Articles de Gary pour les Jubiles de la Reine Elisabeth

HE is best known as Take That’s main man and a judge on The X Factor – but it is Monday’s Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace which will be Gary Barlow’s crowning glory.

The 41-year-old has been quietly scheming the event for two years, pulling together the line-up and recording tribute single Sing for the big day with musicians from across the Commonwealth.

Here he talks about the project, why he’s so proud to be honouring Her Majesty and what she means to him.

It was more than two years ago when I first signed up to help with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

It’s been a very long road and it’s hard to believe the concert at Buckingham Palace is just days away.

Sometimes nothing happened for two months then lots would suddenly happen in a day. The Queen herself has been very hands-on with the arrangements.

I was doing a show for Children In Need when the request first came in. I was told there were a couple of people in the audience from the Royal Household, private secretaries.

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Petite interview de Gary dans cet article:

So, it appears that our Gary Barlow has gone from mere pop royalty to now actually hanging out with royalty as part of his day job!

This week marks the release of Sing, the Official Diamond Jubilee song co-written by Gary Barlow and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber. The two British musical icons were approached by Buckingham Palace to write a commemorative song for the forthcoming Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The song was to bring together the sound of the Queen’s Commonwealth.

No pressure, then!

Gary travelled around the Commonwealth countries of Australia, Kenya, Jamaica and the Solomon Islands, his main criteria was to recruit undiscovered musicians who showed a real passion for music. Recording most artists locally on a laptop, including the UK’s very own Military Wives Choir, before the final elements were recorded and mixed at the legendary Abbey Road Studios. Sing even features a cameo appearance from Prince Harry on tambourine!

Gary’s journey has been tracked in a fantastic new BBC documentary Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty’s Service which will air on BBC One this Bank Holiday weekend. The documentary begins 35 years ago in Gary’s back garden in Cheshire with wonderful original footage of the Barlow family themselves throwing a party for the Silver Jubilee way back in 1977.

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] caught up with Gary to hear what it felt like to, er, demo a new tune to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II…

What was the original brief? How did you know what to do?


Basically we’ve been planning the [Diamond Jubilee] concert itself that’s happening on the 4th June for about 18 months now, so I’ve been in and out of the Palace a lot, and through my meetings there it kept coming up all the time – an original piece of music for the Diamond Jubilee. What could that be? Can we do that?

I didn’t know what it was to be honest. I actually kept batting it away because I thought I’ve got enough to do. Then one day I had this thought about getting musicians from the Commonwealth and actually initially I thought it was going to be an instrumental piece of music. I thought that might be the best way of getting round it, to have this instrumental piece which features all these musicians.

And then I thought, well, no. That just doesn’t represent me really, because I write pop songs and they’ve got melody and lyrics to it. And so when I hooked up with Andrew Lloyd Webber, I was hopeful we were gonna get something half decent. I think if you were to say our two names and play that song, I don’t think you’d expect that to have come from it, and so I was very excited when I left his house.

And then the journey began really.

The record changed on a daily basis as we were travelling, it’s like nothing I’ve ever been a part of before, but there does come a point where you have to go,'Right, STOP! Stop recording people now, because we can’t change it anymore.' And we did stop. About a week later we took it to play it to the Queen.

At the beginning of the film you seem aghast at how many countries you might have to fit in, how did you decide which ones of the many Commonwealth countries to go to for this project?


It was actually an exercise for YouTube to be honest. We had a limit of about four or five days in each country and for anyone who knows how expensive it is to film and take crews abroad, it wasn’t a cheap do that’s for sure!

We tried to make sure we had at least two items we were going to each country for, literally stuff we found on YouTube. Interesting things, things we knew would look good on TV but we knew we could also apply to the song itself.

Sometimes we didn’t know what we were gonna get until we landed, and often we landed in places and discovered better stuff than we researched., it wasn’t planned a lot of it.

If you could have picked a song from all the songs you’ve written before to sing, what would it be? And any chance you could get Prince Harry on stage with you at the Palace?


Don’t give away one of my best things from the Jubliee concert! Ha, I’m joking.

I’ve never done anything like this before. I’ve recorded hundreds of records, but never done anything where you’ve collected a number of different players. Even the music side of it, there’s an incredible amount of hours of recording that comes down to a 3.5minute piece of music, as there was with the film itself.

