Robbie Williams in Hyde Park - '50, and flourishing' - Review

Robbie Williams is happy. In fact, very happy. So much so that he told us at least twice during his five-star set at the BST Hyde Park on Saturday.

It’s all great news for him, but the mood – along with the 65,000-strong crowd – may have been entirely different had England not won the match against Switzerland, just moments before Robbie strutted his way towards the stage in familiar style.

We wouldn’t have heard a smattering later of Football’s Coming Home either.

Not only is Robbie happy in himself, but he still carries that Williams’ swagger that has made him one of the country’s best performers, at the ripening age of 50, as he also told us.

Not that he’s showing it.

His powerful voice was still cutting through the night air of London.

The songs, well they're simply etched on the minds of a generation of fans, from Millenium to Angels, from Back for Good to Strong, all eminently singable for any crowd, no matter how happy they might be.

In between, he shared his impromptu autobiography of the ups and down, like he’d written his own musical, which incidentally would do very well in the West End.

It went from his Take That days, to his infamous parting, followed by his trip to Glastonbury with a car full champagne and drugs. Then addiction. Then cold turkey. Full rock n roll!

There was high comedy too, with a duet between Robbie and Danny Dyer, of Park Life. Pukka.

And the songs just keep coming, but so did the talk. I’ve never heard a performer chat so much, sometimes so earnestly about their life. Some near me shouted unhelpfully, ‘Get on with it’.

But it was touching, for him to pay tribute to his wife and his four kids. If not for them, he wouldn’t have been with us, you suspect.

Angels, of course, saw off the gig with Robbie -- and audience -- turning in an outstanding vocal performance.

Robbie, 50 and flourishing.