review - Milton Keynes, 16th September

Last time we caught up with Mr Williams was at his mammoth Knebworth gigs, so three years on and Robbie is back playing big outdoor shows again, this time at the Milton Keynes Bowl. Fans snapped up tickets extremely quickly knowing that these gigs would be guaranteed to be entertaining.

So let's get the negative criticisms out of the way first of all... as you can imagine the over-inflated prices for food, drinks, merchandise is always going to be a cause for concern. However if people continue to pay those prices then nothing will ever change.

The second criticism is based on the arena layout - with ‘inner circle tickets’ segregating the crowd, it was impossible for people who had paid for general admission tickets to get to the front, at best you would be half way back.

The show itself was faultless. The stage was in the shape of a spaceship to coincide with the tour title ‘Close Encounters’. Can you guess what his intro music was?... That’s right, it was the theme from ‘Close Encounters Of The Third Kind,’ along with soft gentle flashing lights and flames.

In a gust of smoke Robbie jumped out onto the stage, which had an ego ramp cutting deep into the audience. The overpowering roar of approval from the crowd made it difficult to hear the opening song - ‘Radio’ - which was immediately followed by a storming version of ‘Rock DJ.’

The thing with a Robbie gig is that it isn’t just about the music, it is the show theatrics and witty statements that Mr Williams spouts out that makes the show feel almost as if he genuinely wants the fans to have fantastic time.

This time around he apologised for the mistake that occurred with the tickets due to Wembley Stadium not being finished and people having to squeeze into Milton Keynes. In his own witty way he explained it by saying “It will be ready for Theo Walcott’s testimonial though.”

He also made reference to the offer of joining Take That on their tour claiming that it pulled on his heartstrings when he noticed that he had sold 3 million tickets for his own tour (Cheeky grin appeared on his face).

He made numerous other references to certain other people that can't be printed for legal reasons, but probably the most amusing one was when he claimed “I may have lost touch with reality, but 3.80 for an ice cream, that’s daylight robbery!!”

All of the crowd favourites were belted out with an incredible amount of passion and energy, although it was hard not to notice that Robbie was strangely drenched in more sweat than usual - possibly he isn’t feeling too well?? Songs like ‘Monsoon’, ‘Strong’, and ‘Come Undone’ all got the crowd singing along.

He even paid tribute to Take That by performing ‘Back For Good’. He was brave enough to include ‘RudeBox’, which in Robbie's own words had been welcomed by the British public like a “Ginger Stepchild.”

After an hour and half of endless entertainment the Robster waved goodbye and left the stage. Obviously 70,000 fans were not going to let him leave without a well-deserved encore... Sure enough he returned standing on top of the stage eating an ice cream, which was clearly linked to his earlier statement about daylight robbery. He then did a little routine to ‘Let Me Entertain You’ from the top of the stage.

After being dropped down to the main stage by a mechanical lift, he sat on a stool to perform the worlds most played funeral song - ‘Angels.’ This had the 70,000 strong crowd singing their hearts out, giving Robbie a chance to just appreciate the adoring fans. The night was brought to a close with ‘Kids’, which left most people happy.

This was a great show, even three years on from his legendary Knebworth show, Mr Williams still possesses that magical X-factor to put on a genuinely entertaining show.

Worth every penny!!!

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