you can tell they are not used to concerts can't you. There would be empty seating in certain area's :cry:

 

A picture of the crowd - or shall I say crowds.

 

http://www.thelilactime.com/photoalbum/albums/2006/crowd_001.jpg

 

 

Everything you wanted to know about the Robbie Williams show

By Maey El Shoush, Staff Reporter

 

If you were wondering why tickets for the Robbie Williams show were first "sold out" and then made available again, here's your answer.

 

Organisers Midas Promotions said yesterday that typically Williams usually sets aside a number of concert tickets for various reasons.

One, he reserves the best seats in the house to fly in friends.

 

Two, for the Dubai concert some tickets were not released, pending final position of the mixing desk. Now, they have been made available after ensuring everyone has a good view of the stage.

 

That means another 1,500 tickets can still be bought at the Box Office and Virgin Megastores.

 

Control attempt

 

Midas Promotions also said they did try to control the number of tickets sold per person, but couldn't.

 

"It is our duty to sell as many tickets as possible. Fans would go to the box office and buy tickets they said were for friends, box office then made executive decisions," said Michael Hosking, managing director of Midas Promotions.

 

'Red hot'

 

At a press meeting yesterday in the headquarters of sponsors The One, the promoters said more than 23,000 people are set to gather at Nad Al Sheba in Dubai on April 21 to hear the "red hot" Williams.

"There is no hotter star out there who can capture the imagination of the Dubai public more," said Hosking.

 

He said they were surprised by most of the tickets selling out immediately and promised the most "spectacular" Dubai concert ever.

 

"This is an unprecedented step for Midas and the key issue is to ensure the event is a success for all who are involved," said Mel Tyler, operations director for Midas Promotions.

 

What to expect

 

Get to Nad Al Sheba early to avoid rush, organisers said. At the venue, read your wrist bands to know where you have to go and follow the signs.

 

There will be at least 180 security personnel and police present during the concert, including CID members in plain clothes.

 

"Although there will be a huge crowd, there will be space to manouevre and no danger of being crushed as we are taking up two horse racing tracks," Hosking said.

 

Special turf

Organisers said they have imported special turf from the United Kingdom to protect the race track.

 

Parts of the stage have also been flown in from England, including the roof which is estimated to weigh about 15 tons.

 

"Robbie is all about recreating something new, and he showed great interest in performing in Dubai and we all feel Nad Al Sheba is the perfect venue," Hosking said.

 

Reluctant

 

Michael Hosking, managing director of Midas Promotions, organisers of the Robbie Williams concert, said the pop star is actually a reluctant live performer and often gets nervous before he goes on stage.

 

He is also critical of his own work.

 

"The media speculation around Robbie is far greater than the reality. He's a great guy just 80 million pounds richer than most people! He is also very sensitive to local customs," he added.

Warning

 

Promoters yesterday said some people could try and sell fake Robbie Williams concert tickets.

 

"Although in this market it is rare, we have been alerted of the possibility. People should be careful not to buy tickets from places they shouldn't," said Nigel Peters from Midas Promotions, not really giving anything away.

 

Source: http://www.gulfnews.com/tabloid/Around_Emi...s/10033741.html

 

 

 

 

 

It looks pretty packed to me.

Was the crowd 100% ex-pats or does Robbie have Arab fans as well? :unsure:

one news report I read stated that is was 100% full. It also mentioned that Robbie was very pleased with the reception and very pleased with the amount of people coming to see him. I will see if I can find it.

 

I think it was a mixture of fans, VIP's and people going out of interest. All I know is that I read a report that JoLo has delayed her concert for a month because she cannot sell her tickets. Strange place Dubai.

Not surprised about J-Lo :lol:

 

I wouldn't be buying a ticket to see her either. :P

Nah, JoLo is not my type of artist. I would put myself out for KD Lang though :)

 

can you spot all the little faces sitting up in the lap of the gods. I can.

 

http://www.thelilactime.com/photoalbum/albums/2006/crowd_001.jpg

I'm suprised J'Lo is on a tour cause she has'nt done anything for ages. Her last album flopped apperently :)

she was supposed to put on a show in Dubai a week after Robbie's. She knows who he is now.

And I bet the Big Bottomed One won't be best pleased..... :rolleyes:

 

 

PS Who is she married to this weather? :unsure:

I am lovin this more and more. If you want to go to a concert in Dubai, where your boxing gloves.

