Glad you really enjoyed it Milly. I saw so many things I'd missed at the live show, although I wasn't overly impressed with the direction and thought some of the camera angles failed to capture key moments.

 

Have to agree with you regarding Gary. The sound in our cinema was fantastic and Gary's voice was simply great, the best I've heard him sing over the full course of a show. I thought both Mark and Howard were somewhat subdued in the first half of the concert which I put down to nerves. Howard in particular looked really anxious but visibly relaxed toward the latter part of the show.

 

The last 20 - 25 minutes was fantastic. The cinema wasn't sold out but it was about 3/4 full and people were up dancing and singing. All in all a fab night - everyone left with a big smile on their face.

 

I think they will definitely tour next year and attempt to get Rob on board, but as for Jay, I doubt he will ever return.

Three drops to #47 this week, in my sales estimates its on sales of 475,000 or there abouts now.

It will most likely leave the top 75 very soon and 500,000 will be its peak in sales terms.

Three is doing better than i thought this week number 57 in the mids so its will stay top 75 for this week at the least.

Glad to see III hanging in there. I wish it could stay in top 100 next week as well, but it doesn't look likely at this point.

Anyway, considering 100k would be a dream for most artists nowadays, 500k after 25 years in the business is no small achievement.

 

I hope they do more promo after the tour ends.

 

Maybe we'll finally get a video for HTH, not that it can do anything at this point, but still...

Someone said that HTH was supposed to be on the setlist instead of Portrait, but something didn't work out, so they left it out :(

 

It wouldn't hurt if TT had some more tv appearances, but I doubt it, since Gary is supposed to be in NY till August.

Edited June 25, 201510 yr by milly

I agree 500,000 is not a bad achievement 25 years into their career. This appears even bigger when we look closely at UK sales by artists such as Madonna who havnt managed to sell 100,000. That said, it still feels disappointing when we consider the high sales of their previous albums as the gap in sales in massive. I would have loved the album to have made double platinum to keep their record of achieving double platinum sales for all their studio albums but i am certain this will not happen now.

Whilst I agree compared to many other artists the sales figures are relatively healthy, I don't think anyone can put an entirely positive slant on these figures. Their last 3 albums all sold in excess of 2 million in the UK, so the figures for this album are poor. Even accounting for the downturn in album sales it's still disappointing. Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran have both achieved massive sales in 2014 so there is still an album market out there.

 

 

 

 

The sales do look very bad when compared to their own sales achieved, some of their previous albums sold almost as much in a week as Three has sold in the 7 months since its release which is very disappointing. I agree that when you look at sales of Madonna's latest album Take Thats sales look brilliant and while it pains me to say it Kylie's last album still hasnt managed to make 100,000 so again when we look at established acts Take That are doing well.

 

I think it will be interesting to see how Take Thats next album sells and what opening sales will be like, i would like to believe the opening week sales achieved by Three were the fans out in force to buy the album so hopefully the next album can open with at least similar sales and go number 1 for them. Not that it is never important but more than ever they need to get the lead single right for the next album but to be fair they usually hit the nail on the head with their lead singles, its that the singles that follow that are a disaster. The three era is the first time ever they have only managed 1 top 10,40,75 and even worse top 100 single from an album which is worrying.

It would be wonderful if the next album released by Take That manages to equal the first week sales of Three. I am slightly doubtful it will happen, when Three was released i hadnt a doubt in the world it would take the number 1 position, i would not feel the same way for the next release and i would hate for them to miss reaching number 1.

One of the things I find worrying is that most of TT's fans are a bit out of touch with how the music industry works and how important sales and promo are nowadays - not to mention streaming. One of the major consequences of this lack of understanding is an unnatural and over the board confidence that the boys will always be no 1, no matter what. My fear is that this unfounded - sometimes fanatical - overconfidence will be the boys' downfall.

A "fan" almost took my head off on twitter just for suggesting that TT could have done with a bit of promo for HTH. Kath would have the time of her life with such "fans" if she thinks I'm bad :lol: :P

 

I had my fears even with III making it to no 1; I'm even less confident for the next album. Of course, my support is not conditioned by their success, but, as a fan, I'd love for them to be at the top of their game for a longtime.

For some reason, I'd be more inclined to think that, at this point, a Gary solo album would do better than a TT album, but that remains to be seen.

 

Going by the snippet of new music posted a few months ago, I'm excited to hear new music from TT. I hope that it's just a rumour that the new album will appear next year; it would be wrong for them not to try to capitalize on the success of this tour.

Edited June 26, 20159 yr by milly

Lots of people won't forget the tax issue - nothing they can do about that. However, they do have control over other things:

 

1) return to the original sound of BW

2) release a strong lead single ( ballad)

3) promote, promote, promote the album via a TV show similar to An Audience with, radio and TV performances and ensure that the marketing campaign is an effective one. Given that they're signed to a big music label their scheduling is shambolic at times.

4) promote any follow up singles properly via TV , radio, signings and small concerts

 

If they undertaken an effective campaign sales of around a million is achievable.

Lots of people won't forget the tax issue - nothing they can do about that. However, they do have control over other things:

 

1) return to the original sound of BW

2) release a strong lead single ( ballad)

3) promote, promote, promote the album via a TV show similar to An Audience with, radio and TV performances and ensure that the marketing campaign is an effective one. Given that they're signed to a big music label their scheduling is shambolic at times.

