Whether you can appreciate pop music or not, it’s pretty hard not to get swept up when you’re watching a natural performer like Robbie Williams. Excitement was building slowly as cheesy messages appeared on the main screen, saying things like “Are you ready?” and “Melbourne… am I still your son?” His musical entourage gathered on stage first, including a four-piece brass section and some back-up singers, then suddenly Williams sprung from a hole in the floor to the delight of 12,000 screaming fans. What came next was a jam-packed set of his greatest hits, starting with perhaps his two biggest, Let Me Entertain You and Rock DJ.
Everything about it was designed to thrill the senses, from the hypnotic lighting, glamourous props, extravagant instrumentals and Williams’ unique wardrobe – starting with his trademark suit vest and ending in a leather kilt. It took a while for Williams to hit his cheeky peak, but it came through during songs like Monsoon, Come Undone, Me And My Monkey and Supreme.
Support act Lawson (who are like a younger Coldplay) re-joined Williams on stage to perform The Road to Mandalay and Back For Good – a nice surprise for fans of Williams’ early boy band days. A couple of other guests came out too, with his own dad Pete Conway lending vocals to Better Man, and two Melbourne guitarists introduced only as Tim and Finn for a song dedicated to Williams’ son.
He also covered a stack of karaoke favourites, new and old, including U2’s Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For, Queen’s We Will Rock You, Lorde’s Royals, Jay Z’s 99 Problems and The Beatles’ Hey Jude. The biggest spectacles came with the hyped-up Hot Fudge and the infectious tune of Kids.
Thankfully the deafening encore chant didn’t last too long and Williams’ remerged to cover Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody, dedicating the song to Freddie Mercury with the original music video playing behind him. The slow acoustic version of She’s The One was a bit of an anticlimax, but thankfully the crowd sing-along for Angels had everyone back on a high.
The band and back-up singers bowed and left the stage and just as everyone was about to leave Williams came back for one last surprise – a solo cover of Frank Sinatra’s My Way. It was a fitting finale, considering the man himself has kept his swagger for all these years. He’s made a success by doing things his way, and to be honest he does it pretty damn well.
BY CHRIS BRIGHT
Loved: All the loud, drunk mums.
Hated: All the loud, drunk mums.
Drank: Heineken.