 

the on going saga of the Letters page. Well done Hayley, love the way you put it across.

 

by Hayley Ellis on April 23rd, 2006 at 4:17 pm

 

Robbie proved what an amazing showman he is at Nad Al Sheba on Friday night.

I enjoyed every minute of it, belting out every song along with the man himself, dancing until my feet hurt and screaming until I had no breath left.

 

It’s just a shame that a few individuals had to ruin it for me.

 

I was literally thrown out of the way by some short, overweight, drunk, balding sorry excuse of a man who when I asked him where his manners were started swearing and generally abusing me.

Mate, you embarrassed yourself, your wife and everyone around you, you rude, little man.

 

To the two middle aged, moaning women who were behind me.

Hitting me in the back is not the polite and courteous way to ask someone to move. Yes I’m tall, and I’m so sorry you are short. I suggest next time, you either pay more money and get a seat or just don’t bother going to a concert you obviously had no real desire to go to.

I hope your ears hurt from all the screams I intentionally sent your way.

 

Next time bring your manners with you.

 

Mr. Williams, you were wonderful. Come back soon.

 

From A Real Robbie Fan

Edited April 24, 200619 yr by Jackie

yes i love the way Hayley has put herself across, particularly the "I hope your ears hurt" line...man i have been in that situation before. ;)

Looks like he is coming your way Candy Girl. Just love the picture, cheeky Robbie, he is in Spearmint Rhino's and it was taken when he went to Oz in 2003. Wonder where he will do a press conference this time around?

 

Robbie Williams Is A Sinner

by Daniel Zugna

 

April 24 2006

 

 

http://www.undercover.com.au/pics/robbiegirls1203.jpg

Robbie Williams (photo by Ros O'Gorman)

 

After much public debate concerning the prospect of his eternal damnation, notorious love-rat Robbie Williams has all but confirmed his position on St Peter's red list with the release of his new single, Sin Sin Sin.

 

The single is the third to be taken from Williams' Intensive Care album. The video for Sin Sin Sin - shot in Cape Town, South Africa - is a typically sacrilegious Williams effort, featuring the bearded singer acting as a guru in a commune full of pregnant women.

 

Williams' world tour is already underway, having kicked off in Durban on 10 April. It is expected that a number of outdoor Australian dates will be announced in around four weeks time.

 

:cheer: 4 weeks :cheer:

 

So that gives me a bit of time to psyche myself up and get my ticket buying face on. I will have to devise my plan very soon :o

 

Stressing already :rolleyes:

I wonder where he will do his next press conference. Any bets on Spearmint Rhino again.

possibly jackie...have been to Spearmint Rhino's myself (with my husband I will stress)....quite an 'entertaining' place...I bet Robbie just loved it. :D

 

I am starting to stress too suse...am not making ANY plans for mornings in the next six weeks...just in case. ;)

 

 

Keeping my fingers crossed for you all

 

I am starting to stress too suse...am not making ANY plans for mornings in the next six weeks...just in case. ;)

 

Praying the tickets go on sale at the beginning of the week....or I will have to have a sickie. :o I am not joking :rolleyes:

 

any possibility of visiting South America?

Yes i am pretty sure i read that Robbie will be coming to South America and also Mexico :D I'm not sure when though but i'm sure someone could tell you :)

Rumour has it that Rob will play in River Plate stadium/Argentina at Sat October 14th and Sun 15th. :D

 

He is also expexcted to play in Mexico, Brazil, Chile and i'm not sure about the rest. :)

 

 

Nothing is official yet though so fingures crossed

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/0dubai.jpg

 

Robe and HSL Light Robbie Williams in Dubai 27-04-2006

Robbie Williams played Dubai’s largest to date at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai in front of 23,000 fans.

 

 

Robbie Williams played Dubai’s largest to date at the Nad Al Sheba Racecourse in Dubai in front of 23,000 wildly enthusiastic music fans, who were also responsible for making it the fastest selling out show ever in the United Arab Emirates.

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai1.jpg

 

 

The entire production lighting rig, including 150 Robe moving lights, 60 points of rigging and all necessary power distribution was supplied by UK-based HSL. They air freighted 36 tonnes of equipment - with the help of Mapcargo - from their Blackburn base to Dubai, to meet the specification for Al Gurdon’s spectacular design.

