We chat with the Take That frontman ahead of the band’s show in Abu Dhabi this month.
Five years after their Greatest Hits Live tour, Take That is back on the road, taking fans worldwide on a retrospective journey that pairs flames, fountains and kinetic staircases with a heady dose of nostalgia. Supporting the eponymous ninth studio album, the ongoing This Life on Tour sees the iconic 90s boy band perform new material while revisiting the classics — “Back for Good”, “Never Forget”, and “Relight My Fire” included. Here, we catch up with frontman Gary Barlow ahead of Take That’s pit stop in Abu Dhabi, where they’ll take the stage at Etihad Park for one night only on Friday, 25 October.
Take That is coming to Etihad Park on 25th October. Are you looking forward to being back in the UAE?
Do you know what? We’re really, really looking forward to it. We’ve been playing across the UK and Europe this summer, and I think we’ve done about 70 shows there, but this is our next phase of touring now, where we leave Europe and come to where you guys are. Can’t wait. Really can’t wait. And I have to say, we’ve been doing this for a long time, but it’s still incredible when you see how much effort people put into coming and watching us. So, I’ll take this opportunity to say thank you to everybody. We love having our audiences out there going crazy, singing and dancing. It’s the best.
Let’s talk about how shows are evolving with technology — there’s the immersive U2 concert film at Sphere in Las Vegas and ABBA hologram show in London. Can you see Take That doing something like that someday?
I think all the above, I’ll take any of it. I really will. I mean, here’s the thing: entertainment is definitely going up a few gears now. And we come from a world where we’ve had 50 people on stage with us. We’ve had robots, elephants — we just love entertaining audiences. Entertainment has definitely stepped up a gear, and a lot of it is coming from Vegas, so we’re into anything that pushes and gives our fans an even better night out, you know? I’ll give you a little exclusive here. We are in talks at the moment. It’s gone on for a year. Our audience is going mad because I’ve actually mentioned before that we might be doing it, but it’s never come off… but we’re getting close. We’re getting there. That’s all I can tell you. Maybe this little show in Abu Dhabi will be the start of something. Who knows? I’m not saying anything, but I’m just putting it out there.
How does it feel touring together after all these years? Does it feel different this time?
We don’t do years like this very often. I think, sort of, every seven or eight years, we’ll do a tour that lasts the whole year. And when we do, we always start and think, ‘Wow, we’ve got 90 or so shows ahead, and it feels daunting.’ But tell you what, it has gone so quickly, it really has. We’ve had great times. Our band and a lot of our crew joined us in 1992-93, so these are like family tours, and we’re so lucky. We can travel around the world with our little show, and our audience turns up and has a great time. We feel like the luckiest people in the world because we’re doing what we love. The fact that we’re able to still do it after all these years is just incredible because there aren’t many people who do it for this long. We feel very, very lucky, and we’ll never take it for granted. And when we’re out there on stage, we’ll be giving it 150%.
You recently went viral on TikTok with your vineyard video when you said it’s your idea of a great day out.
Well, after all these years and all the exams and study I did for music, I actually can’t believe that the most notable thing that I’ve done in the last year has been on TikTok. [laughs]. The worst thing is that my wife said to me, ‘Oh my God, who got fired for that then?’ And I said, ‘It’s worse. I did it myself. I filmed myself doing it.’ I’d love a nice clip of me singing to go viral, but for now, I’ll make do with a nice day out. It follows me around — getting a taxi, I get to the airport, people are like, ‘Oh, is this your idea of a nice day out?’ If I could have a pound for every time I’ve heard that [laughs].
You’re doing a travel show, too. Is that right?
Yeah, it actually comes out in November. My hobby when I’m not making music is that I absolutely love wine. Now, I’m not that knowledgeable about it, but I love it, so that qualifies me to go around the world drinking wine in incredible vineyards with great friends, and they’ve said they’ll put it on telly. Really, it’s a win-win for everyone. Do you know what, the queue for that job was from here to Edinburgh, but I was at the front of the queue. I got it. It’s a five-parter, all filmed in South Africa. It’s a fun show. It really is. And you’ll learn a few things as well. I did.
How was South Africa?
I’ve been a few times. I’m quite a regular. The wine regions are absolutely incredible. In fact, there’s a whole tour that takes you around the vineyards. I think that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to make this show. This world is out there, but not enough people know about it. It makes for a wonderful holiday. Honestly, it’s one of the best countries in the world. I would tell anyone to visit South Africa and meet its people. Everyone’s so nice. And it’s not expensive, either. Sure, it’s expensive to fly there, but getting around and buying food and wine isn’t. And it’s a brilliant place.
Fans can purchase final tickets for Take That’s show in Abu Dhabi by visiting Platinumlist.
DSCVR: Gary Barlow on travel, touring, and going viral on TikTok. @officialgarybarlow @takethat
