Robbie Williams, Edinburgh review: 'relentlessly likeable'

Robbie Williams, Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh ★★★★

"Are my best days behind me?" asked Robbie Williams from the stage. "Am I still just the fat dancer from Take That?" It's been eight years since he last played this stadium, and although the several thousand people here clearly needed little reminding of a formative teenage crush and one of the most relentlessly good-at-his-job British pop stars of recent decades, at times it seemed like he was getting back into character.

Robbie Williams performing at Murrayfield | Lisa Ferguson

"I just spotted a fan I slept with back in the '90s," he said, and the camera zoomed in on a bloke in the crowd. Making fun of dated tabloid speculation about his sexuality continued later, as he appeared in a pink suit and feather boa for a bombastic New York, New York and a raw, sexy Kids alongside his entourage of female backing dancers.

Williams made constant reference to the apparently traumatising effect of being an ex-member of Take That, uncannily impersonating Gary Barlow and closing a mid-set acoustic medley with a version of Relight My Fire. For this he was joined by Tom Rylance of support band the Lottery Winners and Michelle McManus.

Robbie Williams performs at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | Lisa Ferguson

He performed with arrogance and swagger, also an essential part of the brand, dashing off Let Me Entertain You, Old Before I Die and Rock DJ - the latter in ludicrous red feather coat and shades - early in the set, and drawing continual attention to his toned 51-year-old triceps.

"I'm shitting hits all over the place," he proudly announced, and it was (not literally) true. Love My Life, Strong, Millennium, Come Undone and many more were remembered word-for-word by his audience.

Robbie Williams at Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh | Lisa Ferguson

He was also - possibly a surprise to many who remember his first flush of fame - relentlessly likeable, whether carrying out comedy interactions with AI versions of his 16 and 80-year-old selves, paying tribute to his wife and four kids, or talking about his parents' current state of health and all of our mortality with feeling and intensity.

After such a build-up, Sinatra's My Way and his own Angels felt less like cliche and more like catharsis.

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