As Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald emerge from a giant illuminated spaceship, wearing jumpsuits that make them look more like racing drivers than astronauts, they launch into anthemic 2008 hit Greatest Day.
From here, they jump back and forth in time.
They rewind to 1992’s It Only Takes A Minute, now wearing 70s-style flares to complement Mark Owen’s moustache.
A song that seemed so cheesy in the Noughties sounds timeless and almost muscular tonight.
Footage of Robbie Williams pops up on the spaceship for Everything Changes, his performance seeming rather cheesy without apparent irony.
Footage of Jason Orange also raises a cheer from the crowd.
It’s a very well-executed show and it never rests on its laurels.
The band, the dancers, the spaceship and backdrop are in a constant state of flux.
Especially striking is the set for Giants, the dancers dressed as eerie green aliens sporting giant feathers like peacocks which light up against jets of flames.
And when Mark sings the euphoric Shine, there are echoes of its video as he climbs a giant white staircase, the band sparkling in gold sequins.
Take That are in fine voice throughout.
Lulu pops up in sunglasses for a rendition of Relight My Fire, though disappointingly it’s undergone a soul/funk revamp.
They also dabble with another of their greatest tracks, Pray, here pared back to a piano piece.
When will bands learn? They might be bored of their classics but the fans certainly aren’t.
There are moments when you miss the band being a four- or five-piece, as when only Mark and Howard sway by Gary’s piano during A Million Love Songs or during Babe when Howard sings backing vocals alone.
At these moments the stage can feel bare or unbalanced.
But those moments are only fleeting as you’re never more than a few minutes from being swept away by a colossal chorus.
And there are so many anthemic choruses here, highlights including Said It All, The Flood and the soaring, heartbreaking Patience.
And when they perform Back For Good, the delighted audience drown out the band.
But the evening also feels more workmanlike than previous Take That tours.
I was among the million people who saw the Circus tour in 2009, its dazzling ambition making it one of the most memorable gigs I’ve seen.
The band generously set the bar sky high and it would be unfair to judge them by that standard.
But it’s not just the colossal articulated elephant, the eye-catching themed costumes, the sheer scale of the Circus tour that sticks in the mind.
The band were visibly overwhelmed with gratitude and delight at the continued support of their fans since they reformed three years earlier.
But now Take That are well established as British pop royalty.
There’s a very faint sense that they are doing a job here and it’s undoubtedly a physically demanding one.
But they no longer perform even snippets of their old high-energy dance routines that used to delight fans.
And though they are always affable, there is minimal chat with the crowd.
But it’s their phenomenal back catalogue that still makes this the best pop gig you’ll see this year.
“Someday soon this will all be someone else’s dream,” they sing in Never Forget, their last single before their 90s split.
Thirty years down the line, there is still no pop band that comes close to the mighty Take That.
CHARLOTTE HEATHCOTE
For tickets, see takethat.com/live
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