September 12, 201212 yr :angry: Are any of these gigs being filmed or is that me being overly optimistic? Read somewhere earlier that they are being filmed but for a documentary, probably similar to the Road To Berlin one from the IC promo in 2005.'Road to the O2 London' I suppose. ^_^
September 13, 201212 yr Robbie Williams Barrowlands, Glasgow If anyone has made a career out of charisma, it’s Robbie Williams. Doing a set of “little gigs” 15 years after his first solo tour he has certainly refined his cheeky chappie persona since I saw him standing on the same stage, all uncertainty and self-consciousness in 1997. The tears of a clown are never far away, however, and this same compulsion for reverence and adoration is still apparent, even if he is in a much happier place right now, with new wife, imminent new baby, and almost new album soon to be released. Let Me Entertain You kicked off his mammoth set, closely followed by Lazy Days. Williams, all in black complete with belt and braces, strutted, sparred and preened through the first few songs before showing a more emotional side when he got all strung out about the “birth” of Take That and the man who made it possible. Karma Killer is his ode to their former mentor and music mogul; the other descriptive words Williams used will be left out for decency’s sake. Williams always treads a fine line between worldwidesinging sensation and working man’s club and pub singer. A tongue-in-cheek rendition of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline, a mock push-up competition and a plea for sweeties to be thrown on stage all scream of the silly showman bursting to compete, be the best, have all the attention. When a few male audience members near the front are falling short on the adulation front, his macho side can’t just leave it: they’re singled out, grilled, then spat out like Geri Halliwell. The love, which is palpable around the ballroom, just isn’t enough if it isn’t universal. New single Candy is a pleasing enough ditty, although lyrics such as Ring a Ring of Roses probably mean it’ll hit the number one spot upon its release (more’s the pity). Singing George Michael’s Freedom and his Kylie duet Kids are high points vocally and Old Before I Die and Rock DJ stand out out as some classic nineties into noughties retro pop. Throw in some self-confessed dad dancing and quotes like “This might be my last chance to be a pop star” (wink wink) and it’s the recipe for some self-reflective fun – and general ego feeding. Herald/scotland
September 13, 201212 yr From the Current Bun (click link for photos) http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showb...ds-Glasgow.html Thursday, September 13, 2012 The Sun - Bizarre with Gordon Smart Caught Live: Robbie Williams @ Barrowlands Glasgow HE stopped short of a kilt, but from the noise inside the best rock'n'roll venue in the UK you'd think Robbie was short for Robert The Bruce. The biggest pop star in the country bowled on stage to ear-splitting Scottish screams and roared: "Let's raise the f****** roof Scotland!" He didn't need to ask twice. The new look Rob, with arms like Desperate Dan, sent the mercury soaring in the sweat box by opening with Let Me Entertain You. He also sent oestrogen levels into outer space, as 1500 sweaty women suddenly slipped into full 50 Shades Of Grey overload. Dressed all in black, like a cross between Simon Cowell and Johnny Cash, he paraded around the stage with the confidence of a man at the top of his game. So much for the stage fright that used to cripple him before shows. Two songs in, halfway through Lazy Days, he had the crowd in the palm of his hands. He winked: "Are you ready for the gig of the year?" Then came a speech about the road to this day. He shouted: "In late 1989, 1990 a man had an idea. That idea was to take five working class boys from the north of England, teach them to sing and dance to rival New Kids On The Block. "Six people came to the audition - I was the fifth." The crowd went bananas as he soaked up the screams. Poking fun at old manager Nigel Martyn Smith he added: "And for legal reasons that man will remain... F*** it, that man's a c***!" It wasn't long before preggers missus Ayda Field, back home in London, got a mention. He told the crowd: "I have a phone in my pocket and the only person who has the number is my wife. "If my little girl comes tonight, and this phone rings, what shall I do? "Will you wet the baby's head with me tonight? Or smoke the baby's head with me tonight? "If she does phone, do you think I should leave, or do you think I should stay?" Bad news Ayda, you might not like the way the vote went. Robbie joked to the crowd: "We could always have a little baby couldn't we?" He then launched into Old Before I Die, his debut single from 1997, changing the lyrics to say "Google says I'm gay." It's always been one of his cheeky tricks - changing the odd lyric. Five songs in he said: "I've slept with girls on the game. Like Geri Halliwell." It was a stripped back production, only a backdrop of the new album cover. This show was all about the frontman - he was the light show, the dancer and the joker. All the old moves were out. As he said to me before the show: "I spent six albums trying to be Beck, Pulp, Oasis, Jay-Z, Supergrass or whoever it was at the time. I've just realised I'm pretty good at being me." He nearly put his hip out during Rock DJ, which stayed in the set after going down a storm during his solo section of the Take That tour last year. It was like a greatest hits show — minus the wobble he had around Intensive Care and Rudebox. Freedom was huge with all hands in the air amongst a sea of camera phones. "During these gigs I've come to realise I do a lot of dad dancing, so please just indulge me tonight. When I do break out don't look at me and say "Oh s***." No harm done, give it a few weeks and you'll be perfectly qualified. Road To Mandalay is always a singalong, and Glaswegians like "a chant" as they call it. I've seen some special moments at gigs, but halfway through he picked a bloke out the crowd and asked if he'd been dragged along by his missus. The bloke nodded and Rob replied: "You look like you're at a funeral, this could be your own." He then asked if he could cover a Mumford & Sons, Oasis or maybe Neil Diamond song to cheer him up. A full rendition of Sweet Caroline followed, getting a smile on everyone's face. Priceless. He took another bit of time from the music to knock out 60 press-ups — beating Usher's record of 50. Come Undone and Angels were other huge highlights. Roll on the big gigs next year when he's back in stadiums in front of tens of thousands. He really is unrivalled. The greatest pop star the country has produced in the last 20 years.
September 13, 201212 yr I can't watch those Glasgow clips. It looks so amazing. I soooo wanted to be there. :cry: From listening to the radio and reading the papers this morning it seems about 1500 of the 2000 Glasgow tickets were taken up by radio djs, journalists , celebrities and assorted hangers on. No wonder I couldn't get a bloomin' ticket :angry:
September 13, 201212 yr Btw, click on the Sun link above. What the frig is he wearing? They look like firemens' dungarees. :blink:
September 16, 201212 yr Life Thru a lens... Fabtasatic :cheer: 7zihpZefbIo Edited September 16, 201212 yr by Buttonhole
September 16, 201212 yr Yeah :cry: Did Scotty ever post his review of the Dublin concert or has he disappeared again? :unsure:
September 16, 201212 yr His Barrowland gig got a fantastic 5/5 review in the Scottish Sun today. I've been trying to find it on-line but no luck. :(
