Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Take That are following Harry Styles’ lead and relaxing rules for their stadium gigs this weekend as temperatures continue to soar.
Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen are performing at the London Stadium in Stratford on Friday (26 June) and Saturday (27 June) night, where highs of 35°C are expected.
Fans attending the gigs will be allowed to bring in reusable water bottles that can be filled up at water stations inside the stadium.
The price of water will also be slashed by 50 per cent, the venue has confirmed.
In a statement, the London Stadium said it is “closely monitoring” the weather forecasts and has “measures in place to support the safety and well-being of all attendees”.
Gary Barlow and Mark Owen on stage (Getty)
Fans have also been told not to camp outside the stadium or within the Queen Elizabeth Park “as this is against local bylaws and can be unsafe in high temperatures”.
Doors for Take That’s The Circus Live shows will open at 5pm with support acts Belinda Carlisle and The Script taking to the stage at 6.30pm and 7.20pm, respectively.
The main trio will then be on at 8.30pm, with the show expected to end at 10.30pm.
The Circus Live tour began in May and will conclude with a date in Manchester on 1 July and the finale in Dublin three days later.
Take That are currentlty performing as a three-piece (Getty)
Speaking to The Independent ahead of the gigs, Mark Owen said: “The wonderful thing about us being together now and doing The Circus is that we’ve been together a lot. That’s a good thing, because I always find the more time we spend together, the better results we get.”
The decision to change water rules comes after Wembley Stadium relaxed its usually strict rules for the thousands of fans attending Harry Styles’ tour in north London earlier this week.
The former One Direction singer is midway through a record-breaking 12-night residency at the stadium as part of his Together, Together tour.
Styles’ mammoth run of dates is seeing him perform residencies in cities across the globe and after London, he’ll head to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and Mexico City, before a huge 30-night stint at New York’s Madison Square Gardens.
Reviewing one of his London dates last week, The Independent’s Roisin O’Connor gave Styles four stars, writing: “It’s no mean feat to turn a cold concrete stadium into a warm, communal space, but Styles does it.”