I found it really motivating, incredibly different. It sort of brings out a new side of you. You’re trying to look for things you can use. If you think of Jamaica, when you listen to that song, it doesn’t represent Jamaican music at all, but somehow we made a flavour fit in our record. It was really an exercise in trying to find the best in people, and trying to bring out the best in people.

I did say in the film and I’ll say it again, that actually it wasn’t even a musical achievement for me at the end of the film. I just loved meeting the people. There’s few times that I’m able to go abroad or in this country and actually enjoy meeting people. I often spend most of my time avoiding people to be honest! The fact I can go and shake people’s hands and meet them and discover about their lives, I really enjoyed it. I wouldn’t do it again, like, but I really enjoyed it. Ha.

Will we see some of the characters from the film at the Diamond Jubilee concert?


Well, this is the amazing thing. We came back and my first words were 'Guys, we’ve got to fly some of these people in!'

So, for instance, the Slum Drummers and the Children’s African Choir, they’re coming over for the concert, they’ve never been on a plane before! They’re going to meet the Queen, they’re gonna meet Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Elton John, and it’s gonna be incredible.

Within that also lies a different message, that we’ve changed a few people’s lives while we’ve done this as well, which is gorgeous.

Do you think the Queen would have told you if she didn’t like the song?


You mean the bit we lost on the editing floor? Ha ha. It’s a bit of an odd situation. I’ve only met the Queen a couple of times (er, that’s a couple more times than we have, Mr B!), it’s never quite what you think it’s going to be.

It’s very relaxing, she obviously meets people all day every day and I think she was really excited. If you think of her day and what it involves, I think it was a little bit of fun for fifteen minutes, to be honest. It was her seeing some music and looking at some people from her Commonwealth and I felt like it was a bit of a break for her more than anything else. So yeah, luckily it turned out alright. We are told she is officially 'delighted' with the song. You can use that quote!

How easy was it working with Lord Lloyd Webber?


It was incredibly easy. It was one of those situations where I actually brought the chorus with me, and Andrew had the verse already and we just sort of threaded two songs into one, and then that was pretty much a day doing that.

Then we just emailed and emailed about the story of the song and what it should say and all the rest of it. I really enjoyed him, really had a great time.

Seeing that film reminded me of Paul Simon’s Graceland…when you make your next album will you be revisiting some those experiences and bring that into your music?


It’s interesting because I don’t really travel much anymore, as [Chairman of Universal Music UK] David Joseph will know, ‘cause he’s always trying to get us to places and we go 'Arr, we can’t be bothered', because we’ve all got kids and stuff now and it’s very difficult to travel as a band and so this is really the first time I’ve travelled in years really. I must say, when I left Australia, I had pretty much a case full of music. There’s some amazing music in Australia and I’m already thinking of the next Take That record with flavours of this music on it.

I’ve really discovered a lot of stuff when I was in Sydney, so it does have an influence on your definitely, travel does. I think musically when you travel you can’t help but listen to the music. You’ve got it on in the van, especially where we were, we’ve been with musicians every day so it does have an effect on you, definitely.

Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty’s Service will be shown on BBC1 on June 3 at 7.30pm. Sing will be performed live at The Diamond Jubilee Concert on June 4.

Get involved!


In a choir of your own? Then get involved! The sheet music for Sing is available for a free download [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. You can also download an instrumental version of it [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], also for free. Andrew and Gary want schools, colleges, amateur choirs and street-party goers to learn the song and give it a bash this weekend to celebrate along with them!

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MESSING about under a mop of blonde hair, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] had a ball at his street’s Silver Jubilee party.

And no wonder – all the six-year-old had to worry about was how many sausage rolls he could get his paws on.

Fast-forward 35 years to this weekend’s Diamond Jubilee, and the boy seen in these exclusive pictures has rather more on his plate.

Take That star Gary, 41, has one of the biggest Jubilee jobs going – masterminding the all-star concert on Monday, which will be watched by millions on TV.

Gary has to co-ordinate a stellar line-up including Sir Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Sir Elton John and Kylie.

He’s certainly come a long way since 1977, when the street where he grew up in Cheshire all piled into his garden for a good old knees-up.

Gary recalls: “We had a big street party in our back garden and everybody came.

"There were lots of sandwiches and sausage rolls. There were people there I never even knew lived down our street.

“Everyone invited everybody. It brought everyone together.

I also remember watching the events on TV and all the mums and dads crowded round getting all emotional.

