THOUSANDS of ecstatic Take That fans thronged to see the band reunited on stage for the first time in more than a decade last night.

Britain's biggest band of the 1990s have sold more than 550,000 tickets for the run of 29 summer dates, beginning last night in Newcastle.

More than 9,000 fans were at the Metro Arena to see Gary Barlow, 35, Howard Donald, 37, Mark Owen, 34, and Jason Orange, 35, relight their fires once again.

Adolescent girls and women reliving their teenage years made up the majority of the audience, with women outnumbering men by at least ten to one.

The band, famously without original member Robbie Williams, were said to be earning £1.5m each from the shows.

And there was no shortage of takers for the tickets in Newcastle, despite the £35 price tag.

Julia Higgins, 35, of Chester-le-Street, County Durham, said: "I wouldn't have missed this for the world. I saw them in Glasgow in 1994 and I just had to see them again.

"Jason is my favourite, and I think he has still got the moves."

Her sister, Becci, 27, said: "I hope the lads are back for good this time."

Pub landlady Vicki Armstrong, 34, from Sunderland, said: "It is fantastic that they are back together, and we are going to see Robbie Williams live in September.

"We just love Take That, full stop. Thirty-five pounds is definitely worth it."

Her friend, Hayley Freeman, said: "I have loved them ever since they first came out, and I cried when they split up, but I hope they don't reform. They have got to stop now and do these tours every ten years."

Lenny Evans, 33, from Darlington, said: "The last concert I ever went to was in Singapore in 1995 and it was Take That. I remember I was right at the front.

"I'm a Gary Barlow woman through and through, so I'm not bothered about Robbie not being in the band. Gary's lovely, but Robbie's full of himself."