Robbie Bowls them over

He was originally supposed to play the rebuilt stadium, and like Sir Mick Jagger - who quipped about Wembley being just about ready for Arctic Monkeys' farewell tour - the delays prompted a gag from Robbie: "It will be ready for Theo Walcott's testimonial though."

Of course, Robbie Williams will always have something to say. But this was a big-mouthed performance, even for him.

After a burst of the Close Encounters music, some flashing lights and fireworks, Robbie appeared on the ego ramp jutting out from the futuristicthemed stage. And he stayed there for much of the evening, soaking up the fans' love.

Their screams punctuated the opening-tune Radio - still a great, quirky pop song, even with Robbie swearing throughout - and continued for the playful Rock DJ. But despite the big budget production and receptive audience, Robbie didn't always seem to have the necessary attention span for his own songs.

His singing was wayward - a talented band and backing singers kept the performance on track - and as he larked around he seemed to live up to his recent description of himself as an "end-of-the-pier entertainer". On a fine evening, he was also curiously sweaty from the start and later said he was feeling "like s**t".

But spurred on by the crowd, Robbie's excitement never wavered and it made for a flawed but captivating performance.

The second half of the show was more convincing too, after a pretty awful guest spot from his friend Jonathan Wilkes on the swing standard Me And My Shadow (complete with tedious banter).

However, his lawyers may be wishing he hadn't shared his latest dispute with former Take That manager Nigel Martin-Smith with thousands of fans, who could easily have recorded it on mobile phones to share on the web.

EMI has removed a track called The 90s from promotional copies of his new album as Martin-Smith has threatened legal action. But he performed some of it anyway, singing about an "evil man" and much worse. "I don't know why he's upset," Robbie said mockingly.

He also joked about Take That trying to get him on tour when he'd sold three million tickets for his summer dates. But he dedicated a rousing version of their song Back For Good to them and continued impressively with the underrated ballad Advertising Space.

By this point, there was a powerful bond with the audience and the encore was genuinely memorable. Robbie appeared high above the stage, clutching a double cone with his face smeared with ice cream, and descended on a small plat form to join his band for a riotous Let Me Entertain You.

Changed into a hoodie, he also played his new single Rudebox, an amusing take on hip hop which was, perhaps surprisingly, one of the stand- out moments. But he finished with Angels, of course, and Kids - and then, still going strong after 90 minutes, ran around punching the air in triumph.

Robbie Williams
Milton Keynes National Bowl