“It was a massive day and I hope the country comes out in force in the same way for this Diamond Jubilee.

"It feels like the country is really getting behind it.”

When the concert was first proposed in 2010, it was Gary’s idea to stage it outside Buckingham Palace.

He reveals: “It’s nearly two years now since I first got asked about it and I went for this big meeting at Buckingham Palace.

“It was a massive opportunity but I didn’t just want to take the job on without thinking I could really bring something to it.

“At that first meeting I looked out of the window at the front of the Palace and I could see the Victoria Memorial.

“I just thought, ‘That is where the stage has got to be’. I loved the Golden Jubilee concert in 2002, but it did feel for me like the gates were closed and no one could get in without an invite.

"I wanted this to feel like the People’s Concert – so that anyone who wanted to could just get on a train to London and turn up and watch the gig.

“This space gives a good 300,000 to 400,000 people the chance to see this live with their own two eyes.

“That was the first big turning point. It took about five months to get permission because we had to go to the council and the police first.

“The Queen couldn’t just approve it as the memorial is on a public road.

“We actually never dreamed we would get it but after months of wrangling they said yes and then we just had to make sure the Queen liked it. And she did.

“Buckingham Palace is a forward-thinking house.

"They don’t want things to stay the same, they don’t want to be repeating things, they like new ideas and they are really looking forward to this.

“However, my celebrations will only start after the concert is over. I’ve got a big job to do.”

Gary was asked to find music to represent all the decades of the Queen’s reign, which means Sir Cliff Richard rubbing shoulders with Dame Shirley Bassey and JLS.

Gary wants to keep most of the details a secret until the day, but does reveal he has a “special duet” planned with another global star.

He says: “On the day we will all be nervous – it’s a three-hour live show on BBC1 with no adverts if you need to fix something. It has to be quite smooth.

“We are rehearsing off-site at the moment, but when we transfer into the real arena, things will change.

“There will be a nightmare side to this gig in terms of logistics – but you won’t see any of that.”

One potential headache has already been resolved.

Sir Elton was treated for a serious respiratory condition in the US last week, sparking fears he might have to pull out of Monday’s concert.

But according to friends he has told delighted Gary he’ll definitely perform.

Gary says: “The end of the gig is particularly full-on because we go act into act.

“We go from Kylie to Stevie Wonder to Elton John and then Paul McCartney.

"They are four massive sets. They all have their own bands, they all have a different look.

"If we can get to McCartney and nothing has gone wrong, then we will all be jumping up and down.

"It will be dark by then, peak time, the climax to the show and you want that part to really blow people away.”

As well as organising the concert, Gary co-wrote the official Diamond Jubilee song with Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Entitled Sing, it was made with children and orchestras from all areas of the Commonwealth. Gary even had to go to the Palace to play the song to Her Majesty – and thankfully it got the thumbs-up.

He says: “At no point did I ask her, ‘Did you like it?’ because I could tell she was really interested in the stories of all the people who were performing on it.

“And part of my job was to tell Her Majesty about all those different people from different walks of life who I met along the way.

“She was clearly very touched to see the time and effort people had put into this for her and we were thrilled that she enjoyed it so much. It was lovely.

“That’s the thing that amazes me about the Queen – despite it being her Diamond Jubilee the last thing she wants is for anyone to put themselves out for her.”

An emotional BBC1 drama on Sunday night will show the lengths Gary went to in order to record a real cross-section of people from all different backgrounds.

He was so touched by some of the deprived kids – including some from Kenyan slums – that they will now be treated to a trip of a lifetime this weekend.

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GARY Barlow is truly pop royalty, so it’s only right that the Take That star has been put in charge of the Queen’s Diamond Jub­ilee concert and the official track, Sing.


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And he didn’t do it sitting in a studio. Gary travelled the world to find out what Her Majesty means to the people of the Commonwealth.





He even bumped into Prince Harry on his travels, and persuaded him to be on the track – he refused to sing but agreed to bash a tambourine.




Gary met tribes in Africa, rode a canoe through the Solomon Islands, hung out in Australia’s Blue Mountains, visited a Rastafarian village in Jamaica and, back home, dropped in at the legendary Abbey Road studios to meet the Military Wives.






Now he’s ready for his next chall­enge – creating a Jubilee concert worthy of the Commonwealth.




Despite hundreds of sold-out gigs in front of adoring fans, Gary, 41, tells me: “This is the biggest thing I’ve ever done – and will ever do.”




