Take That fans go wild as Robbie Williams REUNITES with band for virtual gig and makes a joke about being '15 years late last time'
by Connie Rusk For Mailonline- The singer, 46, last performed with Take That in 2018 on The X Factor
- Robbie left the band in 1995 and the band disbanded a year later
- He went on to have a string of hits as a solo artist including Rock DJ and Angels
- In 2006, the band - minus Robbie - reunited once more and achieved great success
- Williams announced he was returning to the band in 2010
- In 2014, he stepped down from the band as he was due to become a father for the second time
- Jason Orange also quit, stating at the time he did not wish to continue touring
Robbie Williams delighted fans as he reunited with Take That for a virtual performance from their homes on Friday night.
The Rock DJ hitmaker joined forces with his former bandmates Gary Barlow, 49, Mark Owen, 48, and Howard Donald, 52, for the charity gig, hosted by Compare The Meerkat on YouTube.
In his typical style, Robbie, 46, made a late entrance and made reference to his reluctance to join them for their reunion in 2006, as he said: 'More importantly, I'm here now. Last time, I was 15 years late.'
The gig marked the first time Robbie, who quit the band in 1995, has performed with Take That since The X Factor final in 2018.
After kick-starting with The Greatest Day, Mark took the reins to perform Shine with the aid of a step ladder in his garage.
It was then when Robbie decided to join the trio for performances of their classic hits Back For Good, The Flood, Pray and Never Forget.
Robbie looked every inch the showman in a pink leopard print blazer as the boys, minus Jason Orange, pulled out all the stops for the virtual gig, with disco lights, party poppers and a whole host of props.
In an interval, the group discussed what they have learnt during lockdown.
Howard said: 'I've never read so many children's book in the last six weeks. I've read more books than in my life.'
Mark added: 'One thing I have learnt is to save on using kitchen roll, I used to use kitchen roll and toilet roll less because it came quite scarce.'
Fans took to Twitter in their droves to praise Robbie and the boys for filling their homes with nostalgic memories.
One Twitter user said: 'Free Take That concert, this is the best evening ever', while another added of Robbie's joke: 'Robbie Williams, "Last time I was 15 years late!!" Loving it.'
A third chimed: 'My cute little baby boy Robbie is finally here'.
'Night made @robbiewilliams joining Take That for online gig,' added another superfan.
'Loved watching you all together again, was a real tonic I needed. Thanks guys', typed another fan.
Robbie previously joked Take That should hire a private detective to try and locate Jason, 49.
Speaking on his At Home with The Williamses podcast, he said: 'You know you can have that Find My Phone thing?
'The whole of Take That should have a locate Jason Orange thing because none of us know where he's gone.
'I should hire a private detective — he finds out where Jason Orange is, we inject him with a beeping thing, a chip, then we know where Jason is at all times.'
In April, Robbie and Gary performed a virtual duet of their 2010 song Shame from their homes.
Alongside the video, Gary wrote: 'Sorry to have made you wait so long for this one. Yes the dynamic duo return. .
'Thank you @robbiewilliams for taking the time to be part of this. Big hugs (virtually of course) #thecroonersessions.'
The pair co-wrote Shame together for Robbie's second greatest hits album, In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990-2010.
The song was the first time the pair collaborated on a song together solely and it was also the first time they had worked together since Robbie left Take That in 1995.
Take That formed in 1989 and went on to achieve 12 number one singles on the UK Singles Chart along with eight number one albums and are currently the most successful boy band in UK chart history.
