Robbie Williams News: News

FOR a man used to entertaining 50,000 fans at a time, Robbie Williams proved extremely shy during his low-key arrival in Brisbane yesterday.
Williams, who will play two concerts at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium tomorrow and Thursday nights, was whisked away from his private charter plane in a convoy that included two tinted Mercedes and four Toyota Taragos.

Crowds at the concert will be closely watched by police armed with new laws targeting scalpers and dishonest fans. Queensland Sports Minister Andrew Fraser yesterday said “eagle-eyed” promoters and organisers would back up efforts to enforce the laws, which make it illegal to buy and sell tickets at inflated prices.

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Dwarfed by 360 tonnes of equipment and facing a sea of more than 50,000 fans, British superstar Robbie Williams performed the first of two Sydney concerts at Aussie Stadium last night. The high-tech, blue-and-yellow stage set ran the width of the stadium’s northern end, flanked by two giant video screens. Dressed in a dark jacket with green trim, jeans and a green scarf, Williams opened the show with Radio, his synth-pop hit from 2004. The set list also included RockDJ, Millennium, Sin Sin Sin and Monsoon. The LA-based Williams won over the crowd by saying that if he was ever “thrown out” of America, he would relocate to Australia. As at last Saturday’s Homebake Festival, police usedsniffer dogs to search members of the crowd. Last month, Williams cancelled a raft of Asian shows because of exhaustion, but he kept his promise to front in Australia.

P. Holmes / news.com.au

FIREWORKS heralded the biggest concert in Perth’s history and the start of Robbie Williams’ highly anticipated Close Encounters Australian tour. The atmosphere at Subiaco Oval was palpable as about 40,000 fans jostled for that all-important first glimpse of pop superstar Robbie Williams. Flames shot into the air as the enormous arrangement of semi-circular screens started a digital countdown. Voices of 40-somethings joined the 14-year-olds. Men’s baritones joined in with more high-pitched counting.

Rising from the ground amid streams of vertical smoke – and decked out in a black jacket, jeans, a blue scarf and Terminator-like shades – was Robbie Williams. The screams were deafening. “Radio” heralded the arrival. Stopping a moment to bask in the adoration, Williams soon got down to business – skipping around the stage and intermittently singing along with his backing singers. Singing took a backseat to the necessary posturing and posing. This is what the crowds came to see. Williams immediately acquainted himself with the cameras, which tracked his every move. Looking straight into the lens, his face beamed around Subiaco Oval on the massive screens, Williams intimately told 40,000 people, “I love you”.

“Good evening everybody,” he bellowed. “I am Robbie Williams and this is my show.” And what a show it was. In the style of an old variety performance or a Vegas stage show, Williams took on the role of entertainer. He danced, joked, parodied, pranced and teased the audience. Singing was not his priority and why should it be? It was almost unnecessary as backing tracks and back-up singers took care of the particulars. Williams’ priority was to take care of the crowd – and he certainly did that. Visually, the show was spectacular. Shaped like a massive horseshoe, the amazing stage had enough lights to power a small town. No expense was spared with dazzling light shows, fireworks, smoke, flames and lasers.

Amid that shiny setting, Williams was like a diamond in the rough. A scruffy scoundrel with an often dirty mouth and cheeky smile. The kind of man every woman wants to save from himself and every man (and oh yes there were quite a few) wishes he could be. A cross between a swaggering Mick Jagger and Jack Nicholson in The Shining, Williams often looked manic and demented, but as quickly turned earnest and endearing, showing an uncanny knack to mesmerise a stadium full of people. In a recent interview, Williams said who he was on stage was not who he was in real life. “I am basically doing an impression of what I think a rock star or pop star is.” While he does it well, it is Williams that is lying just below the surface, the one that appeared when he was moved almost to tears at the end of “Angels”, the Williams we get glimpses of when he stops hamming it up, that truly intrigues.

But this was a show, a dazzling, bewildering stage show and as the captain of the ship, Williams simply must be larger than life. While watching The Rocky Horror Picture Show recently, Williams discovered his theatrical on-stage persona had more than a little in common with the film’s Frank N. Furter. “The walk, the singing, the facial expressions – it’s uncanny,” he said. Indeed it was.

