FROM the moment he descended on to the stage upside down like a bat, you knew the King had returned to his homeland.

ROBBIE WILLIAMS’ brilliant opening at Knebworth last night saw scenes not witnessed in this country since The Beatles.

Around 135,000 devoted fans crammed into the grounds of the historic Hertfordshire venue to see their rock hero.




And when he announced: “I’m Robbie Williams, this is my band and this is the greatest show in the world,” you couldn’t help but believe him.

Kicking off with the frenzied Let Me Entertain You, he made the mammoth crowd his own.

Before blasting into Let Love Be Your Energy, he said: “After this weekend, British music will never be the same again.” Too right.




Although the skies were overcast, Robbie’s power seemed to bring light to the proceedings. This was what this huge crowd had waited hours for — and they were clearly not disappointed.

Seamlessly, Robbie went into new tracks Feel, Come Undone, Monsoon and Monkey, occasionally showing nerves but gaining confidence with each number.


Not disappointed ... huge crowd

Yet all the time he seemed stunned and amazed that so many people had bothered to turn up to see him.

In fact, tens of thousands of them had arrived as early as 11am in readiness for the gig. And when the star of the show arrived three hours before kick-off in his private helicopter with its famous RW logo, he was greeted by a crescendo of welcoming screams.

Robbie waved to his fans briefly before being whisked backstage. Later he repaid their loyalty with a set of his classics.

She’s The One and Strong were particularly resonant with a crowd predominately made up of twenty to thirty-somethings.


The highlight of the night was, as expected, Angels — a song almost as famous as Robbie himself.

Many couples moved that bit closer to each other but such sentimentality seemed somehow acceptable in the setting.

Robbie is a very odd modern British phenomenon. It’s almost as if he belongs in a different decade.

At times on stage he’s Frank Sinatra and the next moment he’s working the crowd like Freddie Mercury, before settling back into his cheeky and familiar Norman Wisdom routine.

What is significant in the Robbie Williams story is just how far he has come as a performer.

The Knebworth experience is a big step for the young lad who used to sing in his mum’s pub.

Many British musical legends have played this fabled venue before him — MICK JAGGER, ROBERT PLANT, MERCURY even the GALLAGHERS and Robbie’s performance will be compared to theirs.

Perhaps you’re reading this on a packed train from King’s Cross to Stevenage or even stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of the Hertfordshire countryside on your way to Robbie’s second night tonight.

Don’t worry, it’s worth all the hassle. It may not be the most polished performance you’ll ever see but you will feel like you are part of British music history.

The boy from Stoke has shed the “Fat Dancer In Take That” tag once and for all and can now walk tall with this country’s music aristocracy.

Last night the genius that is Robbie Williams confirmed his status as our No1 superstar. Cheeky? Yes. Spontaneous? Certainly. A superstar? Without doubt.