Before he came on -they played a slow version of Rocket -it's really beautiful ❤️

7 hours ago, Laura130262 said:

Before he came on -they played a slow version of Rocket -it's really beautiful ❤️

Hope it makes the album Laura, maybe a bonus track on the de-luxe edition

❤️❤️❤️

Source Stories • Instagram

Edited June 9Jun 9 by Sydney11

Old Before I Die ❤️

Video thanks to https://www.youtube.com/@martinbrewer6317

Masculinity, mental health, cat food – Robbie Williams’s comeback has it all

Lauren O'Neill

He’s still perfectly capable of putting his foot in his mouth, but the more he reveals of himself the more we seem to love him. Welcome to the Robnaissance

Masculinity, mental health, cat food – Robbie Williams’s comeback has it all | Lauren O'Neill | The Guardian

Few facts feel more perfect than this: Robbie Williams’s current stadium and arena tour is sponsored by a cat food. Yes, the Britpop

tour, promoting Williams’s upcoming album of the same title, is brought to us by Felix (he joins the brand’s feline mascot in a new campaign). The show has just spent two nights in residence at London’s Emirates Stadium, having previously stopped off in Edinburgh. It will also see dates in Manchester, Bath, Newcastle and Dublin, as well as other cities in Europe, many of which are sold out.

I mention the cat food thing because it feels pretty intrinsic to Williams’s popular persona, and how he’s perceived right now. It is, by anyone’s standards, entirely camp in that particularly British, “hun culture” type of way, where glamour goes hand in hand with ordinariness – and that’s exactly where Robbie’s appeal lies in 2025, as he experiences what appears to be a cultural comeback.

Indeed, over the past year or so, and particularly over the past six months, Williams has experienced a resurgence, something he himself acknowledges: “Robbie Williams,” he laughed on stage on Friday night. “Back in stadiums, eh?”

That’s not the only bit of evidence, however. He’s rumoured to be playing a secret slot at this year’s Glastonbury; he was recently honoured with the PRS for Music Icon award at the Ivors; and while his biopic Better Man was commercially unsuccessful, it went down pretty well with critics, who praised it for its candour about class and addiction. Williams shows up on cosy TV shows such as Michael McIntyre’s The Wheel, not to mention the cat food adverts, but he’s also found an audience with generation Z, as the subject of social media posts featuring archive photos of 90s and 00s fashion and celebrity culture. His appeal in 2025 has become widespread; his music still endures (play Angels in any pub in Britain and it’ll have the same effect as telling everyone there’s a free bar). You could, then, call it a bit of a Robnaissance.

This is all happening because Williams occupies a unique position. He’s a charisma machine who regularly plays in front of thousands, but he’ll also happily divulge to his crowds that he’s – and I quote – “knackered” after playing certain songs, and exchanges concerns about erectile dysfunction with a lip-fillered, AI version of his future self in a between-songs bit. If someone from a younger, more self-serious generation – Sam Fender, Harry Styles – were being sponsored by Pedigree Chum it would probably raise a few eyebrows, but for Williams, stuff like the Felix partnership is entirely on brand. The first person, after all, to nudge and wink at Robbie is Robbie.

There is a whole section in his show about how he no longer cares for being cool, while dressed in a hot pink suit. On stage, he delightedly acknowledges that his audience is primarily made up of middle-aged mums – “and I love it!” He speaks candidly about his poor mental health on Instagram. Interestingly and marvellously, it’s in this total abandon that his star is rising again.

And this could, it should be acknowledged, very easily not have happened. For a while, he wasn’t well received by the public – a video of him singing as his wife Ayda Field gave birth to their child went down online like a ton of bricks, as did a gag where he used hand sanitiser after touching hands with a New Year’s Eve audience on TV. It was only in 2022 that he was widely criticised for performing in Qatar at the football World Cup, responding to the feedback thus: “If we’re not condoning human rights abuses anywhere, then it would be the shortest tour the world has ever known: I wouldn’t even be able to perform in my own kitchen.”

Since then, however, the tide has turned. Williams has publicly shown his softer side again. A 2023 Netflix documentary about his life saw him reviewing photos and footage on his laptop, in bed in his underwear. There’s also the aforementioned mental health chat online, and, of course, Better Man was further insight into his struggles at the hands of the press and the music industry. Broadly, the vulnerability that he has always embraced in his music (“I don’t wanna die, but I ain’t keen on living either”) has become more and more in vogue for men and male celebrities, in response to the frightening versions of masculinity spawning online. It seems that the mainstream masculinity of the day has caught up with the man who openly sang in 2002: “If you don’t need me, I don’t exist.”

Williams will probably always have the ability to put his foot in his mouth spectacularly. But the more he reveals of himself, the more he cements his place as a unique and – let’s face it – unparalleled British performer. There is nobody who does what he does, nobody with his legacy or catalogue, nobody who straddles cool and uncool in quite the same way that Brits love so much.

