Bright circus set wows Principality Stadium crowd during Take That Cardiff gig

A huge puppet has now appeared signalling the closing section of the show. The sun has now set and the stadium is almost in total darkness aside from a few phone flashlights and the strong purple beams coming from the centre stage.

At the end of Take That and Party the band dropped their trousers to reveal boxers with the Welsh flag emblazoned across them.

If you are at this evening's gig and planning on getting the train home you may want to be aware of some disruption to services this evening.

• All services between Cardiff Central and Bristol/London are currently disrupted after the Severn Tunnel was closed after debris was reported. The lines have now reopened but trains will still be cancelled, delayed or diverted for the remainder of the day.
• Due to a tree blocking the railway between Chepstow and Lydney, services may be delayed by up to 30 minutes or cancelled. National Rail staff are working to clear the obstruction.
• A fault with the signalling system at Cathays is also causing disruption. Services may be delayed by up to 10 minutes or cancelled in both directions between Cardiff Bay and Cardiff Queen Street. Disruption is expected until the end of the day.
• Services will be cancelled from Radyr towards Cardiff Central until the end of the day due to a fault with the signalling system.

A tightrope has now also taken to the stage while Gary performs on the piano. The gymnast is walking the length of the catwalk stage on a thin beam much to the delight of onlookers.

Fireworks are now being let off from the Principality Stadium roof as they perform their second most streamed song ever. According to the Official Charts Company, Shine has been streamed 95m times.

The band also took home the 2008 Brit award for Best British Single for the tune.

As Take That perform The Garden a 30ft animatronic elephant appears on stage. Gary, Mark, and Howard stand from a regal box on top as though they are standing in a carriage.

Imagine being the tail of an elephant at a Take That gig! Yes that is a real job.

As they launch into Back for Good, tonight's gig has already seen a floating hot air balloon, sprinklers, acrobatics, magicians, clowns, balloons, dancers, and step ladders.

"I actually don't think this stadium was built when we started," reflects Mark Owen.

He continues: "I could be wrong, but I think we might be older than this stadium. It's such an honour for us to be here and to be able to perform in front of you.

"We know it means so much to you. Thank you for allowing us to perform these songs, we hope we do them justice."

Mark is right, the Principality Stadium didn't open until five years after the band were formed. After a bit of audience interaction, they launch into their first number one hit - Pray.

As Take That launch into Hello, a bright blue hot air balloon ascends up into the Principality Stadium.

It's adorned with brightly-coloured balloons.

Next up is Could It Be Magic, written by Barry Manilow.

Take That have come out to Greatest Day, the lead single from their fifth studio album The Circus. The double platinum-winning single has been sold over 1.2m times in the UK.

Tonight's performance is a trip down memory lane for many in the stadium who were there for the original Circus Tour back in 2009.

The concert will include everything from trapeze artists, tight-rope walkers and a magical 30ft animatronic elephant that walks through the crowds during the band's performance of The Garden.

The Script has now finished and while stage crews get the stage ready for what is set to be a two-hour extravaganza, there are tour crew running around the crowd with red balloons. Meanwhile, a big railway trolley is being put together.

We are now less than 30 minutes away from Take That! The band will be taking to the Principality Stadium stage at 8.30pm.

In April 2023, The Script's co-founder and lead guitarist Mark Sheehan passed away in hospital after a brief illness aged 46.

Since his death three years ago the band has regularly paid tribute to Mark during If You Could See Me Now, with Danny changing the lyrics to, "Mark Sheehan I'm just missing you now", during their Glastonbury performance last year.

During their Saturday afternoon Pyramid Stage slot, the band paid an emotional tribute to their co-founder.

Frontman Danny said:

The Script's lead singer Danny O'Donoghue says, "Wales has never been a country that's been told what to do", before launching into Man in the Arena.

The song was the lead single in their latest album The User's Guide To Being Human, and is inspired by the 1910 speech by Theodore Roosevelt.

The frontman then joins fans as he walks through the standing area embracing and dancing with concertgoers. It's one of Danny's signature moves during their 2010 hit Nothing.

Irish pop rock group The Script are certainly no strangers to putting on a show having an impressive CV of tours and festivals under their belts.

The band have a number of well-known hits including The Man Who Can't Be Moved, Breakeven, Hall of Fame, and Superheroes.

Lots of fans had already made it inside the stadium to watch the first support act of the evening - Belinda Carlisle.

The Script will now be taking to the stage before Take That at 8.30pm.

Belinda Carlisle will now be taking to the Principality Stadium stage. The American singer became well-known as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's.

After the band broke up in 1985 she went on to have a successful solo career with hits such as Mad About You, I Get Weak, Leave a Light On, Summer Rain, and Heaven Is a Place on Earth.

Last August, the 67-year-old released her ninth album Once Upon a Time in California.

Take That have had 12 number one songs since they began in 1989.

