Is Robbie Williams the last great showman of modern pop music?

Robbie Williams’ latest Australian tour is back to back greatest hits, including a heartfelt tribute to his hero George Michael.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS
An Evening on the Green

Rochford Wines, Yarra Valley

ROBBIE Williams may well be the last great pop showman.

His charming mix of suave Rat Pack swinger, boy band-bred pop bad boy and vintage Vaudeville entertainer sets him apart in the modern musical landscape as a guaranteed great night out.

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He won’t stop until everyone’s enjoying themselves.

But it’s his self-deprecating sense of humour — in person and in his lyrics — that helps explain his wide appeal in Australia. Perhaps only Pink and now Ed Sheeran have such a wide mix of demographics at their concerts; that’s why between last night’s winery show, two Rod Laver Arena shows this Saturday and Sunday and a Geelong winery show next week, Williams will play to nearly 60,000 people in Victoria alone.

Robbie Williams at Rochford Wines. Picture: David Jackson/A Day On The Green

The jokes begin in the ‘National Anthem of Robbie’ that plays on the screen as he’s about to come on stage — taking the piss out of his time in rehab, being totally global “except in the USA” and his surprisingly young face after his 44th birthday last week.

A little greyer but a lot fitter and fresh-faced since his last visit in 2015, the Heavy Entertainment Show tour may be promoting his latest album, but the setlist features only two new songs — the title track opener (where he calls himself a mix of Barry Manilow and Eminem) and ballad Love Your Life, written for his two kids but sung for those belonging to the parents in the crowd.

Rather it’s a high-octane Greatest Hits show delivered by a man who displays no sign of a recent health scare that saw European gigs cancelled at the end of last year.

And not just his own (impressively long) string of hits. His very first single was a cover of George Michael’s Freedom 90 and it’s now back in his set as a very passionate tribute to his late hero. The lyrics mirror his own struggle to transition from boy band Take That (he still plays their own anthem about being in a pop group, Never Forget, complete with those overhead arm claps) to serious solo artist.

In case you wondered where Robbie got his moves from, once again his father Pete Conway joins him on stage — this time they sit on a couch and sing Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline together.

Robbie Williams played to nearly 12,000 people last night. Picture: David Jackson/A Day On The Green

Another key to Williams’ success — his broad musical scope, something that’s becoming a rarity in pop. He dips into his swing career with Minnie the Moocher and recruits a tipsy woman who’d had to much “lady petrol” to sing Somethin’ Stupid to. Then he’s defiantly added the divisive rap number Rudebox back to the set — also giving it one of the night’s biggest productions. Still doing it is his belated eff you to the people who called it commercial suicide when it was released.

Williams knows people come for the hits and they come at a relentless pace — his motto Let Me Entertain You plus Monsoon (with a dash of YMCA), Come Undone, Millennium, Kids, Feel, She’s the One, Rock DJ and, for local audiences, the Australian-only hit Better Man. (New Zealand had Kiwi-only hit from his second album Win Some Lose Some).

However Williams seems particularly energised and excited on this tour (he’s just had a few months off) and it’s still baffling that he openly admits he’s an introvert who only switches into extrovert mode as he walks on stage. It’s one of the most excellent ‘acts’ in pop.

Most of Williams’ ribald banter can’t be printed here, but he told the An Evening on the Green crowd he enjoys coming down under as Australians let me be a “stupid ballsy twat”.

Robbie Williams — “ballsy twat”. Picture: David Jackson/A Day On The Green

Robbie Williams busts a move. Picture: David Jackson/A Day On The Green

Yet that same “twat” manages to tap into serious emotions when he delivers the classic Angels.

If you were to nitpick, the setlist hasn’t changed too much from his last concert, bar a boxing theme and all new visuals to match his band’s incredible skills.

But like the superstar heroes in his DNA like Elton and George and Queen you’re fortunate enough to have so many trademark hits that people would feel cheated if they didn’t hear them the way they remember them. If it isn’t broke, why tweak it, just enjoy it. And massive, communal enjoyment remains Robbie Williams’ special gift.

Robbie Williams, Rod Laver Arena Saturday and Sunday. Qudos Bank Arena Sydney Wednesday, Thursday. A Day on the Green Mt Duneed Estate Geelong March 3, Adelaide 5000 March 4, Perth Arena March 7.

Originally published as Is Robbie Williams the last great showman of modern pop music?