From where I am standing, then, Williams’s popularity in the current moment is deserved and hard won, for a performer who has the type of gift you cannot teach. When he emerged on stage in front of 60,000 people on Friday night, he introduced himself simply: “I’m Robbie Williams. This is my band, this is my arse.” He also told us: “I want to be the king of entertainment.” And at this point, you do have to ask: who else could it be? This is his Robnaissance – we’re just living in it.

• Masculinity, mental health, cat food – Robbie Williams’s comeback has it all | Lauren O'Neill | The Guardian
  

Robbie Williams live at Emirates Stadium: all hail the king of entertainment

Robbie does everything in his power to give the crowd the best night of their lives.

Artists: Robbie Williams +

Published: June 9, 2025|By Ali Shutler

Photography by Frances Beach

Robbie Williams wants to be known as the king of entertainment. “Life is tough; the world’s gone mad. We need a place to come together to have a shared experience,” he explains at the start of his second headline gig at London’s Emirates Stadium. The entire show, he continues, is his love letter to entertainment. “So forget about being cool and just commit.”

For the next 100 minutes, Robbie does everything in his power to give the crowd the best night of their lives. Early outings for the rowdy ‘Let Me Entertain You’ and the boisterous ‘Rock DJ’ set the tone, while a medley of stadium-sized hits from Foo Fighters, Blur, The White Stripes and Bon Jovi turn the venue into the biggest rock disco around.

There’s no sign of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi for new single ‘Rocket’, the only track from upcoming album ‘Britpop’ that makes the set, but he’s joined by The Lottery Winners’ vocalist Thom Rylance and Lulu for a searing ‘Relight My Fire’ and there’s some serious dad dancing when Wiley, Lethal Bizzle and Scorcho perform their collaborative track ‘Can’t Touch This’. Yes, Robbie raps as well. There are also AI skits with past and future versions of himself alongside jokes about his turbulent history and the size of his penis.

The whole thing would feel cheesy if not for Williams’ charismatic blend of bravado and self-awareness. “You better be good because I’m phenomenal,” he smirks at one point. “Embrace your cringe,” he encourages a little later. And for the first half of the show, Emirates Stadium is treated to an over-the-top run-through of some of the finest pop songs ever written, with Robbie, the cartoonish all-singing, all-dancing ringmaster.

Later, though, he admits to the crowd that before heading out on his first stadium run since 2017, he got incredibly anxious and still doubts his relevance. He also reveals that his parents now have Parkinson’s and dementia, which makes him worried about his own future. It leads to an emotionally charged rendition of ‘My Way’ that’s both defiant and gut-wrenching. The prickling, heartfelt energy continues through the soaring ‘Feel’ and tender karaoke classic ‘Angels’.

Before Robbie takes to the stage, a video talks about the death of traditional entertainment due to the rise of social media and artificial intelligence. It’s not just an easy set-up for a nostalgic run-through of the greatest hits, though, with the same video talking about the irreplaceable human element as singers, dancers, and musicians prowl the stage. They’re a consistent presence throughout the night, giving tracks such as ‘Millennium’, ‘Kids’ and ‘Strong’ a snarling energy. Then there’s Robbie, the rebellious, desperate showman who’s at his most powerful when he’s vulnerable about what these timeless classics now mean to him. It’s a bold move, considering a lot of Britpop Summer is being championed by bands hoping to relive their glory days, but it makes for a smart, silly show with a lot of heart. It’s been 34 years since Take That’s debut single, but there’s still no one else who wears the crown quite like Robbie Williams. All hail the king of entertainment.

Robbie Williams live at Emirates Stadium: all hail the king of entertainment - Dork

Edited June 9Jun 9 by Sydney11

Robaissance :-) hope so

Robbie Williams live in London: Good old fashioned entertainment fills a stadium

It's bonkers, bizarre and it doesn't all make sense. But you can't fault Robbie's commitment to old fashioned entertainment.

Robbie Williams (Picture: Jason Hetherington)

“My dream is to become the greatest entertainer on the planet… the king of entertainment,” says Robbie Williams as he greets the Emirates Stadium crowd while wearing a silver spacesuit.

It’s a fitting mantra for the man who has always occupied one of the most curious spaces in British pop history. On one hand is the man with his place cemented in UK pop history after flogging 75 million albums and enough awards to fill his LA mansion. On the other is the man who, at various points during tonight’s show, speaks to an AI rendering of his younger and older self and belts out a cover of Dennis Waterman’s Minder theme tune. It’s unpredictable, unrepentantly wild and definitely entertainment.

