Review: Gary Barlow, Civic Hall, Wolverhampton
It's been a long time coming, but pop superstar and X Factor judge Gary Barlow said he was 'stunned' by the reaction as his solo tour arrived in the Midlands last night.
The Take That singer and songwriter performed at a sold-out Civic Hall in Wolverhampton last night as part of his UK Tour.
Fans queued from 3.30am in a bid to get the best spot at the show.
Many brought tents and sleeping bags to cope with the cold weather. During the day others arrived to join the queue. Some carried banners, others wore Gary Barlow masks and a few even donned fancy dres.
Mother-of-two Karen Jones, 43, of Oswestry, who had been queuing since midday, said: "I'm a massive Take That fan and since the comeback I've been Gary mad."
As he strolled onto stage in front of 3,000 people, the singer said: "It's been a long time since I played this venue, 1991 I think."
After a theatrical bow he launched straight into his first song, the Take That hit Greatest Day.
His trademark dry sense of humour was on show too; during a run through of the band's history he poked fun at his attempt at a solo career in the 1990s joking that his second album without his bandmates sold '42 copies worldwide'.
And when one of his band stepped forward clutching a saxophone, he joked: "The sax is out, that can only mean one thing, it's time for Careless Whisper."
He then launched into what proved to be one of his most popular songs of the night, A Million Love Songs.
Before departing he told the crowd it had been 'an absolute pleasure', adding: "I hope it's not another 20 years before I am back here again as I have thoroughly enjoyed being with you."
After the show, he answered tweets from fans on Twitter and said the show was 'Stunning – what a crowd!'.
Naomi Dunning
