The concert of Robbie Williams felt like a happy funeral rolled into a musical about life.

Allow me to break this down. Funerals, I find, offer a very powerful, unique space where one can stop and think about life.

Very often people who are present at a funeral find themselves thinking about their own life and about their close loved ones. As they mourn the loss of someone, they are given the opportunity to appreciate life as the ceremony reminds them that we are not here forever and ought to cherish the people we love and live in the moment – no regrets.

Robbie Williams spoke about his wife and children in a way that made us feel he did not always appreciate them as much as he does today.

So, through his concert, he managed to get many of us to reflect on our lives deeply.

On the flip side, there was the ‘musical’ feel. A musical, as you know, is usually a medley of scripted lines and song. Which is pretty much what he did.

His connection with the audience felt real, but a Google search will reveal that he followed a similar script during previous concerts – a script in which he unwinds his life and confides in the audience – in the case of Malta, of 20,000 people. The repetition does not make it less genuine – he has a strong message to pass on to people.

Clearly, Robbie Williams understands the power of storytelling as a way to connect with people. The man can certainly entertain a crowd, but he did it through storytelling and through another powerful tool - the art of vulnerability.

He spoke about his weaknesses and his struggles. He did not try to hide the human side of him – despite his success and popularity. He even looked the part.

Because he was vulnerable – a word he himself used – people connected with him. Masses gathered to see one man – one very talented man – who is facing the struggles of many in that crowd: he spoke about his issues with ageing, drugs and his mental health struggles with anxiety. He spoke about not feeling good enough and said that what kept him going were his family and the supportive audience.

He also spoke about how damaging the paparazzi have been. Again, a reflection of daily life. Many of us may not have paparazzi but there are the comments made through social platforms – something we know many young people face.

His concert was a reminder of how connected we are as human beings. It is up to us to use that connection for good because, while we have the power to help and support others, we can also crush them with our words or actions. It’s a choice we need to be aware of – because it can have huge repercussions on the way people feel especially at a time when, according to the Chamber of Psychologists, Malta is facing a mental health crisis.

Robbie Williams looked like a giant on big screens, but when we looked on the real stage, we saw a tiny glittering man – there came the perspective. We are all the same.

His concert was a reminder that, if we feel alone, sometimes it’s OK to show our vulnerability because chances are we are not alone. There might not be 20,000 people cheering us on… but there are many, many more people than that feeling the same way.