Fewer "woah woah woah"s, more "oo-oooo"s

So, away from the subject of a particular TV talent show that I'm not going to mention again this week, and on to other spectacular music-related things.

Above, you'll find my absolute favourite live music performance ever. I've been watching it a lot recently, and making other people watch it too. And now it's your turn. HA.

When Take That originally recorded their cover of Could It Be Magic, back in 1991 I think, it was a pretty nasty disco mix, soulless and unimaginative but fun enough to get them on Saturday morning kids' TV and Radio 1. But in 2007, they cut things right down to the original Barry Manilow arrangement when they performed it live, and it was theatrical, creative and gorgeous in the most astounding way.

The stage show for this performance is perfect. I love how it starts off with just Barlow at the piano, then he's joined by some kind of magician character who metaphorically brings with him Pandora's box (only with some dancers and the rest of Take That inside it, rather than all the evils of the universe) and a hat. A few extras start to languidly wander about the stage, and then, as the music builds, so does the production.

It happens so gradually you barely notice, but partway through the song the drums come in and suddenly you've got confetti and feathery women standing on the rings of Saturn, and the whole thing is going properly mental. Mark Owen starts doing some astonishing shouty ad-libs and all is right with the world.

And it's not just the performance that really gets me - musically, it's all kinds of incredible too. I love the start of the second chorus, as the outer platform raises up, and the strings really add quite a sinister element to the song in places (I think I might be talking about minor chords here, but I'm probably wrong), giving me goosebumps every time I watch it. And Barlow's piano-work is flawless.

And then, almost as gradually as it built up, it slowly goes all quiet again, the extras leave the stage and we're left with four men around a piano, harmonising like their lives depend on it.

I saw them performing this live, and it took my breath away. And it was during this song that I took this photo of Jason (below), which is my favourite photo I've ever taken at a concert.

So, there you have it - my review of an amazing Take That performance, two years ago, of a song they recorded 16 years previously. Piggerish: Always first with the breaking news.