It's long way from being a fresh-faced pop star in a boy band to a fully-fledged, through-the-mill pop star in one's own right, but Robbie Williams has succeeded where others have failed. Through a combination of bare-faced cheek, lyrical honesty, a winning way with a melody and a burning talent that outshines quite a number of his competitors, you could say that this ego has landed with a bang.
Arriving on stage following a collage of mock symbolic theme tunes (Sinatra's That's Life, the very recognisable Pathe News intro, Star Wars), Robbie proceeded to charm the collective pants off the predominantly female audience. What he lacks in great pop songs (he has several, but that's all) he makes up for in abundant energy, prowling the stage like a well-oiled performer - utterly rhythmic, very cool, a bit of a brat.
Through a mixture of well-constructed pop ballads and fairly ordinary indie/pop music, Williams may have been going through the motions, but he did it so well it was almost impossible to see the cracks. Jokes about Irish pornography and Dustin the Turkey plus a few sharply-directed digs at Take That and failed romance (the latter whilst sitting on a mobile toilet) tempered the mood of the concert, which was undoubtedly among the most celebratory I've seen in years.
Ranging from stock-in-trade indie/pop (Lazy Days, Old Before I Die) to brilliantly anthemic tunes (Millennium), the gig ended with a stunning audience rendition of the big lighter song to end all big lighter songs - Angels. All Williams could do was show respect to a sold-out house that clearly adored him. All the crowd could do was pay tribute to a hugely entertaining, slightly risque, extremely engaging pop star. Minor cavils aside, you have to hand it to him - this was a triumph against the odds. Back for good? It certainly looks like it.
Tonight's Robbie Williams gig at the Point is sold-out.