It begins with the moment when Robbie enters in the aforementioned space suit and goes straight into his new 70s flecked single ‘Rocket’, before a customary run-through of ‘Let Me Entertain You’ gets the entire stadium pogoing. As for that entertainment, it’s abundantly clear when he begins a lightning speed medley of Foo Fighters, Blur, Bon Jovi and The White Stripes. It’s unhinged, but he’s only too aware of the silliness. “You need to forget about being cool and just commit,” he posits.

To his credit, he completely commits. Whether that’s commanding the crowd while wearing a coat that resembled a giant pink loofah or bringing out Lulu for ‘Relight My Fire’, it’s a complete carnival of madness that rarely gives you time to take in one moment before the next arrives.

Among the strangest is with the chat with an AI rendering of a young Robbie (cue jokes about his hedonistic past) and then an older Robbie too (cue some end-of-the-pier jokes about erectile dysfunction). There’s also the moment when he inexplicably brings out Lethal Bizzle to perform his recent track ‘Can’t Touch This’, before Bizzle is joined by Wiley. The latter guest in particular seems an ill-advised choice, given that he was stripped of his MBE in 2020 after making a series of anti-semitic comments online and is yet to properly address his actions.

At the core of the show, though, is the same showmanship that has propelled Robbie to national treasure status over the last 30 years. He serenades a fan who has travelled from China during ‘She’s the One’ and spends large portions endearingly talking about how his family have saved his life. He ends the main portion of the set with ‘My Way’, which feels like the most appropriate of closers. Here was an artist offering a firm two fingers up to the idea of cool and resolutely dancing to the beat of their own entertainment-packed drum. The result, for the most part, is one of the most thrilling stadium shows of the year.

Robbie Williams live in London: Good old fashioned entertainment fills a stadium

Edited June 10Jun 10 by Sydney11

Forgot about when he sang the theme from Minder.

We loved it but it was lost on the two young ladies next to me 😀

Mind you -they knew who Lethal Bizzle were 😂

Forgot to say -I work with a lady who I found out Monday morning is a Robbie fan and was also at Saturday's gig. 😀

She's seen him a handful of times and declared the gig - one of, if not - THE best gig she's ever been to.

Good to hear that from fans and glad you have found another fan around you 😉

In Manchester Lucy Spraggan joined him on a scene yesterday. So, the tradition of the tour continues!

Very interesting what will be on European Leg.

6 hours ago, Laura130262 said:

Forgot to say -I work with a lady who I found out Monday morning is a Robbie fan and was also at Saturday's gig. 😀

She's seen him a handful of times and declared the gig - one of, if not - THE best gig she's ever been to.

Robbie fans lurk everywhere 😄

Manchester JUNE 10th

Referee Scott Bell

@RefSGB93

·

7h

Robbie Williams was bloody amazing !

LMEY Manchester JUNE 10th

Video thanks to https://www.youtube.com/@dreamriver5742

Nice close up of Something Beautiful performance from Manchester JUNE 1oth

Video thanks to https://www.youtube.com/@YoutubeConcertPro

Love My Life Manchester JUNE 10th

Video thanks to https://www.youtube.com/@YoutubeConcertPro

Robbie Williams brings surprise star guest out at Co-op Live gig in Manchester

Robbie said: "Show her the love she deserves" as he welcomed a special guest in Manchester

Dianne Bourne Lifestyle Editor

22:32, 10 Jun 2025

Robbie brought Lucy Spraggan out as a guest (Image: Manchester Evening News)

Pop superstar Robbie Williams surprised fans at the first of his two Manchester Co-op Live gigs by bringing out a surprise star guest.

Former Take That star Robbie is back in the city with his new Britpop Tour.

Earlier gigs on the tour have seen a string of surprise guests join Robbie on stage - including boyband Five in London.

He has also been welcoming surprise singers to perform the now-famous "Lulu bit" of Relight My Fire, including Lulu herself at one show, and former X Factor winner Michelle McManus on his opening night in Edinburgh.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

On Tuesday night in Manchester, it was another X Factor star who joined Robbie for Relight My Fire.

Article continues below

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Wearing a black leatherette suit, Lucy delighted the crowd singing along to the Take That chart-topper alongside Robbie.

The pals embraced at the end of the song, as Robbie said: "Show her the love she deserves."

Lucy appeared in The X Factor back in 2012 and has gone on to enjoy chart success as a solo artist.

Meanwhile The Lottery Winners frontman Thom had earlier hailed the gig "the best night of my life" after playing the support slot at the sold out Co-op Live arena. When he rejoined Robbie on stage during the "C stage" section of the show, the two singers bantered about what their double act would be called, settling on "The Balls".

Robbie Williams brings surprise star guest out at Co-op Live gig in Manchester - Manchester Evening News

nd of his two shows on Wednesday night.

Edited June 11Jun 11 by Sydney11