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รายงานคอนเสิร์ตโดย
Mandi James จากหนังสือพิมพ์ The Nation (28 October 2001)
A Capital
Performance
From the moment he strides into the spotlight with
the inevitable opener of "Let Me Entertain You", the feeling is one of the
top of the world confidence from a man, who at least musically, can't seem
to put a foot wrong.
Galloping around the stage, springing off
speaker stacks and grabbing the crotch of his voluminous pants Robbie
Williams quickly makes clear just what his intentions are. A euphoric, one
night stand, no strings attached. As the song crashes to a close and
screams of delight ricochet round the venue he stands stock still, arms
aloft and basks in the adulation. What an entrance. Robbie's charm is that
he manages to be both pop icon and ordinary bloke at the same time. He
isn't so much manufactured pop as the full production line.
His
music fuels his celebrity, which fuels his lifestyle, which in turn feeds
his music. The struggles with the drugs, the alcohol and various celebrity
girlfriends become lyrics wrapped in supersonic melodies and delivered as
pop confessionals.
Everyone knows the words to at least one Robbie
Williams song because they contain sentiments we all identify
with.
For the chorus of "Strong" 17,000 voice belt out "you think
that Im strong, you're wrong," making insecurity and self-doubt sound
like a power anthem. Karaoke comes into its own as Robbie runs through his
roll call of hits. Heard back to back its quite remarkable just how many
quality tunes he has under his belt.
Covering all stylistic bases
he veers from the Gloria Gaynor echoes of "Supreme" to ballad "She's The One" which has the girls getting all
gooey and sentimental, while the guys hold the lighted cigarettes aloft
when lighters fail to ignite.
The latest single "Eternity", which
to be honest never really rocked my boat, suddenly seems to make perfect
sense rolled out live. When it comes recreating his pop punk duet with
Kylie Minoque for "Kids" Robbie simply wheels out a cardboard cut-out of
the diminutive diva, which he then proceeds to sexually harass throughout
the song.
An entertainer of the old school variety, Robbie is pure
vaudeville. He has a way of connecting with his audience that makes a
stadium gig seem like and intimate soiree. He's rude, irreverent and
utterly engaging. He looks like he's having the best time of his life and
we feel like the best audience in the world. When he drops in freestyle
versions of Wyclef Jeans' "Perfect Gentleman" and recalls DJ Pied Piper to
ask "Do You Really Like It?" we feel like we've inspired him, we really
do.
Of course the whole routine is all carefully rehearsed and
choreographed, but the jokes about Geri Halliwell and his cheeky thrash
metal tribute to former bank Take That feel spontaneous and shot from the
hip. We all know he shocked Singapore by dropping his pants, just as we
know that at the end of his spin about being fined for his actions he's
going to show us the offending article. Yet still we squeal, hads clamped
over mouths, at the flash of his buttocks.
Canny showman that he is
Robbie saves the best until last and bounces back on stage for the encore
wearing the national strip of the Thai football team. Destined to be
haunted by "Angels" for the rest of his life, he still manages to sing his
biggest hit like it's the first time ever, trusting us to fill in the gaps
for the chorus while he opts for a nonchalant smoke.
The sublime
melody of "Millennium" is met with a collective gasp of recognition while
Robbie saves his finest bout of freaky dancing for the pop of "Rock DJ"
with its cliche echoes of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Daft Punk and
knees-up-and-down-the-pub rap. Drunk on adulation, giddy with the success
and high on a crowd hanging onto his every word Robbie holds nothing back.
Its an exhilarating first date.
In the space of 17 songs and two
encores Robbie strips, winks grins and flirts outrageously, before finally
dropping to his knees to deliver a deep "Wai" and kiss the Thai flag
stitched to his football shirt. The ego has landed and Bangkok is totally
smitten.
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