A night of therapy with Robbie Williams

Cornellà de LlobregatIf Elizabeth Taylor christened Michael Jackson "the king of pop," Robbie Williams proclaims himself "the king of entertainment" at the concerts of the new Britpop tour. And he gives himself a couple of hours for the audience to recognize everything: unbeatable anthems, a handful of covers for karaoke (Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, Blur, Ricky Martin, Oasis, etc.) and the self-pity of someone who has said that "he already had mental problems before being cool" (and he already explained it to us: "self aware sound, full of shit sound").

For years, Robbie Williams' concerts have become part of his therapy as the colossal narcissist that he is, but also, let's face it, they are therapy for his fans, the place he offers them to take refuge from "the hard life" and "a savage reality." He is in good physical and vocal shape and, of course, he says it to himself and to those who thought he was written off: "Look at me, back in the stadiums!"

With Rocket, the single from his new album due out in the fall, rocketed like a rocket, Robbie Williams started the clock at 9:30 p.m. this Saturday, in an Espanyol stadium that wasn't full (prices ranged from 90 to 168 euros), but with 32,000 people fully committed to the experience. "Is this entertainment?" he asked himself. For those present, it was clear that it was. Williams is transparent: he promises he'll do whatever it takes to make sure you have a good time, and if he has to do something crooner, he will not lose his rings to sing My way and New York, New York"Oasis won't do this for you," he said, referring to the Gallagher brothers' return this weekend.

The first part of the concert was a sequence of songs that required extreme energy (Rocket, Let me entertain you, Monsoon, Rock DJ) and, added to the infernal heat, it seemed that Williams was unable to sing everything and gave it to the audience. He slowed down the pace with Love my life, in one of the many dedications to his wife and four children, constant protagonists of his speeches about self-improvement and even of the images, aware that a good part of the audience that night had their children with their grandparents. With the wonderful Strong and one Road to Mandalay In a parade version, he would head toward the center of the dance floor. From here, with only one guitarist on stage, he would play to see which parts of his songs the audience recognized (all of them, of course).

With the impeccable Something beautiful and one Millenium full ofinputs closed the second block of the concert. Robbie Williams usually walks the fine line between daring and kitsch, and tends to fall into excess: too many visual effects, catalog wallpapers, photos of his life, now he has dangerously added AI and games with the deepfake and a dozen dancers from a television show three decades ago. "Stop trying to be cool and enjoy yourself," he advised the audience, clad in a bubblegum pink suit. Even though he laughs at TikTok, Robbie Williams is the old-guard pop star who has best adapted to the era of reels: : a fast-paced rhythm, dozens of chopped-up songs, a bunch of photo ops, emotional speeches about therapy, and appearing spontaneous.

With the concert at its peak, the singer, already vocally in top form, faced the final stretch, strolling with the unbeatable: Come undone, She's the one, Feel and AngelsSomeone who has put together a stadium tour under the guise of a single single Nine and sings about twenty songs, only three of which are from the last twenty years, he is very aware of his career and what keeps him at the top. He knows it and so does the public, who at this point would gladly give him the title he claims: Robbie Williams is probably "the best" entertainer of the planet".