The news of Take That's reunion tour re-lit the nostalgia fires of Entertainment Editor Gordon Barr, as he recalls their last gig on Tyneside. At the age of 26, I thought I may have been a little too old for a Take That concert. Having said that, my friend, a couple of years younger than me, decided to put her hair up in bunches to make her look even younger for the night. Yes, we were on our way to the gig of the year - Take That at Whitley Bay Ice Rink. The date was December 4, 1993, and the tickets for the show had sold out in under two hours, a record back then! Gary, Robbie, Howard, Jason and Mark were at the height of their fame, and Take That hysteria swept Tyneside for the last night of the band's nationwide tour. Of course, four of those lads are heading back to Tyneside next year for their first appearance together in the region since that cold December night. Take That, minus Robbie Williams, pictured, will be at Newcastle's Metro Radio Arena, on April 24, a venue they were due to play 10 years ago! Instead, the lads split up, leaving thousands of fans devastated, with only memories of a Newcastle City Hall gig (their first-ever full theatre show) and that December night in the Bay to hold on to. And what a night the latter was. Some fans had queued since 10am that day to see their idols, who weren't due on stage for another 10 hours. The review read like this: "They came....they sang......they conquered! Take That hysteria hit Tyneside as 4,600 screaming fans made the group's last night of their nationwide tour one to remember. Leaving their parents behind for the night, hundreds of girls, clutching cuddly toys, were in tears before even entering the rink - whipping themselves into a frenzy at the thought of seeing the band in the flesh. Many had Take That painted on their faces, scores were carrying banners with messages for the group, while others forked out a fortune on merchandise, including red roses and T-shirts. The fans weren't disappointed. Deafening screams and whistles welcomed Gary, Robbie, Jason, Howard and Mark on the stage - and they didn't subside for the whole evening. The rink was the smallest venue played by the band - but the roar must have been one of the biggest they'd received. It was a spectacle I had never seen before - not at Kylie, the Wets, Madonna, Tina, or the countless other gigs I've been to - and at some points you could hardly hear the band, the adulation was so immense. Impossible not to admire the group." That was 12 years ago. Come April next year, Gary Barlow, at least, is promising something as spectacular. Take That are big news again and tickets are expected to fly out when they go on sale this Friday. I, for one, will be there once again, ready to relight my fire once more for the best boy band of the past two decades. I'll be in my late 30s but, hey, so will Take That! I wonder if my friend will bunch her hair up again? Did you see Take That live or meet the boys? Write to or e-mail Remember When, at the usual addresses. | 
Tyne Bridge Publishing
