Take that, Britney

The Sun wrote an enthousiastic review of Take That's The Circus Live 2009 Tour. They compare it to Britney's lipsynching tour, also called The Circus, and the praise Take That as being way better than Britney:

I’M going to treat BRITNEY SPEARS to a TAKE THAT ticket so she can see how the job is done properly.
On Wednesday I watched the so-called pop icon going through the motions at the O2, half-heartedly lip-synching and letting loyal fans down.

And if her efforts were the perfect example of how it should not be done, Take That delivered the kind of pop production on Thursday night that should be the blueprint for any live stadium show — and all for £50.

Double that amount would be a fair price for the sheer entertainment value.

Their Circus Live tour is simply magnificent — the 1.2million fans who will see them during their 20-date UK and Ireland summer extravaganza are in for a special treat.

I was invited to see Britain’s favourite man band play their full dress rehearsal for the tour at Sunderland FC’s Stadium of Light.

GARY BARLOW, MARK OWEN, JASON ORANGE and HOWARD DONALD proved beyond doubt that they are better than they have ever been — even when they had that other bloke in the band.

In fact it was so good that a 6ft 4in hardman from Dundee whispered to me half way through the show that he no longer wanted to be in OASIS — he’d rather be in Take That.

I’ve seen some impressive sets in my time — ROLLING STONES’ Bigger Bang, U2’s Vertigo and COLDPLAY’s Viva La Vida tours — but the £10m Take That have invested helps make theirs the best yet.

The show also has an army of on-stage characters — more than 50 dancers, acrobats, gymnasts, musicians, tight-rope walkers and even a hot air balloon pilot.

It’s like a mix of Cirque Du Soleil crossed with THE BEATLES’ Sgt Pepper.

When the boys first appeared wearing vintage military jackets in the middle of a small stage on the pitch’s centre circle, they looked like they had raided Coldplay’s dressing-up box.

During Pray, sprinklers appear to soak the band, just as happens in the famous video.

A 30ft mechanical elephant with dancers operating the tail and trunk then unfolds to escort them to the stunning main stage.

No lip-synching here, Britney — they even play their own instruments for a couple of songs.

Jason, Howard and Mark do the obligatory break-dancing routines to keep the girls happy.

Even Gary, who has a stint on his grand piano, does a moonwalk better than Jacko could probably manage these days.

The show’s finale, including Relight My Fire and ending with Rule The World, is a fitting climax.

If you are a bloke dragged along by the missus, the female dancers in little more than a thong should keep you occupied.

That’s not to mention the whips and cage-dancing.

If Britney’s Circus went up against Take That’s version, she’d be packing her bags and looking for another job.