When it comes to entertaining the nation, there are few hands safer than those of the man whose hits include Greatest Day and Patience.




While the finishing touches are made to the stage at Buckingham Palace, Gary will spend his entire Monday making sure everything is in order.




He explains: “I’ll be doing radio interviews to remind people the show is going to be on TV, then I will have my rehearsals – look out for my duet. I’ll be at the palace all day. I’ll be on The One Show, then we go live on TV with the gig.




“It’s been sold to 50-odd countries so we’re going to be on a world stage.”




Adhering to royal protocol has been easy, Gary assures me. “It’s not shoved down your throat,” he says. “You nod your head out of respect, and they’ve really trusted us and left us to get on with it. It’s been a dream. I’m much more nervous than for any Take That show as when we do ours we rehearse for months before.




“There’s 24 acts, and no adverts. It’s going to be a great experience.”




With a line-up which includes Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney, Dame Shirley Bassey, JLS and his old mucker Robbie Williams, it’s a must-see show.




“I can’t wait for Elton and Stevie Wonder,” confides Gary. “I’m going to be watching from a monitor on the side of the stage. We’ve got some projections for the front of the palace when it gets dark. And the mom­ent everyone gets the flags out will be goose-bumpy.”




Even Barlow Towers is getting a royal makeover. Gary confirms: “We’ve bought the bunting. Unfortunately my kids can’t come to the concert but they’ll be at the rehearsal and will be watching from home on the day.”




With his fourth child due this year, I wonder if Gary and wife Dawn are considering any royal names.




He chuckles: “I hadn’t thought of that. We’ve been a bit slow on names this time. I love Elizabeth but that’s our daughter Emily’s middle name so we’ve already used that one.”




Gary learned more about our royal family making On Her Majesty’s Service, a documentary of his travels finding Commonwealth musicians to contribute to Sing.




“I’ve become more of a monarchist now I’m getting older,” he reveals. “Our history speaks for itself.”




As well as the serious task of making a record, Gary had lots of fun as he recorded artists for Sing, which he co-wrote with Lord Lloyd-Webber. “When we were in the Solomon Islands they said they’d make a banquet for us arriving as it took half a day to travel there,” he recalls.




“They killed a pig in the morning, stuck it on a fire, then buried it in the ground. I had a coconut for my drink, fresh papaya and melon for my starter and that pork was the best meal I’ve ever had.




“They also gave me a necklace which meant I could take any woman and marry her. I didn’t tell Dawn about that...”




It’s Gary’s down-to-earth northern charm which makes watching his journey so enjoyable. But he’s not a keen traveller.






“I’m the complete Idiot Abroad,” he laughs when I ask if he identifies with reluctant globe trotter Karl Pilkington. “I love living in the UK and having the familiarity. I like countries which are like Britain – for example Australia.”




While Karl always needs a supply of pickled onion Monster Munch, for Cheshire-born Gary it’s all about a good cuppa. “I had to take my Yorkshire teabags with me, my electric toothbrush and my vitamins.”




Come the Jubilee there will be only one thing on Gary’s mind – and it’s not food. “I’m so proud to be involved in this project and just want to put a smile on everyone’s face,” he says.




Job done, mate.




Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty’s Service is on BBC1 on Sunday at 7.30pm. Sing will be performed live at The Diamond Jubilee Concert on Monday, on BBC 1 at 7.30pm.

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We cannot wait for the Diamond Jubilee Concert on Monday, and neither can Gary Barlow.

The line-up for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has got us excited enough already, but now we're even more looking forward to the big Buckingham Palace gig.

Event organiser [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] has revealed he has a "special duet" planned with a worldwide star.


Ooh Gary you tease, who is it? *crosses fingers it's Cheryl Cole*

The Take That star isn't saying any more, but he has dished on the Diamond Jubilee Concert running order at the end of the three-hour live show, which is going to be broadcast around the world.

Gary told the Mirror: "The end of the gig is particularly full-on because we go act into act. We go from Kylie to Stevie Wonder to Elton John and then Paul McCartney.

"They are four massive sets. They all have their own bands, they all have a different look. If we can get to McCartney and nothing has gone wrong, then we will all be jumping up and down. It will be dark by then, peak time, the climax to the show and you want that part to really blow people away."


So how will Gary Barlow spend the day leading up to the Diamond Jubilee Concert?

