Can't wait to see them tomorrow! Will let you all know how I get on!

Have fun jay! Looking forward to read your review.

Hope you have a fab, fab time!

Have lots of fun, Jay! :) Can't wait to hear your opinion of the tour.

I thought I'd share my experience of the tour from Friday 5 June. I know I don't post much - I'm a lurker who reads, but doesn't post much. lol

 

I thought the show itself was absolutely brilliant. Considering it was in a smaller venue it didn't feel that they'd cut corners. I did feel that the intro was a little too long, though interesting as you tried to work out what was happening lol

 

I loved the songs that they'd chosen, though I probably would have chosen a different Howard song such as What is Love or Beautiful World as I've never been keen on Affirmation. I liked Portrait more when they sang it in the car, but again there are songs I would have preferred to hear, but I guess they were showcasing their new stuff. The idea of the car was inspired though and I wonder how they managed to come up with all the clever ideas and actually pull them off.

 

Being a Jay fan I did miss him, especially at times such as The Garden where I think Gary sang his line. I also missed his random little dances that he used to do when he was almost in a little world of his own.

 

I didn't feel that the show lacked Robbie because to be honest I'm not keen on him and I felt that without him it didn't feel like they were having to compete with his ego. I also felt that Howard especially did really well singing Robbie's lines in The Flood.

 

Would I go again? Definitely, in a heartbeat and though the ticket cost was more expensive than Progress it was worth every penny. It was better than Progress in my opinion, because it felt less disjointed and on a par with The Circus.

 

Thanks for the review ( please post more often )and glad you enjoyed it so much. It was a fab concert, wasn't it and far better than Progress. The dynamics between the three was great and the atmosphere fantastic. I would have loved Jay to have been there and he would have been in his element in the contemporary dance routine, but the three compensated for his absence incredibly well all considered.

 

I have read the odd scathing review.One 'fan' stated the concert was poor in comparison to recent Olly Murs/ID concerts. She complained about her view and TT's static performance on the front stage and vowed never to see them live again. I don't know what show she saw but it certainly wasn't this tour ! The night I was there their work ethic was phenomenal and they constantly moved around the arena so everyone would have an opportunity to see them.

 

Overall this tour has been a triumph with largely brilliant reviews. Celebrities have recently tweeted how fantastic the show is - Gary Kemp said some really lovely things and Grahame Norton was gushing about it on his radio show this weekend.

I enjoy reading people's reviews too on this forum :) Experiencing this tour through someone else's eyes is interesting.

 

Dylandog, if the review you read is on ticketmaster, I'd take that with a pinch of salt. Not all those reviews are from people who were at the concert.

I remember when Gary toured, someone complained that the set only lasted for 45 minutes, which was not only absurd, but also a blatant lie.

Some people get easily bored and love wasting their time fabricating stories.

 

The more I read fans' (real fans) reviews , the more excited I'm getting about seeing the concert on the 19th.

It was Ticketmaster. I go on from time to time from time to time as it's nice to read tour reviews from other peoples perspective. Some have complained about ticket costs but speaking to people I know TT tickets aren't that much more expensive than comparable artists and their productions costs are obviously considerable higher - so value for money overall. There have been mutterings about the VIP tickets - but I won't entertain them, or at least find out what the package is before purchasing. Merchandise has also been expensive this tour so I simply made a conscious decision not to buy anything.

 

We were lucky with fantastic seats but we did extensive research on the arena seating plan before buying. I can see why some people are angry because the night I was at the MEN some people were to the side of the stage and so high up their view must have been really restricted - and there were some seats still available in good spots so they should have been moved.

 

 

 

We were lucky with fantastic seats but we did extensive research on the arena seating plan before buying. I can see why some people are angry because the night I was at the MEN some people were to the side of the stage and so high up their view must have been really restricted - and there were some seats still available in good spots so they should have been moved.

A few years back my husband said 'OK then - if you can get tickets - I'll go' (because I'd been going on and on about how fabulous the concerts were). It was an empty gesture on his part (or so he thought) because it was near to the end of the tour and the concerts had been to all intents and purposes sold out for ages. HOWEVER!!! At the last minute they released some 'restricted view' seats for the last concert at the MEN. They were £25 - and I wasn't expecting much at all (they will have been the ones that you speak of - that I emboldened above). When we got there - we'd only got to our seats when my husband (who suffers claustrophobia - and by this time acrophobia!) said 'sorry love - I can't sit here for two hours - I'll have a heart attack'. As I'd already seen them 5 times (on the BW Tour) I thought - well at least he was willing - so we started to leave and I asked one of the stewards if he could just give our tickets to someone who didn't have any at all. Well the stewards at the MEN were fabulous - he told us to hold on and he'd try to get us somewhere less high (he could see by this time my husband was virtually pale green in the face). The guy managed to seat us right at the side of the stage almost within touching distance of Jason!!!!! They were the best seats we'd ever had. I'm so glad we made this one too - as with it being the last night at Manchester - Beverley Knight joined them on the centre stage.

 

 

I feel so sorry for the fans who end up in the kind of seats you've described, Kath. I believe they should never be sold. Yes, arenas are so large that screens are a necessity, but everyone should have an adequate view of the stage(s).

 

If they decide to release restricted seats, and this is a big if, then they should be sold for a nominal sum - say 20 quid and no more, with a very clear description of their location. I couldn't understand why there were vacant seats in prime positions on the night I went and yet there were people seated up in the gods. MEN must have known those seats were available and should have re - allocated them to people in the highest tiers.

