Customer Reviews

Robbie Williams: What We Did Last Summer - Live at Knebworth

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I took a chance and bought the English version on a recent trip to London after hearing how popular he is in the UK - how often are the Brits wrong? I've been playing it for 5 months and still am not tired of it! All I can say is if you don't buy this DVD you are missing out on one of the best live concerts you will ever see in your life - and I was not familar with any of his songs - the lyrics (remember lyrics?) mostly about love and breakup written in tongue in cheek - everythng was flawless from Robbie's over the top stage presence - his interaction with the crowd - the lighting - the sets - the backup dancers - the band - the visuals - the 125,000 plus crowd was under his spell - he starts off by saying - "I'm Robbie Williams - for the next 2 hours your ass is mine!" If you can not play this DVD loud, then take it to a friend's house where you can crank up the volume - better yet if they have a plasma or HDTV!
I know others have asked - why is he not not big in the states? - maybe some day he might be - but for now, go discover him for yourself and spread the word - I'm lining up for tickets when he performs over here.
Personal favorites - "Supreme" - if that does not get you up off the couch and dance - get back to therapy - don't miss the girls in the first row! - Me and My Monkey" - a story song about Robbie and his monkey in Vegas - the monkey carries a gun - so watch out - "Come Undone" - ending with "Feel" - and "Angels" - If you ever heard Robbie just on cd - forget it - it's like listening to a soundtrack from a movie - Robbie has to be seen live - and this is the next best thing - - - p.s. pick up his Live at the Albert - a different take on Robbie singing classic crooner (Sinatra)songs - which shows his versatility (Harry Connick Jr - please step aside) - this guy can do it all.............

I have quite a collection of excellent concert DVDs by now, featuring artists like Phil Collins, Genesis, Tina Turner, Cher, Sheryl Crow and Kylie Minogue to mention some. I recently bought this DVD with Robbie Williams, and it's not the best concert I have seen - even though it is an excellent concert, mind you. This is, however, by far the most touching concert I've ever seen, I find myself moved close to tears several times, I freely admit.

To understand this, a bit of background information is necesarry. Robbie played 3 gigs in front of 375.000 people at Knebworth , each night in front of a terrifying 125.000 audience! Robbie is visibly aware of this, shifting between being amazed, being shy and being terrified - as he sais, in one of his several monologues - "Knebworth, for the first time in my life, I'm speechless, I truly am! I really hope that I can do a show tonight that will make you proud!"

And this sums up exactly what's so special about this concert. Watch that adorably cute boyish face once, and you know that he's speaking the truth each and every moment. The crowd gives themself to him 100%, as he gives himself to them 100%, and he's on several occasions moved to tears - and there is no playing for the camera here. And no wonder, take the odds of the boy kicked from the polished boy-band Take That - the most succesfull boy-band of the 90'es - kicked out for taking drucks and having problems controlling his alcohol intake - and now, standing in front of a monster 125.000 crowd, who all love him. You might not realize just how large a crowd of 125.000 jammed onto a field is before you see this, but it's HUGE! And they're all - ALL - extatic. No wonder he's moved beyond words, and watching the emotions play on his face, I couln't help being moved with him. As he says in his final monologue, as he re-enters the stage after the show is finished: "Knebworth, this has been the high of my career - I don't know, perhaps it'll drop from here - and don't contradict me here, I'm not fishing for compliments, it might do - but I don't care, cause this has made my life complete." And this is clearly not a pre-written speech, it's his emotion then and there, and I don't wonder why he feels that way, what more could he really accomplish.

Anyway, about the show. It seems they've tried to hide the tracklist, but here it is:

- Let Me Entertain You - Let Love Be Your Energy - We Will Rock You (section) - Monsoon - Come Undone - Strong - Me And My Monkey - Hot Fudge - Mr. Bojangles - She's The One - Love Supreme - No Regrets - Kids - Better Man - Nan's Song - Feel - (encores:) Rock DJ - Angels

Also, in the extra materials on DVD 2 (play the game for the hidden extras) you'll find a quite special version of the old Take That hit Back For Good - and this with an unique guest-performance of Marc Owen from the old band.