 

The lighting deal was put together by Robbie Williams’ production manager Wob Roberts, local production manager Peter Loh working for Midas Promotions and Robe Show Lighting’s International Sales Manager, Harry von den Stemmen.

 

Sourcing enough lighting equipment locally for the show was proving challenging and costly. Von Den Stemmen was simultaneously alerted to an opportunity by both Tony Sawyer of V.V. & Sons, Robe’s UAE distributor, and Louis Teo of Lighting & Sound Singapore where Loh is based. He immediately went to HSL, one of the UK’s fastest growing lighting rental companies with a large inventory of Robe moving lights - where MD Simon Stuart jumped at the chance of quoting to service the Robbie Williams show.

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai2.jpg

 

 

 

Stuart comments, “The show was awesome! I’m extremely proud of the fact that we have worked alongside one of the best live production teams in the world and helped them produce such a great resultâ€Â. The show – artistically directed by Lee Lodge – amazed and enthralled everyone present with its high production values and characteristically superlative performance by Robbie.

 

HSL’s crew chief and project manager was Mike Oates, who worked alongside hand picked crew of 9 HSL A-Team regulars. On site they liaised closely with Robbie Williams’ lighting crew chief Mark “Marky Mark†England, lighting director and show operator Richard Gorrod, site co-ordinator Tom Armstrong, Wob Roberts and Al Gurdon. Oates comments, “It was an absolutely brilliant experience and a great exercise in teamwork and good communicationâ€Â.

 

Moving lights were absolutely integral to the lighting design. The rig was based around 8 structural ‘ribs’ – tall, hinged architectural set pieces originating from the “Intensive Care†album launch show at Berlin Veldorome in October, arranged in a gentle upstage curve. Designed by set designer Ray Winkler and constructed by Brilliant, each is edged with 288 Saco LED lights, and they also contain 48 Turbo Fuzz Lights that travel as part of the set.

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai3.jpg

 

Forty Eight Robe ColorSpot 1200AT fixtures – 6 per rib, were then added, along with 5 strobes per rib.

 

On the floor were 10 ColorWash 1200ATs sitting on the risers in between the ribs, with eight right behind the ribs, sitting on cases and shining through them. More ColorWash 1200ATs were used to up-light the set drape.

 

Rigged onto the sides of the offstage PA towers were five Robe ColorSpot 1200ATs and five Moles, with another 5 blinders on the onstage PA towers.

 

On a horseshoe shaped rear truss that followed the line of the ribs were another 16 ColorWash 1200ATs, plus four rigged above the central LED screen. Another two per side were hung off two individual front trusses, together with 3 Moles a side.

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai4.jpg

 

Under the set grill were twenty-four Robe ColorSpot 575ATs - their smaller size making them ideal for the space - shining upwards through the grills, along with strobes and 8-lites. On the catwalk thrust around the floor were 60 Birdies, along with an additional 24 PARs, also utilised as up-lighters through the grills.

 

The moving lights were used for a whole variety of effects from tight pencil beam matrix patterns to colourful washes to the creation of enveloping walls of colour, and also for profiling Robbie in the moodier moments.

 

HSL supplied the six Robert Juliat Manon onstage follow Spots, with the four FOH ones sourced locally from rental company Nemesis.

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai5.jpg

 

Richard Gorrod operated all the lights plus an EX1 digital media server from his Virtuoso console which tours with them. He commented “HSL have been fantastic, nothing has been too much trouble and the kit has been meticulously well preparedâ€Â. Oates adds, “The Robes were absolutely brilliant – they were transported half way round the world, came out of their crates and all worked first time. There’s really not many other fixtures as reliable as this!â€Â.

 

The biggest challenge for everyone on site in Dubai was the short timescale in which they had to build the technical infrastructure. However this also galvanised everyone into action, firing up the “show must go on†spirit across all departments, who worked seamlessly together through some very long days and nights.

 

The Dubai show was part of a series of 4 ‘warm ups’ by Robbie Williams (preceded by three shows in South Africa), all ahead of his massive European summer stadium tour that kicks off in June. This streamlined ‘rest of the world’ rig (bigger than a lot of people’s ‘A’ rigs) as seen in Dubai and South Africa, will be used for shows in Asia and other territories in the autumn.

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai6.jpg

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai7.jpg

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/dubai8.jpg

 

http://www.zioshow.com/images/db/news/0dubai.jpg

 

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