Robbie Williams was performing at Manchester’s Aviva Studios
Robbie Williams is getting pretty used to breaking records of late and he claimed yet another as he stepped onto stage in Manchester on Friday night. His 16th solo studio album, Britpop, became his record-breaking 16th chart-topper earlier this year (as Robbie was keen to remind us), and this Aviva Studios gig, fans soon discovered, has become the biggest ever selling charity concert for War Child.
It’s also a gig that came as a big, and welcome, surprise to fans when it was announced mere days ago as a special charity gig to tie in with BRITs Week here in Manchester.
Needless to say such is Robbie’s sustained star power, those tickets needed mere minutes to sell out. The show follows his run of just four intimate gigs on the “Long ’90s” tour celebrating both his original debut album, Life Thru a Lens, and his 16th number one album Britpop.
Click here to prioritise Manchester news in Google from the MEN
Once inside, of course, it didn’t really matter how far back you were, because you were still getting up close and personal with Mr Williams.
Last summer, here in Manchester we had him in the vast expanse of Co-op Live, throwing everything bar the kitchen sink at his fans in a blockbuster of an arena show that saw him literally fly out as a rocket man. He described the night as his “love letter to entertainment”.
Here at the slightly more intimate climes of Aviva Studios (although the Warehouse felt pretty vast), there may not be rocket blasters, but there’s never less than the usual Robbie energy.
He walks out on stage with his own T-shirt tribute to all things Manc – a “Roy Division” image blending the famous Joy Division artwork of Unknown Pleasures with the face of, who else, but Man United legend Roy Keane.
Launching into Lazy Days, we were sent straight back into the 90s, with Robbie also quick to talk about his experiences of going solo after the highs and lows of Take That.
He’s also happy to admit his failings, asking the crowd if they’ve seen the recent Netflix Take That documentary.
“I don’t think anyone has seen a man smugger than Robbie Williams in that second episode”, he says. “And you know what I felt really bad I felt really horrible about it, I’d been horrible to Gary, horrible to Howard, I was genuinely thinking about it for days and days I was thinking “I’ve got to apologise again, I’ve apologised 500 times but I’ve got to apologise again. And then I started this little mini tour up in Glasgow and I thought hang on no one has ever left a boy band and gone “they’re a ****, they’re a ****, except me.
“So for this moment I’m just getting rid of shame and guilt of upsetting everybody and lean into “they’re all ****s”, before launching into Ego a Go Go. He later added, to big cheers, that he loves Gary and “Gary loves me”. All very cathartic stuff.
Before Robbie headed onto stage it was down to Leigh’s Lottery Winners to warm up the crowds, as they had done so memorably last summer too. The band have struck up quite the friendship with Rob, and cheeky lead singer Thomas Rylance couldn’t resist paying tribute to the star by leading an early singalong of Angels to the delight of the crowds.
Naturally, when it came to Robbie’s turn to sing the anthem, fairly early on in the show, it nearly blasted the roof off the Warehouse – without him singing a word of it for the first half of the anthem such was the lusty singalong.
The first half of nostalgia is broken up, rather fittingly, with Everything Changes played in the background, before Robbie returns for the second half of new tracks from Britpop.
Rocket is a masterful new anthem from this King of entertainment, to kick it all off.
Introducing his song dedicated to his “favourite ever artist who’s still alive and he’s from Manchester” we get his ode to Morrissey.
He ends the show by telling us all he’s still ambitious, still wants to be out there which is music to the ears of these fans.
And there’s a final reward, an outing of fan anthem Feel leaving the crowd on a high after a special night.
Setlist
Lazy Days
Life Thru a Lens
Ego a Go Go
Angels
South of the Border
Old Before I Die
One of God’s Better People
Killing Me
Let Me Entertain You
Clean
Hello, Sir
[Everything Changes interlude]
Rocket
Spies
Pretty Face
Bite Your Tongue
Cocky
All My Life
Human
Morrissey
It’s Ok Until the Drugs Stop Working
Selfish Disco
Feel
Pocket Rocket