Could It Be Magic..... No.....

Neffi and I, along with 64,082 other women, reclaimed the Millennium Stadium in the name of all things girly and fanatical last week. Take That were in town and the Valleys apparently emptied into Cardiff to mark the occasion. I was completely overwhemlemd by just how many people were there. The city centre was rammed and for a moment I thought that perhaps we had stumbled across a 'Slut Walk'. But no, Take That concerts seem to have also become synonymous with hen nights.

I will admit that I have been a HUGE Robbie Williams fan all my life. It was the first music that I got into all on my own, away from the parental influence of everything Genesis all the time. I had previously seen him once before, when he toured with his second album. I think I was 10 and I went with my Uncle. He made us leave less than half way through because of all the foul language being used. I had been oblivious to this (an age before TV) as I was only little, so was thoroughly miffed at having to miss so much concert. 13 years of waiting and I finally get to see him play a whole set. AND IT WAS BRILLIANT.

I know he isn't the most musically creative person in the world, and that he doesn't really play any instruments or whatever crap the more musically pretentious throw at him as reasons as why we should not be listening;  but the man knows how to entertain a crowd! His 45minutes of the show were brilliant, and he did a nice selection from his many albums AND he split his trousers from all the over enthusiastic dancing. In the local vernacular it was 'Well Lush'.

On the other hand, I did feel very out of place when the rest of the band were on stage. I don't particularly like any songs of the newer album, and the previous new stuff I have dubbed 'the wedding albums'. I felt a bit like a spy infiltrating an enemy camp defended by extremely loyal guards. The boys did put on a spectacular stage show, which was extremely enjoyable despite my lack of enthusiasm for the music. A highlight of which was a live action chess game. Resulting in a dance off between Howard and Jason which was very inventive.  I give them full credit for putting on a proper show that befit the scale of venue they were playing, taking full advantage of the cavernous space by erecting a 30ft(?) robotic man in the middle of the stadium as the night progressed.


My inner 7 year old was very happy after their rendition of Babe and Back for Good, but I am still not a convert to the man band that is now Take That. My heart belongs to the 90s.