Robbie Williams. Photo: Stephen Collins
A week after Oasis delivered the year’s most talked about shows, another star forged in the ‘90s also had a Croke Park crowd in raptures. But Robbie Williams had none of the feverish pre-gig anticipation that was showered on the Gallagher brothers. It would have been virtually impossible to find any adult who didn’t know Oasis were in town; the ex-Take That man, by contrast, seemingly flew under the radar.
Flying under the radar, of course, is not something Williams does by choice. His default is loud, chest-beating exuberance. His on-stage confidence could power the electricity at Croker. He may be 51, but he is determined to outdo the energy he brought to Take That as a teen. More than anything, though, the Stoke-on-Trent native is a born entertainer. He knows this and, early on, quips that while Michael Jackson may have been the King of Pop he, Williams, is the King of Entertainment.