The music is great throughout the show, including the occasional slip - take Robbie laughing when he play's wrong on the guitar during Nan's Song, or see him stop singing to call for the camer to show 3 girls pulling up their shirts showing their brests to him. In fact, this spontanity adds a certain charm to the show, and makes the fact that Robbie isn't the greatest singer in the world less important (even if he in fact does a very good job here, which he does). Besides from this, the interaction with the audience is great - audience sing-a-long-participation is done with karaokee-like lyrics on the huge screen on the stage; a girl is taken on stage during Come Undone, to her great pleassure (Robbie certainly doesn't hold himself back, not that she minds); and the introduction for She's The One, where he talks to a married couple in the audience, is just amazing. THEY probably had a moment of their life as well.

The show is impressive, watch Robbie enter the scene head-down Houdini-like with a rope around the feet, lowered from the top of the scene. There is a huge screen on stage, that can seperate into 5 or 6 independant segments, giving lots of variability. The lightning is very impressing and gives plenty of light on the enourmous stage - which is sometimes a problem for some bands (take the Genesis 1992 tour for instance). There is fireworks and confetti at the end of the show. I think the porn-theme of the dancers in Hot Fudge is overdone and unnescesary, but ok ... that's a minor point.

All in all, this is a disc that you shouldn't miss at if you are the tiniest bit interested in what's going on at the musical scene at the moment, or if your into Robbie's music. This is HUGE.

Rating: 10/10

Get ready to get blown out of your seat! I've played this sucker for (at the time) non-Robbie fans and all were just absolutely stunned by this show. The energy and work ethic is unmatchable as this guy has 125,000 people in his back pocket. Production value is extraordinary, catching Robbie and the band in some amazing moments. The Robbie Williams Dancers alone are worth the purchase. RW will never be big here mainly because of two things: (1)A very curious approach by his record company in marketing him, and (2) Most U.S. critics rip British artists unfairly (See Oasis for example). U.S. industry loves to overrate and over hype it's artists: Dave Matthews, Three Doors Down, Matchbox Twenty, Korn, Limp Bisquit, The whole watered down R & B movement, West coast "skateboard" punk-lite bands...all painfully average at best. Anyway, buy this baby and you'll watch it non-stop! Thank you Britian!

TRULY A GEM. IVE WATCHED THIS CONCERT ABOUT 30 TIMES AND I STILL KEEP ON WATCHING AND ENJOYING IT OVER AND OVER AGAIN, TRULY FANTASTIC I WOULD HAVE GIVEN ANYTHING TO HAVE BEEN THERE, AFTER WATCHING ROBBIES PERFORMANCE WATCHING ANYOTHER LIVE CONCERT IS A LET-DOWN, TRUE MAGIC.

I agree with the other reviewers on this one - this is one live DVD you don't want to miss. It is beyond me why he is not as popular in the States as he is in Europe. Robbie Williams manages to combine his natural presence on stage and rapport with his fans with absolute professionalism. Hence "so rock n roll, so corporate suit", as he sings in Come Undone. You can feel the atmosphere of this temperate summer evening seep into your living room as you watch, and don't be surprised if you find yourself jumping along in time with the songs and clapping when they're finished. I do it even when I'm watching it alone!
So: five stars for quality and length of performance, both in terms of Robbie's own talent and the setup of the DVD. Five stars also for addressing a huge audience, because this show will appeal to established fans and convert all those who haven't succumbed to Robbie's energy and charms.

1)Cook dinner
2)Drink a bottle of wine (or two)
3)Turn off lights
4)Kick it into high gear
5)Watch this DVD with your chick/dude!

I love Music DVD's, especially since I bought a 57 incher. This one is worth every penny. It's up there with Talking Heads "Stop Making Sense" as the best!

You Americans have no idea what you are missing. Now shame on anyone who has not heard of the legend that is Robert Williams. His life is an amazing story, from being the fat one in an average boyband to the worlds greatest entertainer. No one in the world can say they do not like at least one of his songs. There is something for everyone here. This DVD has is something you will never forget, picture this Robbie Willians on stage singing one of the best songs in history, the masterpiece that is Angels with 175,000 people waving their arms and singing with him.

