Brisbane let Robbie Williams entertain them on Saturday night (17 October), where he performed a solid, energetic, immersive and impressive two-hour set for a sold-out crowd.
The performer smashed through the show with his greatest hits and a few special covers – including a Lorde cover – as thousands of fans sang along.
Opening the show was up-and-coming UK group Lawson, a rock-pop ensemble comparable to the likes of Coldplay. An electric show is made even better by a killer support act. And Lawson brought the house down. After their closing track, ‘We Are Kings’, they were met by exuberant applause by the audience, who filed in constantly until the 13,000-or-so-capacity centre was filled to the brim.
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After Lawson left the stage, and a bit of pre-show grooving to ‘I Feel Love’ and the crowd-hyping ‘Uptown Funk’ took place, the lights were dimmed and it was Robbie’s time to shine.
Robbie effortlessly blitzed his way through songs like ‘Let Me Entertain You’, ‘Rock DJ’, and ‘Come Undone’, as well as slipping in a few covers: ‘Royals’ by Lorde, ‘We Will Rock You’ and ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ by Queen and ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis.
Crowd participation is always something Robbie has included in his tours, and bringing a 17-year-old girl on stage and serenading a 15-year-old were both on the list for his Brisbane show. For his song ‘Hot Fudge’, an up-standing prop shaped like a bed was dragged on stage as Robbie found a victim in the audience – who claimed she was 18, later admitting she’d lied – and they got 'in bed' to perform the song.
He then dedicated ‘She’s The One’ to an audience member he understandably mistook for someone a little older as well: a 15-year-old girl standing with her mum. He sang “if there’s somebody calling me on, she’s the one... Mostly her mum”.
Perhaps one of the best moments of the night was Robbie’s duet with his dad during ‘Better Man’. “Ladies and gentlemen, my daddy,” he announced excitedly, to an eruption of cheers and a chorus of “aww” from the audience.He also performed a song for his son, and talked about his children. It made him, as a global superstar, seem like a really down-to-earth guy with a big heart.
The show closed with the beautiful 'Angels', complete with empowering guitar solo and phone flashlights waving throughout the crowd.
But he wasn’t done yet.
Before walking off stage for the very final time, Robbie finished with a Frank Sinatra cover, ending on a line that topped his stardom and life in the limelight off perfectly.
“The record shows I took the blows and did it my way.”
The Let Me Entertain You tour was filled with Robbie Williams’ best vocals, best songs, and an exuberant charm and wit that has been responsible for every sold-out show throughout his career.
Five out of five rockin' DJs.
