Robbie Concert!

Clare picked me up at 10am, and we planned to arrive at Milton Keynes Bowl just after midday, but traffic on the M25 meant it was nearly 1pm when we got there. We parked the car, then went to join the queue, which was absolutely massive. Gates opened at 2:30pm, and people had ben queuing since the night before, to make sure of getting front row spots, especially those with Inner Circle tickets! We ended up sitting on the grass beside the access road where the queue was, and eating our packed lunch, before going to the merchandise stand and buying our tour programmes and in my case a keyring. Excellent quality for both items, and i was particularly impressed that the programmes came in their own stiff-backed envelope, which ensured that (unlike my Bon Jovi one!) it was still intact when I got home that night!

By the time we'd done that, and I'd rung James to arrange a visit next week (cue the "Milton Keynes?? What on earth are you doing *there*?" conversation!) the gates had been opened and the queue was moving - quite rapidly thankfully, as it went from the gates, down to the end of the access road, then doubled back on itself all the way back down to, and past, the gate - it took about half an hour to actually reach the gate and get in.

With General Admission tickets and the fact that the concert was completely sold out, we knew we'd have to get straight into the Bowl and find a good spot - approximately 55,000 of the 65,000 people there would be fighting for good GA spots, with the rest being Inner Circle at the front. We decided to aim for a spot high on the sloping sides of the Bowl, where we could have an unobstructed, albeit distant, view of the stage, and still be able to get out to the toilet or food stalls easily, but even in the time it took to walk in, up the steps, and into the Bowl proper, most of the grass directly in the line of the stage was taken. We found a pretty good spot, with just one tiny corner of the stage obscured by a bar tent or something similar down in front of us, and sat down for the duration. It was 3pm by then, and like the thousands of other people with us, we had until 6pm to wait for the first support act. It didn't rain, though the clouds were building up, and we spent the time catching up on gossip, just generally chatting, etc.

At 6pm Orson tool the stage - they're a Californian band who have had three recent hits in the UK, and I like them quite a lot. They only did a half-hour set, but were good, and got the crowd livened up a bit. There was a gap then, when I decided to go to the toilet, thinking that as it was only just after 6:30, I'd be back by the time the next supporting act, Basement Jaxx, came on at 7pm. When I reached the queue for the toilets however, I realised that I had no chance, as it was about 500 or more people long, and moving slowly! I could see that I was missing a fabulous sunset from where I was stuck queueing, which was lower down than the spot where Clare and I were based inside, and then I heard the crowd cheer and Basement Jaxx start their set. I eventually got back inside the Bowl at about 7:10, and realised I had a problem ... the crowd were not happy to stay sitting down through Basement Jaxx, who are a pretty lively dance music group, and had, without exception, got to their feet ... which meant I couldn't see Clare at all! It was darkening quickly, and she was wearing grey ... not helpful! I ended up weaving me way through all the people in the general vicinity of our spot, trying to spot her, or someone who had been sitting near us! She text messaged me - "are you alright" and I replied that I was fine, but I just couldn't find her! Aboout 30 seconds later, I spotted her, and managed to get back to where we had been, but being lost in 65,000 people really was an experience that I could have done without!

Robbie was due on stage at 8:30pm, and I had watched the concert he did on 9th September at Leeds, as well as having seen loads of photos, watched video clips, and read concert reports on various forums, so I knew what to expect, but his entrance and the build up to to it was still pretty stunning. Shortly before 8:30, the stage lighting and all the Bowl lighting was turned off, so we were left in comlete darkness, and then there were intermittent fireworks and balls of flame ejected from the stage, long with lots of smoke effects. This continued every 30 seconds or so until the dot of 8:30, when the crowd lighting came back on, the stage and three big screens at the back of the stage and either side of it lit up with their full effects, and at the same time, Robbie appeared in a mass of smoke on stage, launching straight into "Radio" as he did so. The crowd went mad, and I was in two minds as to whether to take pics, or record video! I ended up doing a combination of both throughout the concert, coming home with 238 pics and around 20 video clips.

Robbie went from "Radio" straight into "Rock DJ" and "Tripping", with "Rock DJ" getting the crowd even more fired up than they already were. Next was "Monsoon", s song I only discovered in the past week or so, but now love, folowed by "Sin Sin Sin" and "Make Me Pure" - another one I didn't know until I watched the Leeds concert, and absolutely love now. Robbie then introduced Chris Coco, a DJ who featured in the band line-up for this tour, saying "His name's Chris Coco, and he drops beats like these ...". I knew what was coming here, and I wasn't disappointed, as the main screen at the rear of the stage changed to an old-style "Swingers" logo. Robbie then introduced his best friend, Johnathan Wilkes, who's been a guest on every one of the 50 or so dates this tour. I love seeing Robbie and Jonny together - their friendship shines through the stage act, and it's easy to see that for all his stage persona and arrogance, Robbie is actually just a normal guy who's come through some pretty tough times. He seems more vulnerable when he's with Jonny, like he's with someone he totally trusts and feels comfortable being himself, rather than the megastar we usually see him as. They did a bit of banter, with Jonny saying he reckoned Robbie had only given 90% entertainment, and he was here to add the other 10% for a total of 100% entertainment, then sang the swing song "Me and my Shadow", followed by a bit more banter.