Its not just his singing that is amazing his band and dancers are. He talks to the crowd like he would talk to his best mates. Thats the thing with Robbie Williams he loves the people, the people love him and he loves singing and entertaining. This is what makes him truly great.

I just cannot get over the fact that he is not as popular in America as he is over the rest of the world. I just hopes he does this again and breaks his own record.

This kind of DVDs makes me envy British and all lucky people which are able to watch live and direct this showman... I'm sure he's the best nowadays.
In only one word: INCREDIBLE. Robbie really rocks. This concert is the prove that some artist were born to sing nice songs and other ones to make people go crazy. This show is not only Robbie's performance, but it's also the band, chorus, the stage, those beautiful dancers (Kate & Nikky: What a HOT, HOT Girls!!!).
I bought this DVD some months ago and I didn't know which songs were included on this. When I saw it, the first thing I liked was the great interactive menu. That's a really good job. Not only for the animations and images, but the sound and background songs. So, at first sight: 5/5
Then, the track list. there are almost all Robbie Williams greatest songs. But I regreted two missing: "MILLENNIUM" and "SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL" (not played in the concert). But after watching this concert I got satisfied. The order of these songs are really nice, starting with "LET ME ENTERTAIN YOU", "WE WILL ROCK YOU" and going to a wondeful "MONSOON". A quieter part of the show comes with "SHE'S THE ONE", but it contrast with inmediately played "SUPREME". "KIDS" and "HOT FUSGE" are greatly complemented with those wonderful girls dancing all around the stage... That nice variant on starting of "ROCK DJ" really make people shout: "LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE" then Robbie coming up from below the stage and those pretty girls doing their dance around him... The concert finish with a emotive "ANGELS". So, my qualification is 5/5
Robbie as a showman: Unique. He's always playing and talking to attendance. He's dancing and running, that's a prove of his energy and enthusiasm for giving people more than they espect from him. He's mad when he had, but he's also touched by his emotions as "FEEL" shows us. It's something difficult to explain but Robbie's behavior store many different ways of express his happiness and madness. He even call a girl to kiss her... many things we cannot see in ther concerts. 5/5
In conclusion: If you're a Robbie fan, it's your duty buying this DVD. You'll never see him like this again... Thinking twice... You will. But this is a chance to have all those things we couldn't see live and direct. If you're not a Robbie fan or maybe you haven't heard about him, BUY this DVD, to see how a great singer should guide a live show.
As Robbie said at Knetworth: THIS IS ROBIE WILLIAMS, THIS IS MY BAND... AND FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS, YOUR ASS IS MINE!

Well, I'm from Germany and at the moment for one year in Brasil as an exchangestudent. Sorry for my english =)
Because being from Germany I know Robbie Williams and in the summer 2003 I've been to one concert of him in Germany. It was one of the best days in my life. But that, what happened on the 1., 2. and 3. of august in Knebworth, London, is incradible, amazing and wonderful at the same time. On three nights 375.000 people. Every night 125.000 people enjoing the worlds best entertainer and singer kidding with the crowd, singing his best songs and showing his soul.
I watched this DVD now for more than 9 times and I never get bored. It's such an amazing feeling seeing the 125.000 people jumping during "let me entertain you" and "kids" or hear them singing "we will rock you", "angels", "feel" or "better man". Even if you don't know the songs you'll enjoy this DVD, because there's no other way feeling about this DVD than the best one...
But there's one negative thing: You (if you're from the USA) will never see him performing live, like he did in the last summer '03. And when you watch this DVD you'll have no other wish than joining a real Robbie Williams show, because it's the best thing you can do...
I'm sorry, America, but at the moment you're missing the worlds best entertainer at the top of his career...

I didn't hear about Robbie before I first heard it on Star Radio (http://www.star-radio.net) a few weeks ago and then I saw this DVD in here few days ago. I watched it yesterday and it is absolutely AWESOME ! I'm sure Robbie fans will like it.