Robbie Williams put on an extraordinary display at BST Hyde Park on Saturday night that proved he’s still got ‘it’
Robbie Williams’ headline show at American Express presents BST Hyde Park had doubtless been one of the most anticipated moments of the festival – a sold-out headline show in his home country to 65,000 people. The star did not disappoint, putting on a riotously fun and nostalgic two hour performance on Saturday night.
Taking a leaf out of Morgan Wallen’s book, the star arrived on stage to a joyfully fun backstage walkout that was projected onto the big screens, before entering the stage with a troupe of 10 dancers, kicking proceedings off with the ever popular “Let Me Entertain You”, before winding through a set that included the 1960s Chris Kenner track, “Land Of A Thousand Dances”, “Strong” and “Come Undone”. The jubilation of the crowd had doubtless been brought to life by England’s quarter final Euros win – which Robbie acknowledged,“Thank f*** England won!” – but the superstar infused an infectious joy into the crowd that had gathered to greet him.
The set told the story of his life, from Williams telling the story of his original group Take That – projecting ‘Do What U Like’ onto the big screen – and singing ‘Could It Be Magic’ before moving into a Brit pop cover of Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ and Supergrass’ ‘Alright’ with Gas Coombes and a cover of Blur’s ‘Park Life’ with a surprising special guest – Danny Dyer, along with a catwalk brass band of Beefeaters, consisting of Coldstream and Welsh Guards. Then, Williams’ nodded to his 2010 reunion with Take That on ‘Back For Good’ and a nod of thanks to his wife Ayda and his children, singing ‘Love My Life.’
After that, Williams moved into a string of hits, from “Candy”, “Supreme” and “Millennium” to “Feel”, “Kids”, “Rock DJ” and “No Regrets,” stepping into the crowd to serenade one fan with “She’s The One.” Unsurprisingly, Williams rounded off the night with a staggering performance of “Angels,” replete with fireworks and a massive crowd singalong. It was an electric night that underlined Williams’ experience as an artist and superstar, whose British fans remain immensely loyal to him.