I expected them to go into their "Who's a better footballer" act that has been done on every other show this tour, at this point, but got the best surprise, when Robbie said "Y'know Jonny, I think we're the best double act in the country ...". I wondered why the crowd were going completely nuts at that, then realised that Ant and Dec had popped up through the trapdoor Robbie enters the stage by, and said "The best double act in the country?!" I was in photo mode on my camera, and didn't switch to video mode fast enough, so I haven't got the whole bit with Ant and Dec on film, but it was hilarious ... really funny, especially when either Robbie or Jonny said "Who do you two think you are?" and Ant and Dec replied "Who do we think we are? We .... *we* used to be PJ and Duncan" (referring to the characters they played about 15 years ago in Byker Grove, and the pop act of the same name they had a few minor hits with). There's no other way to describe the crowd reaction to that, but "mental"! They tried to sing a bit of their mid 90's hit "Let's Get Ready To Rumble", but were stopped by Robbie and Jonny, who were then booed by the crowd! That was hilarious too, as Robbie turned to Jonny too, and said "Are they booing *us*?!" then to the crowd "Robbie Williams on the tickets!!"

The four of them then did "Strong", with the words being displayed on the three screens so that the crowd could sing along, though I suspect most people already knew them. I got some pics of Robbie, Jonny, Ant and Dec, but as we were right at the back of the Bowl, they're tiny figures! Robbie is pretty good mates with Ant and Dec as well as Jonny, and it really showed ... he wasn't just doing a show for us, but was actually enjoying himself too. Given all the press controversy about his career going downhill .... yeah, because 7million of his last album, and 3 million concert tickets sold for this tour *really* proves that!!! .... as well as the fact that he cancelled the 4 Asian dates at the end of this tour, I think the crowd really wanted to show their support for him, and he appreciated that.

After "Strong", Ant and Dec, and Jonny, left the stage, and it was back to Robbie's show. He told us how Take That had got back together this year, and asked him to join their tour, and that "it pulled on my heartstring for five minutes, then I realised I'd sold 3 million tickets for my own tour ..... what can you do?" but that he's met up with Gary, Mark, Howard and Jason, and wished them all well. He said he wanted to perfom "their favourite Take That song, and mine ..." and then did a very nice rendition of "Back For Good", which had all the older fans (yes, I mean the ones my age!!!) singing along, flashing back to the early-mid 90's!

Next was a shout out to his dad, who for at least the second time of the Milton Keynes dates, was in the crowd ... "chatting someone up, no doubt" according to Robbie! He dedicated the next song to his dad, which was "Advertising Space", a song that on the surface is about Elvis Presley, but that many fans believe is semi-autobiographical as well, especially with lines such as "Please be gentle, I'm still learning"

"Come Undone" next, a beautiful song that is really about Robbie, and gives a breathtaking insight into the way he sees himself. It does contain a couple of explicit lyrics, but the words, and the emotion behind the song are just gorgeous ... it's a song that I relate to in several ways, and which often has me in tears if I'm in the right (wrong?) frame of mind. "Feel" was next, another soaring power-ballad, and then as soon as it ended, Robbie said "Thank you Milton Keynes ... Goodnight!". I wasn't too worried, as I knew what was next. There was about a three minute break, while the stage went dark, and then it exploded (literally) with more fireballs, smoke plumes, and fireworks from the top of the stage. As the opening notes of "Let Me Entertain You" blasted out, Robbie appeared 30m above the stage on one of the two arms that formed the top of the whole set up. Crowd reaction to the song and Robbie's super-quick costume change and ascension was amazing, and the sheer energy by now was almost unreal. Even I was jumping around ... something I *don't do*, and which is rather difficult when you're trying to take pictures at the same time! I think "Rudebox" was the next track, which is a rather retro/techno song from his forthcoming album, and which although it's been panned by the press, has grown on me from a few weeks ago, and actually went down very well.

All too soon it was time for "Angels", *the* big song of the night. I'm sure that every single one of the crowd were singing along to this, and probably about half of them, if not more, had suspiciously damp eyes ... Robbie (and me) included! When he finished the song, he was about to leave the stage, when he seemed to change his mind and performed "Dear Sir" as a last reward for us. It's not a song, but more of a poem, aimed at one of the teachers who always said Robbie should join the army, not aspire to be famous ... very sarcastic and cutting, but it provides another excellent insight into Robbie's insecurities and background, as well as being very motivating ... again, it contains some profanity, but it's contextual, and it fits, so I don't have a problem with it.

By the time that was over, Robbie was looking tired and emotional, as he did a bow with the backing singers, dancers, and band. He said "I've been Robbie Williams, thank you and goodnight" then slowly left the stage, but was definitely tearful. I suspect it was a combination of the fact that he's tired and exhausted, and knew he had only one more show to do before a two week break, when he could go home to his house and dogs, and relative obscurity in LA, to recharge, as well as the fact that for all his fame and success, he still has low self-esteem, and always seems overwhelmed by the appreciation and love shown by his fans.

Whatever caused his tears, seeing him live made me realise that not only is Robbie a born entertainer, he's a normal person with fears and insecurities and emotions, just like the rest of us. From being someone who liked Robbie and his music before Monday, I'm now a complete fan with a deeper understanding of the man behind the act. The real Robbie Williams shines through the stage persona very clearly, and he's actually a nice person, with an amazing talent for singing and writing stunningly profound lyrics. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was rather emotional myself several times during the concert, and have a new appreciation for many of Robbie's songs, which I've been listening too all week! Bring on the next tour Robbie ... I'll certainly be there.