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Steve's all set for his 16th Take That gig

Die-hard Take That fan Steve Lal is as close to a superfan as you can get.

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Die-hard Take That fan Steve Lal is as close to a superfan as you can get.

The professional photographer from Great Barr has seen the band perform 15 times – travelling as far afield as Belfast to catch them.

He has already seen the latest Progress Live tour in Manchester, however the band's gigs at Villa Park next week will be all the sweeter because Steve bagged the tickets by camping out overnight for 13 hours at the football stadium when they went on sale last October.

The 37-year-old, who lives in Perrywood Road, has been a fan of Take That since he was 18.

He says: "I heard A Million Love Songs and I thought it was such a great song I would see what the band was all about. In the early 90s, 90 per cent of their fans were female and it wasn't right for a lad to like them, but I thought the fact that they were male didn't make a difference. They are a great band and have released some great music."

Steve didn't get to see the Fab Five perform in the 90s and admits he was "devastated" when the group split up.

But he was over the moon in 2006 when the reunion tour was announced and he would finally get a chance to see his idols on stage. "It was a dream come true," he says.

He has made up for lost time and cannot wait to see the tour again at Villa Park.

However, despite describing the show as "unreal", Steve, who says the show opens with his favourite song Rule The World, says he favoured the Circus tour for its theatrics.

Steve said the crowd "erupted" when Robbie came on stage for a five-song solo set, performing a selection of his own tracks. Highlights included a robot theme, which saw the lads perform on a 60ft mechanical robot.

He also praised the acrobats, who scaled a wall of water as part of the show, and said the crowd went wild for encore Eight Letters.

But he adds: "A lot of people were only Robbie fans, it seemed a bit divided in comparison to some of the other tours. I have never missed Robbie, I thought they should have continued as a four piece."

Over the years he has also met all of the members of the band at various book and album signings.

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