Thanks for the review Mybelle. It really was a great show, and as you said, better than Progress. Yeah, the intro was too long but like you, I also tried to get what was going on.

 

About reviews: it is interesting to read other people's views of the show, not just TT fans reviews because to be honest I sometimes find (some) fans not completely trustworthy. They think everything is totally amazing :D

 

Funny with that fan thinking that the TT concert was poor in comparison to 1D concerts. I haven't seen 1D myself but I've heard others criticize their shows for being lazy and that they don't really do anything on stage. But, again, I haven' seen them myself so I don't know if that's true or not.

 

Wow Kath, how fab for you to get such good seats instead of the original seats you had. That's what I call great service!

Edited June 7, 201510 yr by Cat62

I feel so sorry for the fans who end up in the kind of seats you've described, Kath. I believe they should never be sold. Yes, arenas are so large that screens are a necessity, but everyone should have an adequate view of the stage(s).

 

If they decide to release restricted seats, and this is a big if, then they should be sold for a nominal sum - say 20 quid and no more, with a very clear description of their location. I couldn't understand why there were vacant seats in prime positions on the night I went and yet there were people seated up in the gods. MEN must have known those seats were available and should have re - allocated them to people in the highest tiers.

 

I agree, if they are selling such tickets it's important that they are very clear about the location and that the tickets are sold at a much lower cost. Sometimes you see tickets being sold with the description "restricted view", but not for a reduced cost, which is totally wrong I think.

I feel so sorry for the fans who end up in the kind of seats you've described, Kath. I believe they should never be sold. Yes, arenas are so large that screens are a necessity, but everyone should have an adequate view of the stage(s).

 

If they decide to release restricted seats, and this is a big if, then they should be sold for a nominal sum - say 20 quid and no more, with a very clear description of their location. I couldn't understand why there were vacant seats in prime positions on the night I went and yet there were people seated up in the gods. MEN must have known those seats were available and should have re - allocated them to people in the highest tiers.

 

Even worse Dylan - is that these 'restricted view' seats at the side of the stage (and up in the Gods) - they are actually BEHIND the screens. The screens are useless to you - and unless the artists go to the very front edge of the stage - you see nothing of them. They really should be advertised as 'hearing' only - because you don't see the artists at all - first hand or on on screen! Having said that - a quick chat with the steward and we got what were in effect - front row seats!

Edited June 7, 201510 yr by Kath

 

I really didn't know that. Been lucky to get decent seats for all the tours to date. Surely there must be something under the Trades Description Act ( if it still exist) to stop this practice? It's knowingly selling goods which aren't actually provided.

 

All arenas now have seating plans available to view on line so I'm at a loss to know why people don't google the arena before purchasing.Yes, the lay out may change slightly but TT always have a second stage and unless the main stage is situated in the middle, then people should have a good idea of the restricted seats. For the MEN I asked for Block 118/119 which they said was fully sold out ( not true) so went for Block 114 towards the front and they were fantastic seats. I didn't purchase them on the day of the sale and actually waited 4 or 5 days. Given that, I'm struggling to understand why those with priority tickets weren't allocated better seats as many on forum sites have mentioned paying high prices for poor seats.

Thanks for all the kind words!

I must say, the concert was absolutely stunning; visually and musically. A packed O2 arena in London, not a single seat left in the house; ironically a reference to seats is quite redundant, seeing as no one sat down for any part of the show.

 

I Like It, Love Love, Greatest Day and Get Ready For It was an absolutely fantastic opening set, and I LOVED the Circus songs set under the sea!

 

Interestingly, I had read the reviews and expected Affirmation to be a low point, but it was remarkably well recieved (although perhaps Howard mentioning his daughter was there and it was her 16th birthday may have swayed an indifferent audience to engage more with it).

 

I'll keep it brief, but Portrait was a highlight - I've now quite warmed to it, although I still believe higher than higher would have been the more suitable song choice for that part of the show. As a side note, no sign of any microphone trouble as I know there were a couple of comments in earlier reviews. There was also a nice couple of references to the 25 years, seemingly they are planning something big for them to touch on it every night.

 

I actually found that this time the concert seemed to go much quicker than usual. Although the start was a bit slow (I didn't really get what was going on if I'm honest) there wasn't many 'showy' bits when compared to Circus and Progress - instead it went from song to song, which is certainly not a criticism, but before I knew it they were singing Rule the World!

 

Overall, it was a fantastic show and one of the best concerts I've been to. A solid 4 and a half stars! (Would of been 5 stars if there was a piano medley!!). Thoroughly recommended to anyone who is still to see them, you'll have a great time!

Edited June 8, 201510 yr by jay727

Great that like me you really really enjoyed the show, i too agree the opening was confusing but i did think when i went myself that for the opening Take That were in disguise in some of the opening parts, did you think that??

Yes! We thought they were wearing the hoods - that was good!

Thank you for your review, Jay :)

 

It's nice to see I'm not the only one who doesn't get the meaning behind the intro. I was starting to feel really dumb :) Glad to see others are as confused as I am :)

Lovely review, Jay. Your enjoyment of the show jumps off the page! You're right about a piano medley - it would have been a great addition.

Thanks Milly & Dylandog - they never disappoint! Roll on the 25 year tour!!