Lump in throat, tears in eyes, the power Gary Barlow has to take you on an emotional musical journey can’t be denied.
From the very moment he stepped onto the P&J Live stage last night, dressed head-to-toe in red, it was clear that his All The Hits Live 2021 concert was going to be a memorable one.
Leona Lewis
The epic emotional rollercoaster began with Leona Lewis, The X Factor winner with a voice like an angel and a sparkly white dress to match.
“I feel like a snowman’s wife,” laughed Leona when commenting on her mesmerising dress as she sang Christmas classics mixed with her hits including Run.
Captain Gary
Warmed up and raring to go, screams erupted when a giant GB sign lit up to signal Gary’s grand entrance complete with feather clad showgirls and an 11-piece band.
And catching a glimpse of the sheer elation in people’s faces as he launched into the upbeat Incredible, one of his recent hits, it’s clear that Gary has been a collective source of strength, comfort and joy for people through the good times and the bad.
Goosebumps soon spread throughout the crowd when Gary was joined back on stage by Leona Lewis to sing a stunningly stripped back version of Take That’s Could It Be Magic.
Eyes continued to well when Gary broke into a mix of Take That and solo hits such as A Million Love Songs and Open Road (shout out to the older gent sitting behind me who sang along beautifully).
Relight my fire
Living up to his reputation as a genuinely lovely man, Gary thrilled fans by swapping the main stage for a tiny platform in the middle of the crowd.
It was from this wee stage where Gary got some of the biggest cheers of the night as he belted out the infectious Let Me Go in rhythm with a sea of jumping fans.
Feeding off the energy in the crowd, Gary made his way back to the main stage where he and his phenomenal backing dancers kept the buzz alive as he belted out Take That hits including Relight My Fire, Patience, Back For Good and Shine.
Never forget
Gary’s love for his fans was clear throughout the concert telling one fan he “loved” their jumper and also joking about the “lovely (rainy) weather” prompting one woman to hilariously retort “oh this is nothing compared to the storm on Friday Gary.”
As the night drew to a close, emotions were palpable as Gary took to his grand piano to sing Love Forever, Rule the World before finishing with the aptly named Never Forget.
Ears ringing and eyes stinging with tears (happy ones), I got talking to Gary Barlow super fans Janine Rugie and Helen Johnstone who said it’s a concert they will never ever forget.
“It’s been a long time coming so it’s been emotional,” said Janine.
Helen added: “I just want to thank Gary as his music got us through lockdown.
“He’s incredible.”