Yahoo News Take That Riverside gig 2024: Everything you need to know from timings to parking and the fan village
It's been over four years since Take That graced the Riverside Stadium with a night fans will Never Forget - and now they're back for another show-stopping gig.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen became the first band to play a major concert at the stadium when they visited the ground back in 2019. Thousands of music lovers flocked to listen to the greatest hits from the band's over 30-year career - and were even treated to a special appearance from Lulu.
Last September, the band shone a Take That logo onto the Riverside Stadium and finally confirmed they would be returning to the home of the Boro on May 24. The This Life tour kicked off in Sheffield in April, with fans saying they were "lost for words" as the trio performed their greatest hits amongst waterfalls, spinning stages, and pyrotechnics.
READ MORE: Take That setlist from opening night of This Life tour revealed READ MORE: Look back on Take That's electric Middlesbrough gig in 2019
We have put together a handy guide so you know exactly what to expect ahead of the concert, which is set to see 32,000 fans flock to the ground. Fingers crossed its as sunny as when they visited in 2019!
Got a question? This guide will no doubt have the answer, whether it's timings or the exciting plans for the fan villages. Here's everything you need to know:
How do I get to the Riverside Stadium?
Car (look for the Riverside Stadium signs):
• North: A1, A689, A19, then A66 towards Middlesbrough
• South A19, then A66 towards Middlesbrough
• East: A171 or A174, then A66 towards Middlesbrough
• West: use the A66 towards Middlesbrough
Train: The nearest railway station is Middlesbrough, which has regular connections to/from Darlington and York and is just a 15-20 minute walk from the ground.
Bus: Middlesbrough Bus Station is a bit further away, about a 20-25 minute walk from the stadium. The station has Arriva buses as well as National Express and Megabus coaches.
Is there parking at the stadium?
There is no parking on the stadium site itself.
However, there are a huge number of car parks across the town where you will be able to leave your car, with options for both short stay and long stay. You can see council-operated car parks in Middlesbrough here.
Is there a fan village again this year?
It's been a staple at the first Take That gig, then again at The Killers and the Arctic Monkeys. And this year the fan villages are back - one located at the west and another at the east.
At the fan village, you will be able to purchase food, drinks, and merchandise.
What time does the fan village and stadium open?
All ticket holders will be allowed entry on site to the fan villages at 3.30pm to take in the atmosphere. However, the stadium bowl and pitch area will only be open for fans from 5pm, along with all hospitality areas.
You will only be permitted access at the entrance indicated on your ticket. There will be three entrances on site:
Entrance 1 - (NW corner, adjacent to the River Tees). This is for West Stand seating, South Stand seating, and West Stand accessible seating. All Hospitality package access is via a separate, and closely adjacent gate.
Entrance 2 – (South side, on The Leeway). This is for pitch standing tickets only.
Entrance 3 – (SE corner, on The Leeway) This is for East Stand seating, and East and South Stand accessible seating.
Entrances will be clearly signposted as you approach the stadium.
Remember - once you're in, you're in. Ticket holders will not be allowed to leave and be re-admitted once they have entered
Who is the opening act and what time are they on?
Wrapped Up hitmaker Olly Murs will be the band's opening act - and he's already been getting crowds on their feet at previous Take That gigs across the country. He's sang all of his best hits during the tour dates - from Troublemaker to Dance With Me Tonight - and even covered It Only Takes A Minute and Everybody Needs Somebody to Love.
Olly Murs is due to take the stage at 7.25pm.
What time is Take That on and what is the setlist?
Now time for the main event. Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, and Mark Owen are due to take to the stage at 8.35pm.
In terms of the setlist, while it's hard to pinpoint the exact songs and order the band will sing them, you can look back at some of the tour's previous setlists online to get a feel for what you could be dancing to on the night.
Here is a previous setlist from the band's gig in Leeds on April 18:
Keep Your Head Up
Windows
Giants
Days I Hate Myself
Everything Changes
Sure
Shine
A Million Love Songs
I Found Heaven
Pray
Forever Love (Gary Barlow song)
Clementine (Mark Owen song)
Speak Without Words (Howard Donald song)
Patience
The Flood
Get Ready for It
March of the Hopeful
The Champion
This Life
Greatest Day
These Days
Time and Time Again
Relight My Fire
One More Word
Hold Up a Light
Back for Good
You and Me
Never Forget
Rule the World
Can I bring a bag?
To speed up entry, the stadium has asked that that people do not bring a bag to the event, if possible.