The X Factor judge told the Daily Star: "I'll be doing radio interviews to remind people the show is going to be on TV, then I will have my rehearsals — look out for my duet.

"I'll be at the palace all day. I'll be on The One Show, then we go live on TV with the gig. It's been sold to 50-odd countries so we're going to be on a world stage."

The 24 acts taking part include Dame Shirley Bassey, JLS, Robbie Williams, Jessie J and Ed Sheeran.

Gary Barlow admitted he's particularly excited for Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

He added: "I'm going to be watching from a monitor on the side of the stage. We've got some projections for the front of the palace when it gets dark."

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Gary Barlow is on a mission to record a special song to celebrate the Queen's diamond jubilee. He writes the melody with Lord Lloyd Webber, but he wants performers from around the Commonwealth to play on it. Prince Charles gives Gary some suggestions, and Gary then embarks on an extraordinary trip, recording all manner of musicians...

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Gary Barlow has revealed how he sought special permission from the Queen to use the Buckingham Palace balcony for tomorrow’s Diamond Jubilee concert.

The Take That singer, who has spent nearly two years organising the live event, has arranged for opera singers Alfie Boe and Renee Fleming to appear on the terrace where Prince William and Kate Middleton shared their wedding day kiss.

During tomorrow’s show – which will also feature performances by stars such as Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Paul McCartney – the balcony will be illuminated as tenor Mr Boe and American soprano Ms Fleming are unveiled to the audience of 12,000.

Scroll down to see Gary's official Jubilee single, Sing



Barlow, 41, told how he negotiated the request personally with the Queen and her private secretary following a series of meetings at the Palace which began in October 2010.

He said: ‘The balcony where Will and Kate kissed will be used during the concert. In fact, all the balconies will be used. We’ve never had the front view of the Palace in any concert situation before, it’s never been the backdrop before.

We have amazing projections that are going on the front once it goes dark.’ He added: ‘I’ve met the Queen three or four times in the lead-up to the concert.

‘[As well as the Queen] I deal with the private secretaries. If I call the private secretaries, the requests go off and sometimes I hear back from the Queen within half an hour.’

A stage has been built around the Victoria Memorial outside the Palace for tomorrow’s two-and-a-half-hour concert, which will begin at 7.30pm.

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GARY Barlow has to hide his face to dodge abuse in London taxis — because his huge Diamond Jubilee concert is driving cabbies mad.
The Take That star revealed he asked one driver if he could take a different route as they got stuck in a jam near Buckingham Palace.

The cabbie told him: “Nah, some t*** decided to build a stage here.”

Red-faced Gary replied: “Yeah, I can’t believe it” — and then kept his head down for the rest of the journey.

The X Factor judge has been working flat out for two years organising tomorrow’s star-studded concert and penning tribute anthem Sing which he will perform for the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

He also spent six weeks travelling the globe to find inspiration for the event and a documentary, Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty’s Service, charting his journey will be screened at 7.30pm on BBC1 tonight.

One concert surprise will be the use of the balcony where Prince William and bride Kate shared their famous wedding day kiss.

But Gary is keeping secret other elements of the show, which stars Sir Paul McCartney and Elton John.

He added: “This is the biggest achievement for me. I’ll be more nervous than anything else in my career.”

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The famous Buckingham Palace balcony where Prince William and Kate Middleton sealed their marriage with a kiss will be used by the stars of ­tonight’s Jubilee concert.

Event mastermind Gary ­Barlow says the Queen gave special permission for its use ...the first time it has been made available for a show.

“The balcony Will and Kate kissed on will be used during the concert. We’re trying to use all the balconies,” said Gary.

“The performance on the special balcony is by a whole team. We’ve never had the front view of the Palace in any concert situation. It’s never been the backdrop ­before.

“We also have amazing ­projections that will go on the front of the Palace once it is dark. On top of that, we’re ­having a performance on the roof.

“At the end, the royals will be on stage to finish things off, though they won’t be singing.

“The Queen had to approve the projections and the 43 ­cameras we’re using. It needs to look modern... 10 years on from the Golden Jubilee.”

In the 19 months since Take That star Gary, 41, was put in charge of ­organising the event, he has had ­unprecedented ­access to the Queen, including four ­meetings. He was able to get ­messages to her ­immediately... often ­receiving a response within half an hour.

Gary says he is nervous about how some of the event will be ­received but the Queen, 86, has ­embraced the plans.

Gary said: “She wants everyone to have a great time. She’s very excited.

