Sunday Mercury reflects on Take That extravaganza at Villa Park

Jul 3 2011 by Paul Cole, Sunday Mercury

“REMEMBER me? I’m Robbie f***ing Williams!”

Yes, he’s back. The black sheep. The prodigal son.

And didn’t the 48,000 faithful gathered at Villa Park just love him?

(Apart from one unimpressed woman in the front row, that is).

“Hell is gone and Heaven’s here, there’s nothing left for you to fear,” he sang after he zip-lined from the towering top of the North Stand stage.

“Shake your a**e come over here, now SCREAM!”

The football ground has never heard anything so terrifying in its famous history.

The oestrogen scream must have been heard for miles around. Birds probably dropped from the sky; dogs whined in misery.

Boy, did the crowd let Robbie entertain them.

(But the woman in the front row wasn’t to be moved).

“You’re not impressed, are you,” the Robster demanded of her. No, she wasn’t.

“She’s a Take That fundamentalist,” announced Robbie.

The return of the boy band bad boy initially split the fans. Some were glad to have him back, others reckoned Take That were better without him.

But the overall reaction in Brum was of welcome.

Gary, Howard, Mark and Jason came on first, of course, running through Rule The World, Greatest Day, Hold Up A Light, Patience and Shine, songs which have proved they have staying power few sniffy critics suspected.

There was some nonsense with a giant keyboard, swirling lights and Alice In Wonderland characters.