Robbie red-hot in Dublin as world tour gets off to rocking start

By Sonya Rabbitte Jun 10, 2006, 18:42 GMT

Dublin - When tickets for the European leg of Robbie Williams' world tour went on sale last November, 1.6 million were snapped up on the first day - earning Williams an estimated 80 million pounds (147.5 million dollars) and a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest and largest ticket sales in a single day.

Judging from the rapturous welcome that greeted Robbie at the start of his world tour this weekend, many of the 90,000 Irish fans who bought tickets that day were happy to have helped smash the record.

Amid an impressive fireworks display and thunderous applause, Williams, dressed in a black coat and red scarf, took to the stage at Dublin's Croke Park stadium Friday for the first night of his five- month world tour. Launching straight into a set that included Radio, Rock DJ and Tripping from his latest album Intensive Care, Robbie had the fans cheering wildly from the start, setting the scene for a two- hour musical extravaganza.

Many fans had waited for hours in scorching heat to see their rock hero and they were not left disappointed. The hot evening sun only helped fire their enthusiasm. Old favourites were mixed with new tracks and classics such as Millenium and No Regrets were interspersed with the newest singles, Advertising Space and Sin, Sin, Sin. As dusk fell more than a few of the estimated 90,000 fans whipped out cigarette lighters for a heartfelt version of Feel.

There may still be 14 dates in 44 countries before the tour wraps up in Melbourne on December 17, but it seemed that the former Take That star was feeling the burn on night one. 'I don't know how Mick Jagger does this, I'm 32 and I'm knackered,' said a smiling Robbie a couple of songs into his set.

But he trooped on regardless, performing a duet with best mate and special guest Jonathon Wilkes. Not content with one record, there were efforts to set a second one for Dublin's largest Karaoke sing-a- long. With Williams and Wilkes leading proceedings from the stage tens of thousands of voices sang along to Strong. It might not have set the Guinness Book of Records hopping but it went down a storm with the elated fans in Croke Park.

A surprise track was Take That's Back for Good. While many in the audience may have been mere toddlers when the boyband were strutting their stuff, there were enough cheering fans who remembered the boyband heyday. Over ten years after his Take That departure, Robbie was quick to put to bed rumours that he was still at odds with his former band members and wished them well in their upcoming reunion tour.

As night fell he rounded up his set with Come Undone, leaving the stage to impassioned pleas for more. He did not let the fans down. Within minutes he was back, clad in a white tracksuit, for a two-song encore. A stomping version of Let Me Entertain You was followed by a tear jerking rendition of Angels, the single that kickstarted solo showbiz success for the former boy band member.

The crowd cheered, fireworks exploded. No one wanted to go home. But Robbie wasn't happy. He was twenty feet up in the air preparing to perform a stunt at the climax of Let Me Entertain You. The crowd may have been red hot, but on this particular night the electronics behind his sky-high Gondola stunt weren't.

'I've disappointed you,' he told fans. 'You've given more than I have' - judging from the audience's energy that might not have been too far from the truth.

With promises of a free concert, complete with fully functioning Gondola stunt, Robbie made his final stage exit. 'I'll be back in Dublin before the end of the year,' he shouted. Judging from the ear splitting roars of approval he won't be the only one there.