By Rebecca Peppiatt
In Perth for two winery shows, on Thursday night Robbie Williams proved he still has what it takes to grab attention ... and stop traffic.
The former Take That singer played to a sell-out audience at Nikola Estate Winery but woefully inadequate parking meant many nearly missed the whole thing.
Mellen Events presents Robbie Williams at Nikola Estate, November, 2023.Credit: Duncan Barnes
Traffic banked up along Roe Highway for hours and even those that opted to take one of the many available buses to the Middle Swan venue instead of driving, by 9pm were told to get off and walk.
Many were forced to walk kilometres through the darkness, some crossing paddocks to get to the gig.
Leaving the venue was worse, with cars unable to move from their parking spots for hours after Williams finished his show.
Fans have flooded social media to complain about the traffic management and raise concerns about safety.
One woman who runs a charter service said she arrived at the booked time of 10.30pm to pick up her clients.
“Having done a few concert drop-offs and pickups, I expect some delays, but this was next level. I did not get back out onto Great Northern Highway until 1am, minus my people, as they were unable to find me in the chaos of it all and chose to get in a taxi.
“My main concern is if there was a fire or some other emergency situation.”
Mellen Events released a statement on Friday morning apologising.
“Regarding the traffic issues experienced at last night’s Robbie Williams concert, we share your disappointment and frustration,” it read.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this caused; we acknowledge the traffic delays that people experienced were extremely inconvenient. We are currently working with the venue and the venue’s traffic management team to mitigate this for tonight’s show. For all those attending tonight’s show, we still recommend coming as early as you can. Please keep an eye on our communication channels for any updates.”
Premier Roger Cook said it was important promoters understood what traffic management challenges were ahead of them when putting on big events.
“Everyone knows that going to an outdoor concert in the Swan Valley is one of the great summertime evening activities, but we also know that many of the road systems in the Swan Valley are a bit challenged, particularly when you have large crowds wanting to move at a single moment,” he said.
“It’s important that any concert promoter or concert organiser work with the City of Swan to understand what the traffic management challenges will be.
“We know many international stars love coming to Western Australia to perform here, because it’s a great opportunity.
“And they get to perform in great venues such as the Swan Valley, so we want to continue to make it attractive for them. Obviously there was inconvenience for concertgoers last night and we want concert organisers and the City of Swan to work together on better solutions.”
Williams is back at Nikola Estate Winery on Friday night for the last of his Perth concerts.
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