Die hard Take That fans camped for as long as 23 hours to see the trio return to Manchester
Take That fans camped for hours at the Etihad Stadium ahead of the band’s homecoming gig(Image: GARY OAKLEY)
Take That fans have travelled hundreds – even thousands – of miles to camp outside Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in a bid to secure the best spots for the band’s homecoming show.
Dedicated supporters began queuing from Thursday evening (June 18) and the early hours of Friday morning (June 19), with some claiming fans had already arrived for Saturday’s show in anticipation of being among the first through the gates.
It comes as the Circus Live has officially arrived in Manchester, with fans finally getting their chance to see Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald again as the trio bring back their hit 2009 tour to the city.
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Fans have revealed why they camped for hours ahead of Take That’s Manchester gig
Since kicking off the tour in Southampton at the end of May, fans have praised the impressive production values of the Circus Live, with the tour being hailed as the band’s biggest ever.
Among those waiting for the first of three homecoming shows at the Etihad Stadium this weekend were friends Linnet Walsh, 55, and Louise Robbins, 53, who travelled two-and-a-half hours from Worcester, arriving at 8.30am.
“There were already some people here for tomorrow,” they told the Manchester Evening News.
Linnet Walsh, 55, and Louise Robbins, 53(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The pair, who have been friends since school, were hoping to get as close to the front as possible when doors open. Both have followed Take That for decades, attending every tour since The Circus in 2009.
“We nearly thought we weren’t going to bother again after the last tour – it was shocking,” they joked.
When it comes to favourite songs, Linnet picked Greatest Day while Louise chose Never Forget.
Elsewhere in the queue, a pair of friends from Littleborough, who had arrived at around 6am, were fully embracing the occasion – putting clown makeup on one another as they queued.
Take That fans utilising their time in the queue(Image: Manchester Evening News)
They also have tickets for Saturday night’s show, joking they’re “not going home” between the two gigs.
They had also met fellow fans from Birmingham in the queue, who were wearing equally circus-inspired outfits and had arrived at around 8am to join the growing crowd outside the stadium.
The queue began to move before the M.E.N could take their names – and we weren’t going to stand in the way of their attempts to get front-row!
Dedicated Take That fans camped outside the Etihad from the early hours(Image: Manchester Evening News)
Further along the line, a group of superfans from the Canary Islands took the prize for the most dedicated of all, having been camped outside the stadium since 6pm the previous evening – tallying up a total of 23 hours in the queue.
Isabel, Martha and Nayra said the effort was all part of fulfilling a long-held dream to see Take That in concert.
“We’ve had this dream since we were 13,” they said.
Isabel, Martha and Nayra flew from the Canary Islands to see the show(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The trio also saw the band two years ago but say this visit is about “completing the loop”. They also joked about their coordinated outfits and hats, explaining there was no dispute over who would sport which initial of their favourite band member.
Among those making a lengthy journey for the show were Sara, Pepa and Ari, who travelled from Spain and arrived in Manchester the night before the concert.
The family had been outside the Etihad since 3am in a bid to secure a coveted front-row position. Despite the lengthy wait, they came prepared with little more than a blanket.
“No tent, no chairs. Just a small blanket,” they said. “We’ve suffered.”
Sara, Pepa and Ari camped outside the Etihad from 3am on Friday(Image: Manchester Evening News)
The family’s love affair with Take That spans decades. Sara, now 41, has been a fan since she was 10 years old, while her younger sister has followed the group since she was just five.
Asked to choose a favourite song, they struggled to settle on one but eventually named Never Forget and Shine among their top picks.
Originally staged in 2009, The Circus Live broke UK records as the fastest-selling tour in history, with over 600,000 tickets sold in under 5 hours, and over one million fans attending the sell-out shows across the UK and Ireland. The tour began on June 5, 2009 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland and finished on July 5, 2009 at Wembley Stadium in London. First time round, it made a profit of £40,560,000.
Now back again for round two, one thing was clear from fans: the support for Take That is unwavering, with hundreds willing to travel across the UK and Europe, and spend hours – and in some cases days – camping out, for a chance at a front-row view of the spectacle.