Bit of a music related theme going on here, but I was lucky enough to see Take That during the weekend and I got to thinking about why they have been, and continue to be, so successful.
A few things came to mind
- They have overcome obstacles – things haven’t always gone smoothly for the guys, take Robbie leaving for example, but this seems to have made them all the more popular. Dusting yourself off and getting back on the horse when your plans go pearshaped takes determination and courage but also earns you respect.
- They delighted the audience - they went the extra mile and pulled out all of the stops to put on a fantastic, entertaining show. They took the audience on a journey with unexpected surprises along the way, they appeared from the floor on top of a massive elephant at one stage!
- They were themselves – and the audienced picked up on this authenticity. They also used it to their advantage by injecting humor, for example, they each came out riding a unicycle at one point but before Gary came out, you could tell that the audience was wondering how the heck he had learned to ride a unicycle, knowing about his lack of co-ordination on the dancefloor (sorry Gary!) then when he came out on a tiny bike with stabilisers, the audience erupted!
- They were humble – they said thanks to absolutely everyone, down to the people who built the stage. It’s such a simple but important thing that’s easy to forget.
Plus, of course, they had perfected their performances of catchy Barlow-penned songs; I didn’t realise just how many song lyrics had drifted into my subconscious!
Thanks lads – think you’ve taught me a few things and not just the words to your songs!
