Good evening Frodsham! Gary Barlow – who has played in stadiums in front of 50,000 fans with Take That – is bringing his one-man show to a 216-seat village hall in the Cheshire town where he grew up
Playing to 50,000 screaming Take That fans in stadiums around the world is part of Gary Barlow’s day-to-day business.
But there’s nothing quite like coming home to bring you down to earth — and it proved it for the pop star, who admitted performing this week in the market town where he grew up was “like the greatest” of his life.
Barlow, 51, took his one-man show back to its roots in Frodsham, Cheshire, performing to a crowd of just 216 on a tiny stage in the center of the community.
Rule the World: Playing in front of 50,000 screaming Take That fans in stadiums around the world is day-to-day business for Gary Barlow (pictured).
The fact that his mother, Marjorie, was in the audience – munching Pick ‘n’ Mix sweets – may have contributed to his nervousness, or to the expectations of local fans who, on the Frodsham leg of his UK tour, each ticketed within minutes.
In fact, such was their zeal that the £38.50 squares were soon trading for ten times as much online.
A Different Stage details Barlow’s life to date – including his struggles with bulimia after Take That broke up in 1996, the stillbirth of his daughter Poppy and the death of his father Colin in 2009 – and is interspersed with hits from his 32-year career.
Shine: But there’s nothing like coming home to bring you down to earth (Take That perform live on the opening night of their Wonderland tour at Manchester Arena in 2017)
These include A Million Love Songs, which he wrote when he was just 15 years old in his bedroom on Ashton Drive, a few blocks from the community center.
After the platinum jubilee began, Barlow revealed Thursday night that one of his most vivid memories was celebrating the silver jubilee in 1977, when his parents organized a street festival.
Barlow said it was then, at just six years old, that he first saw music’s power to “make things better for everyone”.
Audiences listened to his local references and cheered loudly whenever he mentioned a shop, hairdresser or bakery.
Back for good: Barlow, 51, took his one-man show back to its roots in Frodsham, Cheshire, performing on a tiny stage at the community center to just 216 people (Image: Frodsham Community Centre)
Relight My Fire: Superfans (LR) Rachel Beeken and Claire Bond arrive for the performance of Gary Barlow in his hometown
One fan who has watched the show several times said Barlow occasionally tripped over his words and appeared “more nervous than usual”.
They added, “Maybe he just wanted it to go well because it was the first in front of his local fan base.”
Super fan Amanda Wilkins, 50, who went to Frodsham High School with Barlow, said it was “nice” of him to return to perform for the community.
She added: “A lot of people were disappointed that they couldn’t get tickets.”
Biggest Day: Superfans (LR) Amanda Wilkins, Carol Dutton and Leanne Webster
Carla Pastore, 44, said she was determined to get tickets to the performance in her hometown, despite having seen the show nine times elsewhere.
“This is the smallest place we’ve seen the show,” she added. “Seeing where he’s from will make it that little bit more special. It will mean a lot to him.’
After the two-hour performance, about 30 fans waited patiently outside in the rain to catch a glimpse of their idol, who came up to them and thanked them for attending.
Barlow, who plays four gigs in the city, later tweeted: “What a great night we had in Frodsham – wow – what a crowd xxxx.”