Gary Barlow gives an unforgettable performance at Forest Live, High Lodge, Thetford Forest
Review: Gary Barlow, Forest Live at High Lodge Thetford Forest, Saturday
Back in the 1990s, I was a massive Take That fan.
I was one of those screaming teens captured in archive television footage, while my friends and I made an oversized banner to Wembley Arena when we saw the band in 1993.
So when Gary Barlow announced his Thetford Forest gig this summer, I was first in line for tickets. High Lodge is my favourite location for live music and I had high hopes he would put on a great show.
On Saturday evening, following a brillliant performance by stunning support act Beverley Knight, Gary stepped on to the stage shortly after 8pm – and I was ready to be transported back to my teenage years.
Opening the set with solo hit Open Road, the Take That frontman greeted the audience, saying ‘good evening Thetford, are you ready to sing?’, before launching into fan-favourite Greatest Day.
Stopping for a lengthier introduction, to huge cheers Gary said: “We’re going to be covering three decades of music tonight.”
He then performed tracks from the 90s to the 20s and introduced members of his band – some of who joined back in the early Take That days.
“This is our last show tonight. It’s a very sad evening but I can already feel – what a way to go. And look at the weather,” said Gary.
“These tours take a long time to plan and in February, when we started, it seemed a really good idea to wear this jacket.”
Then, to an audience chant of ‘off off off’ he removed the sparkly jacket before heading back to the early 90s with swing-style renditions of Take That hits Sure and Everything Changes.
Next up was a classic ballad written by Gary in 1986 – a time when saxophone solos ruled – and released in the 1990s: A Million Love Songs.
Gary then said: “We’ve covered a lot already but there’s one thing we haven’t done – a dance routine.”
True to his word, he launched into one of Take That’s famous routines in the opening bars and break of number one hit Pray.
“Believe me, that routine gets harder every year,” said the 54-year-old afterwards.
Next up was 2010 hit The Flood, which again got the audience singing (“Thetford in fine voice this evening,” said Gary afterwards) and the band’s 2006 comeback single Patience.
Then, in a duet with backing singer Gemma, Gary performed If There’s Not a Song About It, which he wrote just before Christmas and released with country singer Colbie Caillat earlier this year.
He was back at the piano – where he said he had written the songs which came most from the heart – to sing ballads Forever Love and Love Ain’t Here Anymore.
The tempo picked up for This Life and ear-worm Shine, before the disco-inspired Relight My Fire lit up the stage just as the sun started to set over the forest.
The dulcet tones of almost everyone in the audience provided backing for 1995 smash hit Back for Good, after which Gary broke the news that the show was nearly over.
“Thank you to our beautiful audience. Thank you for coming to see us. I couldn’t think of a better place to finish the tour,” he said, before asking everyone to get their phone torches out to ‘light up the forest’ for an atmospheric performance of Rule the World.
With the sky turning dark, a familiar orchestral intro signalled the start of the finale, Never Forget.
Thousands of hands stretched into the air to clap at the song’s chorus and, as the song reached its bombastic peak, fireworks exploded into the sky above the stage, marking the conclusion of a Forest Live show I will Never Forget.