Williams played it up to full effect during “Tripping”, while “Monsoon” proved a crowd-uniting moment with arms waving side to side. Often stopping for lengthy chats with the audience, Williams, the eternal playboy, lamented the lack of visitors at his hotel. “There is nobody there,” he said. “NOBODY”. No doubt that will change. He also asked why there were no old people in Perth. “I haven’t seen any old people. What have you done with them?” He baited the audience with: “I do believe Kylie arrived in town today”, but hopes that she would appear for a duet on show-closer “Kids” proved fruitless. As he introduced new song “Love Light”, Williams joked: “Don’t worry, it’s not Rudebox”. Good-naturedly acknowledging the widespread panning of his recent single. He saved that for the encore.

English television presenter, actor and musician Jonathan Wilkes joined Williams for the duet they recorded for Robbie’s Swing When You Are Winning album, “Me and My Shadow”. Wilkes stuck around to ham it up on a hilarious rendition of The BeeGees’ hit “Stayin’ Alive” and “Strong”. Together the pair were like a madcap comedy duo, tripping over each other, joking and jostling.

The only hint that Williams was tired came when he told the crowd: “We are going to do a strong called…” “Did I really say that? I’m f**king jet-lagged.” Williams gave a nod to his boy band days with a version of “Back For Good” by Take That. It was followed by “Advertising Space”, “Come Undone” and “Feel”. “I’m not sure I understand,” Williams said over and over before bidding the audience goodnight. The encore kicked off with the blazing “Let Me Entertain You”. Fireworks shot into the sky and everywhere people were on their feet, clapping and dancing along, as Williams, now decked out in an Adidas tracksuit top, ran around the stage. Rudebox was next, followed by showstopper “Angels”. Williams was visibly moved by the sing-along and resounding applause.

Then with “Kids” it was all over. Williams thanking the crowd profusely. And again it was there. That touch of humility and that slightly melancholic air. The little boy lost on his multimillion-\dollar stage.

news.com.au / PerthNow

(more pictures from Perth are here)

The man behind Oasis’s early success, Alan McGee, has launched an attack on the prince of Brit-pop, Robbie Williams. McGee, who founded the indie record label Creation Records back in 1983, claims the Robster is a “crime against music”. Speaking to BBC 6 Music, McGee says he cannot understand why Robbie Williams is so popular.

The former Take That singer who left the band in 1995 has seen his pop career blossom becoming arguably the UK’s biggest artist at this time with total estimated record sales of somewhere in the region of 60 million units. Although Robbie has enjoyed huge success in the UK and Europe he has yet to crack the lucrative US market despite several attempts.

The Former Oasis manager, McGee, believes the Stoke-born singer is destroying the British record industry. He goes on to claim artists like George Michael and Sir Elton John are brilliant, world-class talents whilst Robbie is a “showbiz chancer” and has “one percent of Mick Jagger’s talent. Elton John has been quoted recently as saying Robbie is the “number 1 star in the world right now”.

music3w.com

Robbie Williams is next year’s hottest calendar pin-up – despite disappointing sales of his most recent album. The singer, 32, is Britain’s official calendar stud with the biggest sales so far for 2007. Kylie Minogue, 38, reigns at the top of the girls’ calendar list – outselling the likes of Girls Aloud and glamour model Keeley. The top tens are based on sales so far for Danilo, Europe’s biggest official calendar company. Sci-fi show Dr Who takes takes second place in the overall calendar chart, following the smash-hit success of the BBC remake.

Take That make a return to the top 10 after the band reformed without Robbie. Sir Cliff Richard, who has been in the top 10 for the last 20 years, has rocketed up two places to fourth place. Wayne Rooney and the England football team fail to make the list of favourite sports calendars but Frank Lampard is a newcomer in eighth place.

Overall 2007 Calendars (sales so far):
1 Robbie Williams
2 Dr Who
3 World Wrestling Entertainment
4 Sir Cliff Richard
5 The Simpsons
6 Kylie Minogue
7 Pirates of The Caribbean
8 Westlife
9 Take That
10 Girls Aloud

thisislondon.co.uk

The West Australian understands the British megastar will arrive on a chartered flight and stay at the Hyatt Regency Hotel before two concerts at Subiaco Oval on Thursday and Friday nights for 90,000 fans.

The Australian leg of his Close Encounters World Tour has sold more than 470,000 tickets for nine stadium shows, smashing the attendance and gross revenue records of Madonna’s Girlie Show Tour of 1993. Promoter Michael Chugg said no artist had almost filled Subiaco Oval twice on the same tour — until now. “I knew it was going to be big because the guy is an unbelievable entertainer,” he said. “His audience is five to 70 (years of age).” The tour will be Williams’ third to Australia. His first in 2001 included a gig at the Perth Entertainment Centre and he played stadiums on the east coast in 2003.

