Robbie Williams was joined by Danny Dyer and a band of Beefeaters for a rousing cover of ‘Parklife’ during his London gig on Saturday (06.07.24) night.
The 50-year-old pop superstar was treating fans to a look back on his lengthy career during his sold-out show at American Express presents BST Hyde Park when he brought out the former ‘EastEnders’ star to duet on the Blur classic, with Danny taking on fellow actor Phil Daniels’ spoken word parts.
As well as Robbie’s own band, the pair were backed by a 44-strong brass band of Beefeaters consisting of Coldstream and Welsh Guards as they sang and danced on the catwalk.
And Danny – who had appeared as his pal’s bodyguard in the show’s opening film of the ‘Angels’ singer walking out to the crowd from the backstage area – wasn’t Robbie’s only special guest during the segment.
The ‘Freedom’ hitmaker had been looking back on his days with Take That, showing off their saucy first music video for ‘Do What U Like’ before recalling how he had his chance to sing his first lead vocal on ‘Could It Be Magic’, treating fans to a snippet of the 1992 hit single. But he then reflected on how things turned sour during his infamous weekend at Glastonbury at 1995, where he partied with Oasis’ Liam and Noel Gallagher.
Paying tribute, he sang the group’s ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ before inviting another friend he’d made at the festival to join him, with Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes – who had performed on the Great Oak Stage earlier in the day – to sing the band’s hit ‘Alright’.
Robbie then invited Danny out to join him for the final Britpop track of the segment and quipped: “It’s the double act you didn’t know you needed in your life.”
The singer then slowed down the mood with ‘Back For Good’, a nod to his reunion with Take That in 2010, before paying tribute to his family, with wife Ayda Field and their eldest daughter, 11-year-old Teddy, watching from the crowd.
Introducing ‘I Love My Life’, he emotionally said: “I’ve been with my wife for 18 years. I am the man that I am because you have allowed me to grow with you.
“And Teddy, you were the first of your kind and you absolutely blew my mind. Daddy is super, super proud of you. I’m going to dedicate this next song to Beau, aged four, Coco, aged five, Charlie, aged nine and Teddy, aged 11.”
Robbie had kicked off his set with a bang, launching straight into ‘Let Me Entertain You’ as he emerged from a platform below the stage, before covering ‘Land of 1000 Dances’ and then returning to his own back catalogue with one of his “lesser-known hits” ‘Strong’ – for which he beamed the words of the chorus onto the big screens, though they weren’t needed by the crowd – and then ‘Come Undone’.
The second half of the set saw Robbie throw t-shirts into the crowd in recognition of their dance moves for ‘Candy’ before singing ‘Supreme’ and ‘Millennium’.
Introducing ‘Advertising Space’ – which was movingly backed by visuals of lost icons including the late Elvis Presley, George Michael, Prince, Freddie Mercury and Amy Winehouse – Robbie reflected on his own struggles with addiction over the years.
He said: “At 50, I’m still here and I’m extremely grateful… Tonight I was the happiest and most chilled I have ever been coming on stage. Maybe it was England [winning], maybe it was you guys, but I’m really f****** happy… Thank you for helping me remain on the planet. I love you guys.”
An emotional ‘Feel’ followed, with some of Robbie’s backing singers taking on Kylie Minogue’s vocals on ‘Kids’, with the set officially ending on ‘Rock DJ’.
But unsurprisingly, the star and his band returned for a three-song encore of ‘No Regrets’, ‘She’s The One’ – which was dedicated to an Italian fan on the front row and her friend – and an emotional ‘Angels’, for which the 65,000-strong crowd sang along every word as they raised the torches on their phones.
As the song came to a close, Ayda and Teddy joined Robbie on stage and he emotionally embraced his family while thanking the audience.