Roll up, roll up – The Circus is back in town. More than 15 years after they debuted the neon extravaganza, Take That have brought their most lauded performance back to life, and as a superfan who missed it the first time around (curse my 14-year-old self) I was desperate to get my hands on tickets.

I previously saw Take That live on their This Life tour in 2025. While the retro-themed performance was still amazing, being in an arena instead of a stadium meant it didn’t quite have the gravitas I’d seen the band display on their previous tour DVDs, with Progress Live and The Circus regularly selling out massive venues. That’s Life also lacked the huge props that those tours brought in spades – from the Circus’s elephant to Progress’ huge human statue.

Fear not, because Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen are back and better than ever. Despite having two members missing from the original line-up (I’ll Never Forget you, Jason Orange) the trio build a formidable stage presence all on their own.

I headed to Manchester’s Etihad Stadium on the second night of their hometown show. Take That are booked in for four nights at the Etihad – they’ll return on July 1 – as well as performing in Glasgow, Cardiff, London, Southampton, Coventry, Sunderland and Dublin.

(If you’re still on the fence about the next Manchester date, I can’t recommend the Colin Bell Stand and its cushy Tunnel Club seating enough, at least if you don’t mind spending a bit more cash. Get chilly, and there’s a heated seat button, plus real toilets instead of portaloos).

Supported by the equally impressive Belinda Carlisle and The Script, Take That took to the stage around 8:30pm, delivered in a basket of balloons. From then on, the Circus is in full swing – a clown is stranded in a hot air balloon; the huge elephant is transporting the band members around the stadium; there are fire-eaters and acrobats and a man somehow juggling three hats while wearing them. Oh, and a tightrope walker who performs several daring stunts all to the dulcet tones of Gary singing the album’s titular track.

Honestly, the props for the show are incredible. There are fireworks, there’s confetti, there’s even a giant ringmaster who slowly unfolds like an eerie jack-in-the-box on the main stage and towers over proceedings. I think Take That are missing a trick not selling plush versions of their beloved elephant as a collector’s item (though be warned, you will be expected to pay £45 for a T-shirt).

It’s not just a spectacle, though. The Circus brings together a collection of the band’s greatest hits – although aside from their latest release Superstar, you won’t hear anything after the release of The Circus. Relight My Fire is a standout, complete with fireballs shooting into the air. I finally got to hear my all-time favourite track, Said It All, performed live. The Garden is done beautifully from atop the moving elephant, while a medley of the 90s hits and the infamous Pray dance will give the longest serving fans a zap of nostalgia.

During the piano section, I encourage everyone to join in a little game I like to call ‘how high can Gary’s eyebrow go’. You’ll be surprised at the heights it can achieve when he’s hitting those crescendos.

At the encore, Mark comes out singing Hold Up A Light – another personal favourite – before they close off the set with Rule the World, complete with a firework show. It takes 250 behind-the-scenes crew members to bring this whole thing to life, and it shows. The attention to detail is clear.

While the usual affirmations of ‘you’re the loudest crowd we’ve had so far!’ tend to be empty boasts, based on social media posts from those who live close to the stadium, it might not be a lie this time. One X user who lives close by said they’ve never heard a louder crowd for any event held at the Etihad – not even when its home team Manchester City play – which should tell you something about how much the Take That lads are loved.

I can sum up the entire experience in four words – a uniquely British spectacle. Yes, there are the traditional circus elements. There’s showmanship you’d perhaps more closely associate with PT Barnum’s New York. But at the heart of it all are three northern lads, returning to their home city, belting out feel-good pop hits and refusing to shy away from the apex of their boyband days.

I was particularly amused by the willingness of the audience to send a ‘wave’ round the whole stadium at the behest of Script frontman Danny O’Donoghue. While the whole thing was being livestreamed on Amazon Music for viewers watching at home, a helicopter fluttered overheard – presumably for aerial shots – and everyone in sight immediately raised their arms to greet it, no matter how many miles up in the air it was.

Relaunching an old tour might sound like a cash grab at first, but having seen it firsthand, Take That made it clear The Circus 2026 is about the fans – giving them a stellar experience, just as good as the 2009 original, that plenty missed out on the first time. I for one am infinitely happy I finally got to see it, even if it was without Jason’s incredible acoustic segment.

If I could change one thing? The trio would have performed his lead vocal track How Did It Come to This in tribute.