” explained Vaughan of The Production Office, overseeing his 225th tour in 20 years. Some 110 trucks are involved in ferrying the equipment between venues on the 27-date UK tour (36 across Europe), not to mention the crew which stands at 238 members.
Their previous tour Circus Live was acclaimed as one of the best in the UK but Vaughan said topping it was not a motivation in itself.
“The most important thing is that we shouldn’t try to better the previous tour. If we tried to, it would be contrived. We have listened to the music and tried to put on a quality show. We didn’t set out to better it, although I believe it is better. It’s an evolution.”
The show is produced by creative director and choreographer Kim Gavin who worked on Circus and whose next big event is the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony. Gavin focuses on the artistic side, working side-by-side with Vaughan who develops the financial and logistical side in tandem; much of the success is down to their tight working relationship.
There are no official figures but Gavin was rumoured to have been handed a £15m budget. The ideas came from the band and Vaughan said work started in earnest in October when he first “imagined” the tour and drew up parameters, timescales and budgets.
“These two weeks are the most stressful, honing the set design, people changing their minds, the show being tweaked. There are some extremely adventurous effects.”
Arriving at the airbase to check on rehearsals, promoter Simon Moran, who originally encouraged the band to reform for live dates in 2006, said he had the idea for “another” tour at the end of the last, Circus, long before there was any talk of Robbie rejoining.
His team at SJM handle almost everything including “dealing with venues, police, toilets, marketing... making sure it happens”.
Moran said, “This is quite beyond the aspirations of anyone really. Everything about it is big. It’s decimated any tour in the UK. We are in totally uncharted territory, in a challenging economic climate. It’s incredible really.”
Vaughan insisted that fans had been put first, and was most proud that they had gone to lengths to get rid of the delay and mixing towers in the centre of the stadiums – albeit at extra cost of hanging equipment from stadium roofs and building a mixing area into a V-stage – so that there are no sight-line obstructions. “Also the band get a view of the audience, not a medley of huts, and we can put more tickets on sale. The challenge is keeping it personal. It is important when you are running these big tours you try not to treat people as numbers and try to keep that family vibe,” he added.
What Take That fans have in store will be revealed at the end of the week. But what is clear from talking to Vaughan is that key to this event, everyone involved is trying to push the boundaries at every level of the production.
He added, “Every time you do Take That you are operating outside your comfort zone... you push yourself, but they do, too.”

MARK OWEN INTERVIEW



MW: So, the biggest stadium tour of all time... what will it be like?
A bit more technical. Even before the record was out the stage designs were coming through. The first pieces started to be built at the end of October. It’s going to be brilliant and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved.
What do you hope to achieve?
I want to see some of the places I tour rather than just the stage.
How are rehearsals going?
Really, really well. It’s quite easy at the moment because we’re more experienced and the communication’s better. Once you’ve run it a few times you can have fun with it. There’s an excitement, but we don’t want to show that we’re excited. Sometimes you wanna run home and shout, ‘Yeah, it’s brilliant.’
Demand was 30 times higher than for Michael Jackson’s shows. How does that make you feel?
We’re like kids really; we’re all a bit excited about life and the tour and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved. I just really hope everyone enjoys it.
Circus was a massive success – do you feel the pressure to better it?
People ask that all the time. A few weeks ago I had a pre-tour panic, which I went through for a couple of days, not much sleep, but I came through the other end. We’re confident with it now and I think the show will be brilliant.
Do you have much input as band members? How did you get involved?
We first officially set time aside to talk about the tour early last summer. We started with the setlist and the songs we wanted to play. We spent a day just talking about them before throwing ideas into a bag and putting a show together. There hasn’t been a week we haven’t had meetings or rehearsals.
How are the ideas generated?
The way we usually start with a show is looking at the songs we want to perform and think are right and then we build a show around that. There are some great songs there, we have a lot of confidence but us being us, we can’t just go and sing the songs. There are certain members of us who push the theatrics more than the others and it’s trying to find that happy medium where everybody’s comfortable.
Robbie has gone on record saying how much he dislikes touring. Have you had to persuade him?
No, we’re having to hold him back. Rob says, ‘Come on guys, let’s get on with it.’ We’ve all got enthusiasm to do a great show and that’s what we’ve always prided ourselves on.
Will you be previewing new material?
The new single Love Love. For the rest... you’ll just have to come along and see.?
What’s next for Take That?
We’ve got Love Love for the X-Men movie and we’re great X-Men fans, so that’s exciting for us. We’ve also done a few new tracks we’ve worked on.
The new single Love Love. For the rest... you’ll just have to come along and see.?
What’s next for Take That?
We’ve got Love Love for the X-Men movie and we’re great X-Men fans, so that’s exciting for us. We’ve also done a few new tracks we’ve worked on.

Source: http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?sectioncode=1&storycode=1045296&c=1

[Ria]

110 trucks???

[BarlowFan]

THERE won't be much room for TAKE THAT to have a kickabout backstage.


With only three days until their Progress tour gets under way, everyone is running around making final checks to ensure everything is in working order.
It sounds like GARY BARLOW, ROBBIE WILLIAMS, MARK OWEN, JASON ORANGE and HOWARD DONALD should give their production designer CHRIS VAUGHAN a wide berth anyway.
Last-minute tinkering from the band has left him in need of a stiff drink. He said: "I am numb from worry. If I stopped to think about it I'd be on a plane to Rio.
"We're desperately trying to make everything the band wanted to happen, happen. It is stressful, honing set design, people changing their minds and the show being tweaked some."
The shows have cost more than £15million to stage and are twice the scale of The Circus gigs, so it's no wonder he is anxious.
Kicking off in Sunderland on Friday, the boys will play 36 dates before finishing up in Germany on July 29.
There are 275 technicians and crew on board to make sure the gigs go off without a hitch, plus a whopping 110 trucks to ferry equipment around.
The roadies will have earned themselves more than a few pints once it's all over.
Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/music/3596968/Take-That-make-tour-Progress.html