Tuesday, October 19, 1999
Robbie Williams gets his rocks off
By KIERAN GRANT, Toronto Sun

Robbie Williams does not mince words.

"I haven't had sex in three months," the British pop star told a delighted, slightly shocked room filled with 1,600 fans at the Warehouse last night. "This isn't just stage talk. I'm overflowing. I haven't had sex in three f---ing months."

This mid-show confession came during Williams' introduction for the Lennonesque She's The One -- actually a cover of a tune by World Party's Karl Wallinger -- which turned out to be a show high point and a rare earnest moment for the singer.

Well, kind of earnest: Williams did go on to add that he hoped to treat some lucky bird in the audience to a personal rendition of the tune later, should she be kind enough to, uh, douse his manly fires.

And it didn't really matter if Williams was kidding or not. You let him get away with it, just as you let him get away with basking in the affectionate glow of a relatively small crowd as if he was wrapping up night three at Wembley Arena.

For Williams, arrogant posturing and mugging are part of the thrill, and he shares that thrill with his audience. Beneath that, there's a clear, honest objective: He's here to do you a favour by rocking your world. So you had better submit or get out of his way.

From the intro strains of the 2001 theme, to the first blinding flash of the stage's out-size lighting rig, to Williams' opening hiss of "Are you ready to be entertained?" before launching into his tune, Let Me Entertain You, Williams was BIG.

Though his British superstardom -- fueled by the massive success there of his former boy band, Take That!, and his hilariously-titled second solo album The Ego Has Landed -- hasn't translated in North America, he made it feel like it has.

He delivered the goods, too -- packing a handful of big, blowsy pop-rock ballads and a fist full of big, noisy rock anthems into a concise 70-minute set.

Dressed in a sharp black suit, the singer looked part secret agent, part English gangster, part football hooligan, strutting around as his six-piece band interacted, bashed Williams' Ego repertoire into better rock, and basically did what most pop stars' backing bands never do -- showed a personality.

All the while there was Williams' comical, contemptuous candour: "Shut the f--- up!" he told one fan, after making fun of her between-song chanting. "What do I look like, a f---ing figure skater?" he balked when someone handed him a bouquet.

It wasn't until he'd changed into his chinos and run through encore versions of The Clash's Should I Stay Or Should I Go and Blur's Song 2 that he turned the rapier on himself.

"Now I'm feeling love," he said. "Yeah. After playing someone else's bloody songs."

Sure, Williams got the last laugh with his biggest hit, Millenium. But, tunes aside, he'd already scored major points with his ego itself.

Sun Rating: 4 out of 5