During his last WA visit, the sports-mad star played three games of indoor soccer against local players and enjoyed a cruise on the Swan River. Mr Chugg said demand was so strong Williams could have sold out two more shows in Sydney and one in Melbourne. The stage for this tour takes 77 trucks to transport around the country and is three times the size of that used by grunge legends Pearl Jam at the same venue last Saturday night. Tickets are still available for both nights.thewest.com.au

The international pop star, who was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans, drove off in an entourage of three cars which was escorted out of the airport by security vehicles. Williams will kick off the biggest tour this country has seen on Thursday night at Subiaco Oval. The West Australian understands Williams will stay at the Hyatt Regency Hotel before his two concerts on Thursday and Friday nights for 90,000 fans. The Australian leg of his Close Encounters World Tour has sold more than 470,000 tickets for nine stadium shows, smashing the attendance and gross revenue records of Madonna’s Girlie Show Tour of 1993.

Promoter Michael Chugg said no artist had almost filled Subiaco Oval twice on the same tour — until now. “I knew it was going to be big because the guy is an unbelievable entertainer,” he said. “His audience is five to 70 (years of age).” The tour will be Williams’ third to Australia. His first in 2001 included a gig at the Perth Entertainment Centre and he played stadiums on the east coast in 2003. During his last WA visit, the sports-mad star played three games of indoor soccer against local players and enjoyed a cruise on the Swan River. Mr Chugg said demand was so strong Williams could have sold out two more shows in Sydney and one in Melbourne. The stage for this tour takes 77 trucks to transport around the country and is three times the size of that used by grunge legends Pearl Jam at the same venue last Saturday night. Tickets are still available for both nights.

S. Collins and S. Riley, thewest.com.au

New York (eCanadaNow) – Kylie Minogue has uninvited Robbie Williams to join her family for Christmas – because he has a crush on her.

Kylie’s French actor boyfriend Olivier Martinez is said to be furious with the ‘Rudebox’ singer for confessing he has been attracted his long-term girlfriend for the last 20 years.

To avoid any arguments Kylie has decided to politely withdraw the invite.
Kylie – who struck up a friendship with Robbie when they duetted on hit single ‘Kids’ in 2000 – made the festive gesture when she discovered Robbie, 32, would be in her hometown of Melbourne for the last show of his world tour on December 18.

A source told Britain’s Daily Star newspaper: “Kylie and Robbie are good friends and she hated the idea of him being alone over Christmas, when she lives so close. So she asked him to come to her family home for the day.
“But now she’s told Robbie that Olivier might feel a little awkward in his presence. So Rob has agreed to find another Shelia to spend Christmas with.”

Although Robbie recently confessed to having a crush on Kylie, 38, since she starred in Australian soap ‘Neighbours’, he conceded Olivier, 40 – who nursed the singer through her breast cancer battle – was tough competition.
The ‘Angles’ singer said: “I’ve fancied Kylie ever since she was on ‘Neighbours’, but as a singer, I fancy her even more.

“But she’s got that Olivier Martinez guy. I won’t get a look in unless she ditches him. He’s French and good-looking. Isn’t life a b***h?”

ecanadanow.com

Noel Gallagher is convinced British pop star Robbie Williams will kill himself, and the Oasis guitarist would happily load the gun for his long-time rival.

The Wonderwall guitarist has no sympathy for Angels singer Williams, who he believes will turn to suicide because of his battles with depression. He says: “I’d put the bullet in the gun as he’s eventually going to do it himself as he is a grossly unhappy person.”

breakingnews.iol.ie

Aye, Mr Williams is to display some of his work at the city’s Wales Millennium Centre – you know, the place near where all those aliens are imprisoned on BBC 3. Exactly when, we’re not sure… let me check right now. Okay, so I can’t find any information here, ‘here’ being the centre’s website. Silly me? Probably. But to the art: word is that Robbie’s pieces are indebted to Andy Warhol, in so much as they’re colourful, and will be on sale for just under three grand each. Yeeouch! Says a somebody about this exhibition:

“Robbie’s a real artist – both in his music and his pictures. We wanted to bring art into the 21st century and make it interesting for younger people. Robbie’s perfect for that. We want people to see that art is for everyone. It’s fun, and not just about names like Picasso.” A name like Picasso? It’s a car!

Mike Diver / drownedinsound.com