Take That: Progress Live [2011]

Just to get a gripe out of the way. My blu ray DVD of this concert has a lot of "Twitches" in it at the start.....almost like for a split second the frame is freezing. I did read there were problems with this DVD initially so maybe this is how the problem was resolved....too be fair though this concert is so amazing you don't notice it after a while and by the end you don't notice it at all.So it is fair to say I am a latecomer to the world of Take That.....they are a generation younger than me so in the 1990's when they had the world in the palm of their hand and some members of the band couldn't cope with it all it was just news in the papers at the time. Fair to say although fans will see their earlier hits as amazing personally I think it was good boy band material and no more than that.Somehow over the past few months I have been drawn to the mature Take That....for me the song writing of the mature group is way better than the original boy band material. So I have found myself buying all their albums and DVD's since they reformed. It is fair to say having watched all DVD's Take That know how to put on a show. However without a doubt this DVD Progress played to a massive stadium in Manchester is outstanding . I know different reviews will reflect individual feelings but for me the five boys together are Take That and the more mature Robbie Williams with his more mature Take That band mates works so well together it is a shame this was only a one off album and tour. I think the concert reflected a fair balance of Take That as a foursome. Robbie on his own and the reunion with songs from "Progress". Personally I would have loved to have heard all the songs from Progress/Progressed rather than songs from the bands past. This is a spectacular show. The staging is amazing. Not sure how much you would have seen from the arena so it is definately worth buying the DVD for the close ups.....and in June I will finally go to my first Take That concert...I just wish it was the five boys because definately for me "Together is Stronger"

I am of middling (middle?) age and to be honest the boy band thing just passed me by when Take That first hit the scene in the 1990s.What sparked my interest in this group was the fabulous Progress album with its apocalyptic resonances. When they announced their recent tour I tried to get tickets but they sold out almost immediately so I missed seeing this concert live. So I decided to go for the next best thing - a blu ray version of the concert.I wanted to see the concert in realistic detail and I am lucky enough to have the access to a dedicated home cinema with professional level kit both in audio and cinematic detail - the blu ray high def just shone through. But to be honest the blu ray would be just as good with a normal telly and a decent sound system, as it is not the technical detail that matters but the quality of the show itself.This is a professional, well rehearsed show, and it is glorious.It starts with a fairly normal (as normal as a Manchester stadium can be) mix of their songs. Then the theatrics begin, with a surreal Alice in Wonderland scene. But gradually the sky darkens over the stadium and it becomes more intimate. Robbie belts out some of his anthem songs with as much energy as he can muster. The audience love it.Those are the standard bits, then an astounding vertical ballet takes place with a fifty foot wall. This is special I think. No gimmicks other than the practicalities of trying to dance thirty foot in the air. As the songs progress the dancers have even more physical challenges which I won't spoil by describing here.The band follow through with their best songs from the Progress album. In parallel to that there appears yet another amazing theatrical event that I will not spoil by describing.It must have cost tens of thousands to make this thing and so it makes you appreciate that the group really cares about their audience - they are the entertainers!Roll on their next tour!