However, if you do need to bring a bag, this must be no bigger than A4 in size and will be searched. Anything listed on our prohibited items list will be confiscated before entry and any bags bigger than A4 will not be permitted into the stadium.
What items are banned?
The following is a basic list of prohibited items. Please view the Event Regulations to see the full list of prohibited articles.
Alcohol, except for hand sanitizer.
Controlled drugs.
Glass, cans, plastic bottles, or thermos flasks of any kind.
Flammable liquids and aerosols (this includes perfume, after-shave, hairspray, etc). If you bring these in, they cannot be stored for a later collection, so leave them at home or in the car.
Laser pens/pointers.
Laptops, iPads or similar electronic tablets, professional cameras/video equipment.
Food and drink, unless for medicinal purposes. Gluten-free food and drink are also prohibited, as these options are available on-site. Please notify the stadium prior to the day of the event if you need to bring items for medicinal use by emailing Concert-accessibility-24@mfc.co.uk
Umbrellas - even if it rains - and signs, banners, flags, inflatables, and selfie sticks.
Air horns, whistles, or other noise-making devices.
Knives and other weapons, fireworks, smoke bombs, confetti, glitter bombs, or sprays.
Any other items, publicised in advance by stadium management and/or the promoters, or to which they raise objections on the day of the event.
Admission may be refused to anyone carrying one or more of the items listed above. The stadium says: "It will be each ticket holder’s responsibility to dispose of any items that cannot be brought into the venue. Please note it will not be possible for any such items to be stored and collected again after the event."
What food and drink is on offer?
There will be a wide range of food and beverages available to buy from 3.30pm in the fan villages.
Food stalls will include traditional fish & chips, burgers, and pizzas, alongside more specialized catering offers. Alcohol will be available to buy for adults aged 18+, however, you may be asked to provide ID.
The Fan Villages will have cash and card options available for payment, though card is the preferred method. When the stadium bowl opens, all the concourses have food and beverage outlets which will be open throughout the event too.
Also, the fan villages will remain accessible to all until the end of the event. There are no cash machines on site.
I have pitch-standing tickets - where can I buy food and drink in the ground?
Those with pitch-standing tickets will be able to buy drinks from outlets around the edge of the pitch, which is handy for people who want to get right into the action. However, these will be cash only.
Once on the pitch, you will still be able to move freely between the facilities in the concourses and the fan villages. To minimize congestion beneath the stands, Pitch Standing ticket holders will not be allowed to access West Stand concourses.
You can pay cash or card at all concourse units.
Can I smoke at the event?
The Riverside Stadium is a no smoking venue and smoking, including e-cigarettes and vaping, is not permitted indoors, in seating areas, on the pitch, or within the concourses.
However, for this event, smoking will be allowed in the fan villages and all external circulation areas.
Where are the toilets and first aid areas?
There will be toilets situated on all the concourses with additional, temporary facilities located in both the fan villages. There will also be First Aid rooms in the West Stand and East Stand concourses, as well as a large medical marquee at the east fan village.
Can I camp out before the event?
Camping will not be allowed at the stadium or in the fan villages.
Are there taxi pick-ups nearby after the event?
There will be a drop-off and pick-up zone outside the ground following the event, which will operate a one-way system. Any concert-goers booking a Private Hire taxi should arrange to be collected within this zone.
Post-event, temporary Hackney Carriage ranks will also be created inside the road closure footprint on Priestman Road, approximately 0.2 miles (320m) north of the stadium and Shepherdson Way approximately 0.4 miles (600m) south of the stadium.
However, for those organising lifts, there will be no access to the stadium from the A66 towards the end of the concert "in the interests of road and pedestrian safety."
The A66 eastbound off-slip will also be closed to all traffic, and traffic exiting from the A66 westbound off-slip will be unable to turn right and drive towards the stadium. Drivers arriving to collect concertgoers are therefore strongly advised to use the dedicated Drop-off & Pick-up Zone or pre-arrange an alternative location.
This closure will not be lifted until approximately 11.30pm, subject to safe pedestrian levels.
If you want to meet friends after the gig, there will be four locations, indicated on the meeting point map. You can find out more details about this and maps of the plans on the Middlesbrough FC website here.
When were Take That last in Middlesbrough - and what did they sing?
Take That graced fans in Middlesbrough on June 1, 2019, when they stopped off on their 30th anniversary Odyssey tour. They played to 29 arenas during the tour across 38 dates.
Tunes on the 25-song setlist included all of their biggest and best hits, such as Relight My Fire, Greatest Day, Patience, Shine, A Million Love Songs, Everything Changes, and Rule the World.
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