The UK pop sensation, Robbie Williams, brought in the new year with a bang in Sydney, but not without taking a not-so-subtle potshot at an audience member.
A Stellar Performance Marred by an Awkward Exchange
Robbie’s 13-piece backing band got the crowd rocking with hits like “Let Me Entertain You” and “Land of 1000 Dances”.
But things took an awkward turn when Robbie seemingly invited the audience to sing along to “Me and My Monkey”. However, one enthusiastic reveller’s off-beat singing didn’t impress Robbie.
The Singer’s Sassy Response
Robbie fell silent, chastising the audience member for their lack of timing. “You made me come in, in the wrong place,” he said. “Can you stop doing the lyrics to the song, then I don’t get it wrong.” The camera cut to a close-up of Robbie, looking more than a little miffed.
A Divided Audience
While Robbie’s eight-song set was packed with hits like “Feel”, “Better Man”, and “Rock DJ”, his decision to promote his new documentary, “Better Man”, mid-set divided ABC viewers. Robbie gave a shameless plug, saying, “Some critics are calling it the movie of the century! Not my words, except they are because I just made that up.” He even changed some of the lyrics to “Better Man”, singing, “so go watch my movie, it’s full of drugs and sex, I’ve got my own biopic, I’m not even dead”.
Viewers Weigh In
Some viewers were annoyed that the ABC, a government-owned, tax-payer funded television station, was spending a pretty penny on Williams’ performance. Others praised the stellar performance and didn’t mind the plug.