Alright, I may be stretching the ‘rock’ part here with Mr Williams. Apart from his song ‘Rock DJ’ and a mention of Kiss (without the make up) in ‘Strong’, the ex Take That man isn’t exactly known for his hard rock credentials. However, I was persuaded along by my son with the promise of a great live show, and you know what, he was proved to be spot on!

First up we had a few Techno beats from Lufthaus which was as bad as it sounds. The duo plus laptop are only really notable for the fact that they are joined on record by Robbie Williams on vocals for a few songs, other than that they are a one dimensional dance act with not much going for them.

It was telling that they had to keep name dropping Robbie to get any response from the crowd and whilst a cover of The Proclaimers ‘500 Miles’, complete with a pumping backbeat, did grab the crowd’s interest, it was not enough to save the set. A cover of the Steps classic ‘Better, Best Forgotten’ may have been more apt.

By the time Lufthaus finally vacated the stage the Hydro was rammed, and the anticipation was high whilst I stood rather bemused wondering what the hell I had just witnessed! That feeling was soon washed away though when the lights dimmed and The Robbie Williams Show kicked into life.

Say what you like about his music or his personality, fact is he puts on one hell of a show! The staging was the best I have seen since Kiss graced the same venue a few years back on their farewell tour. Huge video screens across and above the stage were used to great effect and the light show was just as spectacular.

Opener ‘Hey Wow Yeah Yeah’ found Robbie caged and in silhouette at the rear of the stage before making his grand entrance resplendent in a suit of gold. There was nothing subtle here and the emphasis was on entertainment with a capital E. Fitting then that ‘Let Me Entertain You’ was up next complete with a full horn section, dancing girls and a capacity crowd singing along at full volume.

The rapid fire delivery then continued with a cover of ‘Land Of A Thousand Dances’ with more set piece choreography and a band well into their swing. Robbie was using every inch of the stage, including the long runway into the crowd, to ensure he was covering the whole hall which was no mean feat given the size of the venue.

This tour is in celebration of Robbie’s 25 years as a solo artist and the evening involved him telling his warts and all story as the set progressed. Part greatest showman, part stand up comedian, there were some genuinely laugh out loud moments as he spoke of his time in Take That and told tales of his years of excess.

The music though was top notch throughout with his band more than capable of blasting out the hits of which there were many. Long time guitarist Gary Nuttall made sure there was plenty of rocking guitar in the mix with a few impressive solo’s thrown in across the set.

The setlist was a greatest hits mix with the odd cover thrown in. A rocking cover version of ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ was one of the set highlights and again the Hydro crowd were deafening on backing vocals. His Take That years were represented in the mid section with ‘The Flood’ providing a visual feast with the stage video screens enveloping the stage in waves and stormy seas.

We were now in the latter half of the set and the big hitters kept coming. You may not like Robbie’s musical style, but by this point in the proceedings I would doubt even his harshest critic could fail to be impressed by the musicianship on show or his ability to command a crowd.

‘Kids’ found him sharing vocals with his backing singers in place of Miss Minogue and ‘Rock DJ’ brought the main set to an end in suitably rocking style, complete with another visual extravaganza on the video screens.

After a brief pause Robbie returned to the stage in a black smoking jacket for the James Bond inspired ‘No Regrets’ before selecting a woman in the audience to be the subject of ‘She’s The One’. Robbie joked that as she was 25 he was old enough to be her father and halfway through the song started to sing it to her mother instead as it felt wrong!

Only one song could close the set and at the opening bars of ‘Angels’ a huge cheer went up, mobile phone torches were held aloft and the Hydro choir raised the roof one more time. Robbie stated several times throughout the show how much he loved Scotland and tonight a capacity crowd showed the feeling was mutual.

Taking well earned bows the band left the stage leaving Robbie to bask in the glory and he couldn’t resist another few singalong choruses before he left the stage with the crowd more than happy to oblige.

So, was it rock? Nah, not in the classic sense, but it was certainly rocking and a show of epic proportions. Robbie Williams is a true entertainer, and I was genuinely surprised how good this show was. Would I go back for more? Damn right I would, and if that shatters any street cred I had left then so be it.

‘Let Me Entertain You’, oh, go on then…

Review and photos by Dave Wilson (with no hint of shame!)

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio

David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 7 April 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 2 April 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 15 April 2024

ENMY The Ledge (FiXT)
KAROBELA Get Hard (indie)
KATH & THE KICKS Neptune (indie)
THE BEE TELLERS River Poem (Black Sand Records)
LAUREN FREEBIRD Like A Bomb (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 15 April 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023
14:00-16:00 KATARINA PEJAK – Pearls On A String (Ruf Records)

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