Updated Friday 8.30am
Robbie Williams lived up to the hype on Thursday evening as he delivered a jam-packed set of some of the most memorable hits of a generation to a bumper crowd at the Granaries.
Ricocheting between hits like Feel, Rock DJ and Kids, Williams dominated the stage in Floriana for almost two hours.
Wearing a glitzy gold vest, he kicked off with the song Hey Wow Yeah Yeah, before indulging in his mega-hit Let Me Entertain You, which set the tempo for the estimated 20,000 crowd.
There was even space for renditions of Take That hits as well as a cover of Oasis’s song Don’t Look Back in Anger before closing his set with his classic Angels, whipping up the audience to a big singalong frenzy.
Always the storyteller, Williams spoke about addiction, survival and sobriety, as well as his angels and demons – the 49-year-old singer has a history of drugs before cleaning up his act.
The highlight of the concert for many was his interaction with the crowd, homing in on two members of the Maltese audience - Priscilla and Daniel - for a number of times during the show.
The crowd roared and it was reflected in comments and clips posted on social media.
"Great show and vibe, but what I kept thinking throughout was what an absolutely brilliant communicator he is," Daniela Attard Bezzina said on Facebook.
"Crowd interaction was top. Great entertainer and showman," said Matthew Bugeja.
The tour, which is in support of his latest compilation album, XXV, cements Williams’s status as the solo artist with the biggest number of UK number 1 albums in the UK.
Organised by NnG and Greatt, the concert also featured performances by Maltese band Red Electric and Shaun Farrugia who set the perfect stage for the big act.