Gary Barlow in Concert (2011 concert tour)

Gary Barlow: In Concert

Tour by Gary Barlow
promotional poster for the concert
Associated album	Take That and solo material
Start date	5 December 2011
End date	8 January 2013
Legs	2
No. of shows	19 in United Kingdom and Ireland
Gary Barlow concert chronology

Gary Barlow: In Concert is the first full solo tour that Gary Barlow has gone on in 13 years. Leg 1 saw him perform songs from his "incredible music career spanning over 20 years" in front of a sell out audience during two nights at the Royal Albert Hall. It was announced on 15 October 2012 that Barlow will go on a full solo tour for two months around the UK and Ireland.

Background

Gary Barlow first teased about the first two concerts via his Twitter account, stating that he would be announcing "something special" soon. Soon after Barlow announced that he would play the Royal Albert Hall for two nights in December with all proceeds of the tour and merchandise sold that evening going directly to The Prince's Trust youth charity. Barlow said: "I hope the money raised through these concerts will make a real difference to young lives. It's really important to me that disadvantaged young people get the support they need, especially at the moment."

The tickets to the concert went on sale at 9am on Friday 28 October 2011 and were sold out 'in minutes'. Speaking about the reaction to the concerts, he said: "I've been overwhelmed at the response for both shows which sold out on Friday. Fans will be glad to know we've kept some [tickets] back with great views of the stage to auction off to the highest bidder so we can make as much money as we possibly can for The Prince's Trust."

Tickets for Leg 2 of the tour went on sale at 10am on Friday 19th October. Barlow said, "I'm really excited about these dates. Playing live is my favourite thing and I haven't played a solo show for over a year now. Last year playing two London shows was brilliant, we all had such a good time, so I thought right let's get out and see the rest of the country!".

Setlist for December 2011

1. "Greatest Day"
2. "Reach Out"
3. "Open Road"
4. "A Million Love Songs"
5. "Pray"
6. "Nobody Else"
7. Big Band Medley (feat. Under My Skin, Fly Me to the Moon, Moon Dance)
8. "I'd Wait for Life"
9. "Love Ain't Here Anymore"
10. "Lie to Me"
11. "Why Can't I Wake Up with You"
12. "Forever Love"
13. "Could It Be Magic"
14. "Sunday to Saturday"
15. "Wasting My Time"
16. "Everything Changes"
17. "Relight My Fire"
18. "Patience"
19. "Too Many Broken Hearts" with Jason Donovan
20. "Back for Good"
21. "Shine" with Olly Murs
22. "Rule the World"
23. "Never Forget"

Tour dates

Date	City	Country	Venue
Leg 1: 2011
5 December 2011	London	England	Royal Albert Hall
6 December 2011
Leg 2: 2012-2013
12 November 2012	Bournemouth	England	Bournemouth International Centre
14 November 2012	Plymouth		Plymouth Pavilions
21 November 2012	Edinburgh	Scotland	Edinburgh Playhouse
22 November 2012	Nottingham	England	Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
27 November 2012	London		Royal Albert Hall
28 November 2012	Sheffield		Sheffield City Hall
6 December 2012	Manchester		O2 Apollo
7 December 2012			Bridgewater Hall
27 December 2012	London		Hammersmith Apollo
28 December 2012	Newcastle		Newcastle City Hall
30 December 2012	Wolverhampton		Wolverhampton Civic Hall
31 December 2012	Oxford		New Theatre
2 January 2013	Liverpool		Liverpool Philharmonic Hall
4 January 2013	Blackpool		Blackpool Opera House
5 January 2013	Cardiff	Wales	Motorpoint Arena
7 January 2013	Dublin	Ireland	Olympia Theatre
8 January 2013	Belfast	Northern Ireland	The Waterfront

Attendees

It was announced that HRH Prince Charles, and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge; Prince William and Catherine would attend the concerts and would meet and greet Barlow and the members of backstage team and support artist, The Pierces before and after the show.

Reception

The media and fans alike praised the shows, with the Evening Standard stating "Last night's show, Barlow's second this year, was in aid of the Prince's Trust. For him, his solo career is there to be occasionally rekindled, but this was a spectacular statement of intent which took in a fusillade of Take That hits closing with Never Forget [which] was stomach-tighteningly magnificent." They concluded by stating that Barlow is "in grave danger of being anointed as a national treasure."

Gordon Smart of The Sun, praised Barlow and stated that "Gary Barlow would have had sweaty palms before his performance last night. It was his biggest solo gig in over a decade. But he more than proved his worth just ten seconds in, opening with Greatest Day to a standing ovation."

BBC reviewed the concert positively, calling it a "triumphant show" and praising Barlow's songs stating that they are "greeted with the rapture they deserve" whilst calling him the "most successful songwriter of his generation." In an article the next day they also revealed that the two concerts were expected to raise £400,000 for charity.

Morwenna Ferrier of The Daily Telegraph praised Barlow and the concert and stated "Wtihin 24 hours, Gary Barlow — boy band veteran, reality TV judge and one time “least fanciable” Take That member — had switched deftly from The X Factor panel to the Albert Hall for this, his first of two UK solo shows in more than 11 years. It’s a charity performance, for the Prince’s Trust no less, because Barlow the artist doesn’t need any exposure: this is a songwriter who has colonised the charts for 20 years. But tonight, the air thick with screams, was his chance to hog the limelight with his carousel of hits. Just minutes in, Greatest Day, one of Take That’s comeback hits, had the crowd throwing shapes. Barlow then took to the piano for his vaguely religious solo number, Open Road, inviting further applause. But it was the old ones, Back for Good and Everything Changes, songs that nail Barlow’s precise blend of schmaltz and pop brilliance, which left grown women thrusting their polite “Mr B” banners high above their heads and screaming. So much screaming. "

Karen Edwards of The Huffington Post UK also praised the concert, saying many had "high expectations [but they] couldn't have prepared us for what the man had to offer. For an artist who only occasionally pulls out his solo plans for charity, he certainly pulled out the stops. He certainly never does things by halves." She concluded by stating "the fact is, he made a lot of people very happy last night. And tonight [December 6] he'll do it all again. But the best bit? The best bit is that it was all for The Princes Trust. A brilliant cause which will benefit greatly from a gifted man's good nature."

Live band

• Mike Stevens
• Donovan Hepburn
• Michael "Milton" McDonald
• Lee Pomeroy
• Marcus Byrne
• Bernie Smith