Robbie Williams sang in front of more than 40,000 people at the national stadium “Vasil Levski“. “Bulgaria, you gave me everything. Your energy, your love, your attention - all this turns into magic. This is the reason I keep singing, dancing and fighting my worries and fears“, said the British pop star, quoted by BTA.
The mood of the September 28 evening was set with the appearance of Lottery Winners. The Manchester band performed the 40-minute show with an energy very close to that of the headliner everyone expected. He appeared on stage at exactly 8:45 p.m., "taking off" from a large rocket, wearing a custom space suit, and descending above the audience, a BTA reporter saw. This concept is part of the vision for the opening single Rocket, which carries motifs of takeoff and space.
Before that, a multimedia, a tease with artificial intelligence (AI) was running on the screen, in which avatars of Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury and John Lennon, Robbie Williams' musical idols, appeared. Later in the show, the "teasing" with AI continued when he started a conversation with his teenage self, with jokes, memories and comments. "Using AI, the artist seemed to go back in time to "talk" with his youthful ambitions and fears, which creates a personal and emotional effect, a connection between past and present“, commented fans.
According to them, Robbie Williams has shown that he is much more than a singer – he was an actor, a stand-up comedian, and a dancer, and it was not for nothing that he declared that he wanted to be remembered as the king of entertainment.
Throughout the evening, he did not stop complimenting the audience: “You create a great atmosphere and energy tonight“, “You have created an incredible community and it is an honor for me to be in your country and city“, “Thank you for being so great tonight“, “When the concert is over, when the lights go out and I retire, I will remember every second of this evening“.
“This is the true meaning of entertainment. Not the fame, not the money, not the stage, but sharing moments with the people you love, and who love you. You are those people. The audience is the show. And without you, none of this would make sense. When I stand on stage and look at your faces, I see everything - joy, laughter, sometimes tears. I see why I do it. Why I even get up here, every night, in front of thousands of people," said Robbie Williams.
With the second song, Let Me Entertain You, the star gave a statement about what to expect in the next two hours. "I believe in entertainment. Entertainment is everything! Do you understand what my problem is? I can only do all this with your help. Everything here only exists because you allow it to exist. Tonight we are on a journey together to discover the meaning of entertainment. We are the show!“, he said.
At Love my life, white ribbons flew over the stadium. This is toilet paper - for you from my hotel, use it wisely, said Robbie Williams.
He did not forget to congratulate the Bulgarian volleyball players on their qualification for the world championship, calling them amazing (incredible, amazing). Then he continued to joke: “Now I will sing you another song, because that's what you paid me for. I am a nice person, after all“.
Does anyone remember me from the 90s, do you remember the boy bands I was in, do you remember some of the songs, do you remember Take That, do you remember Gary Barlow's songs, Robbie Williams asked before singing Relight My Fire. The song by Dan Hartman is familiar from the repertoire of Take That.
“You know, there was a rumor about me since the beginning of my career that maybe I was secretly homosexual. And I don't know where that came from. If you do one stupid thing, people will build a reputation for you for life. And Gary Barlow didn't care. Jason Orange took some nice pictures. And we all had a good time. If you do it with a friend, it doesn't count. Okay. I accept that I'm not "cool". I've never been cool. Nobody said, "Robbie Williams is mysterious". I tried to be cool once and I couldn't. I just looked constipated," said Robbie Williams, wrapped in pink feathers, once again demonstrating self-irony.
“I'm not the guy in the corner of the room - with the high cheekbones and the superiority complex. I'm the guy in the middle of the dance floor dancing and trying to sing all the songs without knowing the lyrics. So take my advice: If you're trying to be cool - stop. This is exhausting!“, he said and sang New York.
The performance of She's the One will remain an unforgettable memory for one of the girls in the fan zone. She was chosen by Robbie Williams, who said he would sing only for her. Then he asked the entire stadium to chant her name - Geri, not forgetting to joke that Geri is like the female version of Gary, referring to Gary Barlow.
“When I do this, I always look in the front row to see whose eyes are smiling. And I saw you – your eyes were smiling. They are the door to the soul. You have a beautiful soul. It was a pleasure to see so much in you“, Robbie Williams told Geri, who previously shared that she had been to seven of his concerts.
Before that, a dozen lucky people in the front row of the audience had the chance to sing Come Undone from Robbie Williams' microphone. He sang the beginning and the fans continued the verse.
From the stage, Robbie Williams talked about his four children who want time with their father, about his wife, about his mother's dementia and his father's Parkinson's, about his mother-in-law's disease, about his weaknesses and fears.
“While I was rehearsing for the tour, I was full of anxiety because I am an anxious person. I either have high anxiety or low anxiety, there's never 'No Anxiety'. I'm not nervous. I'm just scared. It's a big challenge. Standing in front of tens of thousands of people every night can be scary," he said. "And then my wife came to rehearsals and said, 'Rob, you act like this is normal. You act like it's normal that you get to sing in front of stadiums full of people. Rob, nothing is guaranteed. There's no guaranteed future. There's no guarantee even what's going to happen this afternoon. Instead of worrying about the future, why don't you focus on the present? We're all in the present. We're aware of where we are and what we're doing," he said.
“Because vulnerability is the bridge to others, the bridge to God. Talent is the recognition of vulnerability. With love and tenderness - I am Robbie-addicted!“, wrote actress Albena Pavlova on Facebook.
On Sunday evening in Sofia, more songs from the years of his solo career were played - Monsoon (2002), Rock DJ (2000), Strong (1998), The Road to Mandalay (2000), Tripping (2005), Better Man (2024), Sexed Up (2002), Candy (2012), Something Beautiful (2002), Millennium (1998) and a cover of My Way - a song that also holds a special place in the film Better Man: Robbie Williams. In the part with the encores, Feel (2002) and Angels (1997) sound.
Seconds after the end of the concert, it started to rain over Sofia.