Their first three came in 1993 for Pray, Relight My Fire (feat. Lulu), and Babe. The following year, Everything Changes and Sure reached number one status before Never Forget shot to fame in 1995.

In 1996, the band made headlines again with How Deep Is Your Love shortly after they announced they were disbanding.

After Take That reunited, their hit Patience went to number one. Shine, Greatest Day, and These Days make up their other number ones since they got back together.

It's been about 45 minutes since the gates into the Principality Stadium opened and there are long queues forming for certain gates.

The queues for gates six and seven, next to the River Taff, are currently stretching all the way back to the BBC building but are moving relatively quickly.

The entrance to gate five is also particularly packed as Take That fans head inside the stadium.

Traffic from the Prince of Wales Bridge towards Cardiff is still looking relatively slow. There are delays of 35 minutes on the M4 westbound around the Brynglas Tunnels.

There is also queuing traffic between junctions 23 and 24 (Magor Services to Coldra).

Although it is currently dry in Cardiff, concertgoers will have to prepare for some showers later this evening. The Met Office forecast for the capital says there is a +90% chance of rain from 9pm.

According to a fan guide sent out to ticketholders, the Principality Stadium roof will be open meaning those who have standing tickets might get a bit wet later on.

Kayleigh Griffiths, Kayleigh Parry, and Aimee Sedgemore from Aberdare have arrived in their Circus Tour tops and hats.

Tracy Efford, Jacky Sands, and Sarah Holbert are also embracing the circus theme with jackets and personalised sunglasses.

Traffic monitoring system Inrix is currently reporting delays of 40 minutes on the M4 westbound at the Brynglas Tunnels around Newport. The delays could impact fans heading towards the capital this evening.

There are also long delays on the westbound carriageway between junction 23 (Magor Services) and junction 24 (Coldra).

Fans are queuing up outside the Principality Stadium ahead of 5pm when the doors are due to open.

Although many will have arrived this afternoon, some of their most loyal fans were waiting outside from 6.30am on Monday hoping to secure a front row view as Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald grace the stage.

As a reminder the gates open at 5pm, Belinda Carlisle will be on stage at 6:30pm, followed by The Script at 7:20pm and then Take That at 8:30pm.

A sea of Take That fans are descending on Cardiff in their finest circus-themed outfits this afternoon.

Strips, spots, hats, and lots of colourful accessories seem to be the theme for the return of The Circus Tour.

Maria Willis and Darren Gwyer are rocking some fun hats and braces for the gig.

• The A4232 Grangetown Link Northbound is partially blocked, queueing traffic due to obstruction on the road from the A4055 to B4267 Leckwith Road.
• Usual slow traffic on A48 Western Avenue Westbound between A470 North Road (Gabalfa Interchange) and Cardiff Road / Palace Road (Llandaff Lights).

Sadly, no. Despite reuniting with Gary and Robbie Williams at the Royal Albert Hall recently, the Shout star won't be making a Circus appearance.

But taking on her role is someone who's not shy of the spotlight.

Former Pop Idol star Zoe Birkett, now a West End star, has confirmed to fans she is behind a magical moment at the pinnacle of the show.

Zoe has been joining the band on stage each night of the tour to sing the famous "Lulu bit" of Relight My Fire, as her voice booms out of the big puppet.

Zoe, who won rave reviews playing Tina Turner in the West End Tina musical, confirmed the news to delighted fans by sharing a video of her voicing the giant puppet on social media. She wrote on Facebook: "I don't just sing it..... Face and voice of the biggest puppet this summer."

The Cardiff Bus Interchange will close today from 3pm to 4.45am Wednesday.

The car parks at Cardiff Central will also close until tomorrow. Cardiff Central Car Park Closures Riverside car park (Wood Street, next to Platform 0) will be closed from 20:00 on Monday 15 June until 04:00 on Wednesday 17 June The rear car park on Penarth Road will be closed from 23:59 on Monday 15 June until 01:00 on Wednesday 17 June.

And also, Saunders Road taxi rank will be closed from 14:45 until 23:59 on Tuesday 16 June due to event road closures.

Lead singer of Irish band, The Script, Danny O'Donogue spoke of his love of Wales and being back here: "I love being back. Every time we come we stay in the same place. It's right where the water - it's be absolutely beautiful and I try to take a boat out every time that I'm here. "I just love it, absolutely love it. We're very like-minded people us Irish and Welsh.

And on returning to touring with Take That, 17 years after they first supported the band on the first The Circus tour:"It's the same as it was all those years ago. They gave us our first start on the Circus Tour. It was amazing that they were doing it again and then to be asked to do it. They just want to recreate the magic of that whole entire tour and what a privilege it to still be around. The only thing that's changed in the meantime is we're trying to catch up with them on hits. They still just have hits for days.It's amazing because [the first time] we were trying to get the audience to know our songs and now they know the songs. It's a wonderful night."