Gary Barlow celebrated Liverpool’s victory as he arrived at the Empire Theatre on Monday. The Take That singer kickstarted his Songbook Tour where he performed a number of classic hits including Rule The World, Patience and Let Me Go.
However, the Cheshire-born singer couldn’t help but celebrate Liverpool’s Premier League victory during the live performance. The team became Premier League champions for after beating Tottenham 5-1 at Anfield on Sunday. Goals from Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, and Alexis Mac Allister, along with an own goal, secured the victory.
Gary has been open in the past about his support for the Reds, and has also been pictured attending home fixtures before. It came as no surprise he felt as though he had to incorporate his love for LFC into his Liverpool show this week following Sunday’s triumphant win.
For his last song, Gary traded his red suit jacket for a LFC scarf as he showed it to the crowd. He placed it around his neck during the performance while red and white confetti circled around the theatre.
Speaking about his love for the club before the show, Gary said: “This is a football town, Liverpool is, and the fans are homegrown, so it’s a pleasure to be here now. I got 20 odd texts after the game, from people who were there at the game and I’m mad about it too. I’m really happy.”
The singer reflected on growing up as a Liverpool fan. He said: “I still remember my first game. It was 1979. It was Emyln Hughes’ testimonial match and my dad took my brother and I.
“I remember he sat us on a rail – a hand either sides of us, because back then they didn’t have seats – and we watched my first game. I was seven. It was 40 to that year when Take That played there in 2019. It’s very special to me.”
Gary believes he is a “lucky charm” for the club, as they seem to win whenever he is in the city for a performance. He said: “We book these tours 15 months in advance or something so there’s no way we could have known something like this could happen.
“But when we played Anfield in 2019, Liverpool had just won the Champions League. So it seems like every time I book a gig in Liverpool, we do really well!”, reports The Mirror.
Gary kicked off his tour in the Isle of Man, before making his way to a huge list of venues around the UK. In Liverpool, The Piano’s Brad Kella opened as Gary’s support act. Gary announced the collaboration in a video last year when he rang Brad to ask whether he would join him as a support artist.
The pianist from Bootle became a household name since he triumphed on the Channel 4 show. His viral video performance on a public piano in Liverpool ONE caught the attention of Channel 4 producers, leading to his life-changing participation in The Piano.
His risk-taking approach, choosing to perform original compositions over classical standards, resonated with judges, ultimately propelling him to victory and redefining his career.
Brad, who now lives in Fazakerley, has performed in Liverpool several times, including a sell-out headline show at the Philharmonic Hall last November.
The 24-year-old also played on John Lennon’s old piano at the Beatles Story. This was to promote his new album, Phoebe’s Melody, which is named after his two daughters and is due for release later this year.