“She gave me pretty much a free reign.”

The main part of the concert on the Queen Victoria ­Monument outside the Palace gates features Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Kylie Minogue.

Gary’s journey around the Commonwealth ­composing a special Jubilee song is detailed in a documentary, On Her ­Majesty’s Service, to be screened on BBC One at 7.30pm tonight

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If you haven’t quite got yourself in the whole Jubilee mood yet, this should do the trick. It’s a sweet, heartening film about Gary Barlow’s travels around the Commonwealth to gather music for his Jubilee song.

He wrote the song with Andrew Lloyd Webber – we see the two of them jamming together (if a peer of the realm can ever be said to jam) at the start of the film as they
devise the melody. Then Gary sets off for Kenya, Jamaica, Australia and the Solomon Islands to meet musicians whose voices and instruments he can layer on the track, including some drummers in Jamaica who make their instruments from rubbish.

It’s a joyous experience for him and for us. Apart from anything else, Barlow is a funnier, more genuine TV presence than most TV presenters, with a gift for touching encounters with virtual strangers. But the film is also gorgeously shot and edited, so that it’s both laugh-out-loud funny and properly uplifting.



About this programme


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Documentary following Take That's Gary Barlow on his mission to record a song for the Queen in celebration of her Diamond Jubilee, featuring contributions by musicians from around the Commonwealth. Prince Charles gives the singer a few suggestions before he embarks on his trip, which includes visits to a children's choir in Kenya, Rastafarian drummers in Jamaica, pan-pipers in the Solomon Islands, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in Australia and Gareth Malone's Military Wives choir in the UK.

Cast and crew


Cast




Gary Barlow
Crew



Director
Ben Winston
Executive Producer
Ben Winston
Producer
Mark Jones
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SHEFFIELD song king Eliot Kennedy and best pal Gary Barlow have a right royal reason to sparkle today - they are top of the pops with their Diamond Jubilee song, writes Graham Walker.



Sing, the song they co-produced and recorded on a round-the-world trip to mark the Queen’s 60th anniversary, is the title track of the official commemorative album.

And it’s topped the UK album charts.

Sing also made its debut in the singles chart at number 11.

Eliot, aged 43, and Gary, 41, visited key Commonwealth locations around the world, including Australia, Africa, Jamaica and the Solomon Islands, recording tribal choirs, amazing regional musicians, the Military Wives Choir conducted by Gareth Malone and even got Prince Harry to play tambourine on the song.

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Their story was also told in a BBC 1 documentary, On Her Majesty’s Service - see iPlayer link below.

Around 200 people will join them to perform the song live for the Queen on a two-and-a-half hour star-studded concert outside Buckingham Palace, to be broadcast live to a global audience of millions, on BBC1 tonight (Monday, June 4), at 7.30pm.

Pop legends Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John, Sir Tom Jones, Sir Cliff Richard, Dame Shirley Bassey, Stevie Wonder, Kylie Minogue, Robbie Williams, Jessie J, Ed Sheeran and more are also on the bill.

Grammy-Award winner Eliot, who at his Sheffield Steelworks Studios has written and produced for the likes of The Spice Girls, Take That and Bryan Adams, said helping to top the album charts with Sing is a career highlight.

He broke off from rehearsals for the Buckingham Palace show to tell The Star: “This amazing project has been an incredible experience from the start. It has been a privilege and a honour to help produce the song for our Queen.

“We are now absolutely thrilled the album is top of the charts, where the public decided it deserves to be.

“Gary has been incredible. He’s worked so hard on the song, the album and the live show. It’s going to be a spectacular concert.”

Speaking about the success of the album ahead of the concert, Gary said: “I couldn’t have wished for anything more on this momentous weekend.”

Sing co-writer Lord Andrew Lloyd Webbed said of the album’s chart success: “I’m absolutely thrilled, this is a burst of sunshine on a rainy Sunday, let’s hope the sun shines on Gary’s concert.”

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Dressed in a black military outfit the charismatic singer entered through the lined-up Corps of Drums of the Massed Bands of the Household Division to perform in front of thousands of fans and the Royal Family outside Buckingham Palace.





Amazing scenes ... Robbie performs with The Queen's Guards


While The Queen was sadly not present for the first hour and a half of the show, Robbie provided the perfect opener for the concert, organised by his TT bandmate Gary Barlow.

