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This article titled “Take That take Robbie Williams on tour” was written by Helen Pidd, for guardian.co.uk on Tuesday 26th October 2010 10.39 UTC
When Robbie Williams left Take That in 1995 he said: “It’s been like a release from a mental hospital”. This morning he checked himself back in, confirming the poorly kept secret that he is to join the band on a 14-date UK tour next summer.
At a packed press conference in London, newly married Williams, 36, sat shoulder-to-shoulder with Gary Barlow and the other three men he abandoned when he bleached his hair blonde, went to Glastonbury and decided it was more fun to hang around with Oasis than be in a boyband.
Fifteen years on and Williams is back in the fold, denying in characteristically blunt form that he only asked to be let back in because his solo career had taken a nose dive.
He hasn’t had a UK No 1 single since 2004, while his bandmates have managed to notch up three since they reformed without him four years ago.
Asked by the Guardian whether he would be rejoining the band if he was still having No 1 chart success, Williams did not miss a beat.
“Greatest Hits album No 1 in 14 countries; last album sold more than The Circus [Take That's last record],” he said with a mock severe expression, adding a jokey “fuck off”.
“It’s a sore point,” said Mark Owen.
When asked what he would say to those Take That fans who feel the band is doing very well without him thank you very much, Williams shot straight back: “See you at the Stadium of Light, Monday 30 May 2011.”
That date marks the start of the band’s first tour as a quintet in more than 15 years. The group will be taking in stadiums around the country, including four nights in Manchester and Wembley, before heading to Europe for a further six shows.
Barlow said the show would not feature a “stripped back acoustic set”.
“It’s going to be a big production stadium show,” he said, adding that he wanted it to be a spectacular.
Owen said Williams had been jealous of the reformed band’s last Circus tour. “When Rob came to see The Circus – I hope you don’t mind me saying this, Rob – he was jealous. He said: ‘I want to do that, but with me in it.’”
The show will be a mix of the individual members’ solo hits and the band’s old and new material, said Williams.
Asked what their roles would be in the reformed band, Williams said: “I’m the cheeky one, he [Owen] is the cute one. He [Barlow] is the musician, you [Howard Donald] are the body and Jay [Jason Orange] is the dancer.”
Williams was 21 when he left Take That, complaining that Barlow received preferential treatment from the band’s management. Among a litany of gripes was his claim that Barlow would always be dropped off at his door after gigs, while he, the baby of the group, would be abandoned “at the Posthouse on the M1″, where his mum would have to pick him up. “And we’d had loads of hits by then.”
He went on to achieve mega success as a solo artist, peaking in 2002 when he signed a record-breaking £80m deal which made him, as he put it, “rich beyond my wildest dreams!”.
But success failed to bring him happiness, and, after various spells in rehab and a period where he grew a beard and looked for UFOs, rumours began circulating 18 months ago that he had met up with his estranged band mates in Los Angeles, where he had escaped to some years previously.
In July this year, the rumours proved true, when Take That issued a statement confirming that they were getting back together to record a new album, Progress.
Tickets for the UK dates go on sale at 9am on Friday 29 October. European tickets will be available from 5 November.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010
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