60,000 screaming fans packed out the Millennium Stadium on Tuesday night ready to party at the hotly-anticipated return of Take That in their Progress tour.

Last time they visited Cardiff they were here as a four-piece but the crowds were even more excited at the prospect of them being joined by the band's prodigal son Robbie Williams.

The first of two nights in Cardiff opened without Williams as the four-piece performed some of their greatest hits since their comeback a few years ago including Rule the World, Greatest Day and Patience.

Gary Barlow's vocals were still as strong as ever but Mark Owen shone in his own right when he led the man band for Shine joined by a cast of characters from Alice in Wonderland.

They then disappeared and the crowd erupted as Robbie took to the stage ready to do what he does best.

He had the crowd mesmerised as a he flew through a high energy performance of his solo hits starting with Let Me Entertain You and Rock DJ and finishing with everyone's favourite karaoke classic, Angels.

He revealed he had got so into the performance that he had split his trousers - something he showed off to the delight of the mainly female crowd.

The fans then got what they were waiting for as the five men reunited on stage in the Welsh capital for the first time in 15 years.

The reunited band started with The Flood the first single from their current album Progress.

They sang from a balcony high above the stage, while aerial acrobats twisted and turned below under a waterfall of water.

Jason Orange and Howard Donald showed they've still got it with a "dance off" on a giant chess board during Kidz before a medley of golden oldies including Million Love Songs, Babe and Everything Changes wowed the crowd.

During hits such as Pray and Love Love the centre piece of the production set - a 20 metre tall male statue called Om - came to life moving from a sitting position at the back of the stage to a standing position in the middle of the crowd for a euphoric performance of Never Forget.

The show closed with three of the songs which showed off their journey over the last 20 years with Robbie's solo number No Regrets, the old favourite Relight My Fire and new love song Eight Letters. That's true progress.

Jessica Best and Alison Sanders ENDS