As the changeable weather decided to take a turn for the better, the singer kicked proceedings off with his first stint of the night.






Entertaining ... Robbie Williams


He danced around the stage in his usual energetic style in front of a crowd of 10,000 lucky competition winners and the Royal Family, apart from Prince Philip who was taken ill with a bladder infection earlier today.






Opening act ... Robbie Williams makes his first appearance of the night
He was taken to a London hospital for a few days' stay "as a precaution"

Prince Charles, The Queen's grandson's Princes William and Harry, The Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Edward and Princess Anne were present for the entire show.

Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Zara Phillips, husband Mike Tindall and Prime Minister David Cameron and wife Samantha were also spotted in the royal box.

They smiled as they joined in the celebrations as acts from each decade of The Queen's 60-year-reign performed on the £200,000 specially-stage errected all around the historic Queen Victoria Memorial at the head of The Mall.

Celebrities in the audience included Brian May, who famously played the national anthem on the palace’s roof during the 2002 Golden Jubilee concert, David Walliams and his model wife Lara Stone.

Thousands of people in the Mall and in a specially-built arena turned the area into a flurry of red, white and blue as they waved flags furiously.

The first host of the evening was Rob Brydon, who got a laugh from the audience when he said: “Sixty years of reign. Sounds like a Welsh summer.”

He turned on the royals massed in their box saying: “I’m delighted to say we have the royal family joining us this evening over, in the royal box.”

Charles and the Duke of York acknowledged the comment by waving union flags then the comic said: “Now those are good seats, they are very good seats, I hope you didn’t use a tout - because that’s just spoiling it for the rest of us.”

The younger royal men wore jackets and shirts but no ties and the Earl of Wessex was spotted getting a closer look at events by using a pair of binoculars

The Duchess of Cambridge opted for a far less colourful outfit than the one she wore during Sunday's celebrations.

Black Eyed Peas star Will.I.am continued the party mood by getting the crowd on their feet for his band’s hit I Gotta Feeling.

He was joined by fellow judge from BBC1’s The Voice Jessie J - wearing a dazzling blue and gold dress, split to the thigh - on the song.

Jessie then had her own turn in the spotlight with her hit Domino, finishing with some vocal theatrics.

JLS, all wearing green, thrilled younger fans by performing Everybody In Love and She Makes Me Wanna.

A clearly nervous and slightly off-key [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] made a surprise appearance to accompany Barlow on his first appearance of the night.

The former X Factor judge - accompanying a current panellist from the show - looked elegant in a frothy black and white floor-length gown to perform a cover of country group Lady Antebellum's Need You Now.

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"Some words they can’t be spoken, only sung.” This is how the song that Gary Barlow and I have written for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] begins. Similarly, it seems odd to be writing about a song that is meant to be sung out loud, in celebration of the 60-year reign of our remarkable Queen.

But to write about it gives me the chance to share one of the most joyous experiences I have been involved with – thanks to Gary Barlow.


Like all things British, this collaboration began as an accident. I was sounded out about providing a musical barge for the flotilla that would sail past the Queen with specially composed music for the occasion. But I thought that it would be difficult to premiere new music from a moving boat. Then I heard that Gary Barlow was the mastermind of the Diamond Jubilee Concert, taking place tonight outside Buckingham Palace. I wondered if he was thinking of a new song, too. He was.


We reckoned it would be a good idea to see if our separate thoughts could come together. The first thing we talked about was our own first memory of the Queen. Gary’s was a street party for the 1977 Silver Jubilee. Mine, I admitted rather sheepishly, was of the Coronation.


In truth, I don’t really remember the Coronation. We didn’t have one of those bulky black and white TVs that you see in clips of happy families watching this first ever major televised event. But I do remember the stands being put up for the crowds at Hyde Park Corner.

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William Hill put him at 6-1 ON to be made Sir Gary while Ladbrokes offered evens on him getting the honour by 2014.
Monday night’s show in front of Buckingham Palace included Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder.

Yesterday proud Gary, 41, said: “Not only were acts having a great time front of stage, the whole of the backstage area were having a good time as well. It was an amazing day for our country.”

He said one highlight was scantily-clad Grace Jones, 64, spinning a hula hoop throughout her song adding: “It was absolute genius.”

Prince William said her act had “men passing binoculars around”.

The BBC1 coverage averaged 14.7million but peaked at 17.1million — the biggest audience since the wedding last year of Wills and Kate pulled in 19.2million.

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