By Derek Schlennstedt
At 44 years of age, 13 studio albums and seven number one singles, it’s little surprise that Mr Robbie Williams’s presence is enough to send a crowd into hysteria.
Hysterics was exactly what he sent the crowd into when he appeared for his first solo debut tour in 21 years at the Rochford Day on the Green event, on Thursday 22 February.
After getting the audience upstanding for ‘The National Anthem of Robbie’ the entertainer entered the stage wearing a glittering boxer’s robe and had the swagger of a champion who was keen to give audiences a once in a lifetime experience.
That experience was exactly what the audience received and together with his eight piece band and bevvy of glamorous dancers and back-up singers, the packed-out Rochford audience enjoyed over two hours of a total entertainment package that only Robbie Williams can deliver.
The gloves were soon off, and the glittering robe was stripped down to a black kilt and a black singlet, and after opening with hits, Welcome to the Show and Let Me Entertain you, Williams had the audience in the palm of his hands.
Paying homage to “his idol” George Michael who he declared his love for in more than an explicit way, Williams did a magical rendition of Michael’s hit “Freedom”.
Known for his interaction with the audience he was quick to quiz an audience member on the lyrics to ‘Come Undone’ and even invited a star struck fan from Melbourne onto stage to sit beside him while he serenaded her with ‘Somethin’ Stupid’.
From a poignant cover of Neil Diamond’s hit song, ‘Sweet Caroline’ where he was joined by his comedian/musician father Pete Conway to a backlog of hugely successful hits – Robbie Williams has proven once again why audiences flock to see that unmistakable charm and stage presence that makes the perfect recipe for a magnificent show and which on this instance had truly KO’d the packed venue.