4) promote any follow up singles properly via TV , radio, signings and small concerts

 

If they undertaken an effective campaign sales of around a million is achievable.

 

Agree with all the points above.

 

 

Am I too naive in hoping they can still become famous worldwide with the right single? As much as I love These Days, it didn't have the potential to propel them in US. They need a Back for Good 2.0

I'm afraid that ship has sailed, Milly. Any realistic inroads internationally would have been made in 2006, it's far too late now. ID are the younger equivalent of TT and although they may pick up some new fans along the way the numbers will be minimal. Possibly their best song since their comeback RTW made little impact on the international charts, so any possibility of a new single becoming a world hit is almost inconceivable.

 

We may see some recognition for Gary in relation to his foray into musicals, but that's as far as it goes.

I don't necessarily want them (Gary especially) to top the charts worldwide - I know that won't happen at this point -, I'd just like for their name to be known by everyone. Unfortunately, most of the time, the 2 are linked. But maybe you are right and Gary still has a chance of getting his name out there through musicals or other projects.

 

 

I stumbled on this tour review - it may be the worst one - and I'd like to know what everyone thinks - is there a seed of truth in it?

I'm only asking because it kinda confirms a suspicion I've expressed before: that the public may still be there for Gary as a solo artist, but not for a band that is down to 3 members.

 

"Review 160 for Take That

1 / 5

The Gary Barlow Show

O2 - London - 04/06/2015Posted 19/06/2015by BombayBoy

 

Without Gary Barlow, the shortcomings of a band that is down to 3 from 5 would have been more evident. Howard's voice was not up to it anymore but the spectacular staging fortunately detracted from the music. It's time that Gary and the fans realised that Take That are no longer a going concern and for Gary, who still has a spectacular voice, to go it alone.

Favourite moment: None"

Edited June 27, 20159 yr by milly

No Milly, I don't think it's a fair representation of the concert in any sense at all. The reviewer is right in so far as Howard wouldn't sell records or tour tickets on his own, and Mark has a small, loyal fan base but can't command large numbers. Gary is therefore the only one who could have a successful career outside of TT at this point.

 

Few people would argue that Gary has the strongest voice and is the most talented, but TT are the sum of their parts. In some way they all contribute to make the band what it is. Mark has a lovely rapport with the crowd and Howard is a great dancer who adds to the overall performance. Gary couldn't carry off a concert like that on his own, he doesn't have the personality or charisma for it. He's essentially a singer/pianist hence his shows are stripped back and the music takes centre stage.

 

The reviewer simply disliked the show as have some others but his view that they're no longer a going concern is simply laughable given that they've just finished 40 plus arena shows. The majority of people who've seen the show have absolutely loved it. It was a great concert, not their best but still excellent. Some reviewers have complained about the lack of the 'wow' factor and showmanship but these complaints simply don't stand up to scrutiny. The effort and creativity that went into this tour has been incredible. That said, are they better as a four piece, yes, but I prefer three to five. I can understand those fans who've followed the band from the start not buying into a 4 or 3 piece, but I've followed the band since 2006 so for me it works as a four with Jay, and not with Rob.

It certainly is not a fair representation of the concert in any sense at all, and it is a very biased opinion to print. We as fans are also biased but the sales and amount of venues they have played in would show such a statement to be incorrect.

I understand our position as fans, but I also understand this person's position. It's obvious that for the millions of fans who didn't buy the album or the tour tickets anymore this time, TT3 are no longer an ongoing concern. Of course that for the fans that have stayed loyal, that view doesn't apply, but aren't we in the situation where the number of fans who've retracted their support exceeds the number of fans who keep being there for the boys?

 

 

It's possible to look at it a number of ways:

 

Firstly, the significant drop in their sales and popularity, which no one can deny, could give credence to your perspective that perhaps they're no longer a going concern. However, based on such a perspective then no band or solo artist would be deemed a going concern as the majority of the world's population doesn't buy music. ID are the biggest band in the world and their last album sold around 3.5 million, so most people didn't buy it and I think I'm right in saying that their album sales have seen a decline since 2011. Few artists sustain album sales over a period of 10 years, but in TT's case the decline has been more marked because the three previous albums held up so well.

 

Secondly, TT have still just played their largest arena tour in the UK , so the notion that they're not popular is clearly untrue, just not as popular as they were. It's possible the lads will decide to bow out if album and tour sales see a significant decline and they're left struggling to fill arena dates, but given their reputation for outstanding live shows it's unlikely this will happen any time soon. I think this tour was a pivotal moment in TT's history. It's restored their reputation and silenced many critics who didn't think they'd cut it as a three. If the tour hadn't been a success I believe they would have disbanded.

 

The bottom line is that whilst they still sell in adequate numbers the record company will still see them as a going concern- money talks in the music industry above all else. As for the reviewer his comments appear to stem from one of quality in that he perceives Gary as talented but the others not, rather than one of sales and popularity.

 

Completely agree! This tour has cemented their achievements as a three piece. Whilst their sales may have dropped, they still had a number 1 gold certified single and a number 1 platinum album! That's a success in my opinion!

III is out of top 100 this week :(

Hopefully, it can make a comeback in August, after the boys perform at that festival.