Oliver and I went to Munich for the weekend to see Robbie Williams on his Britpop Tour 2025. We are always looking for reasons to meet and, as we’ve done lots of times, we like to combine it with some music and a bit of travel. Returning to Munich is always a treat. We’ve seen two big shows at Olympiastadion before, Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, and this time we also planned on catching up with our friend Anja.
I’ve actually seen Robbie Williams live before, in Gothenburg, back in 2013. There is no doubt about it: he’s an entertainer. That time, he came flying onto the stage (literally). The show was bursting with kitsch and chaos, and at one point he brought up a girl whose sign asked him to sign her butt and he did. The whole thing was completely over the top; giant Robbie puppets spitting out balloons and fire, a stage setup that felt like a circus, and a slightly unserious vibe throughout. I actually preferred the support act Olly Murs that evening.
But that was then. A lot has happened since.
Now, more than ten years later, I find Robbie Williams to be an interesting character, not because I’ve ever been a big fan, but because he seems to have gone through a change and he comes across as reflective and surprisingly self-aware. I watched the Netflix documentary and the biopic Better Man, and they’ve made me curious.
Let’s talk about the premises of this concert. We both arrived in Munich after a couple of very hot and exhausting weeks; Oliver straight from work, and I currently on a summer holiday that was starting to feel more like a slow meltdown. My rooftop apartment hadn’t dropped below 29°C, no matter the time of day, for two weeks and after a while the heat had really got to me.
In that sense, Munich offered some relief. It was grey, drizzly, and only 17°C, not exactly summer vibes, but at least we could breathe. Still, walking around the city the day before and on the day of the concert wasn’t particularly pleasant. On our first evening we didn’t make it farther than the local ”tavern” Alter Wirt Moosach, where we tried out the local cuisine. I had Schweinebraten mit Kartoffelknödel and Kaiserschmarrn for dessert. The tavern itself is one of the oldest in Munich, first mentioned in 1442 (back then referred to as a Täfernhaus). It definitely had that traditional, slightly timeworn charm. However, the ugly modern blinking screen with neon colours at the entrance was totally misplaced.
On the day of the show, we wandered a bit through the damp streets and stopped at Löwenbräukeller in Stiglmaierplatz, one of the oldest breweries in Germany. There we had a classic Löwenbräu beer and a Bretzel, the perfect little pause before meeting up with our friend Anja. Eating and drinking turned out to be our version of sightseeing this time, entirely weather-appropriate. After that, we headed back to the hotel for a while to rest and to dry off before making our way to Olympiastadion.
The show started high key with the song Rocket. Robbie came out surrounded by dancers, all part of the big opening spectacle. He was wearing a white overall, which turned out to be more practical than stylish, as it cleverly hid the safety lines for his “flight.” At the end of the song, he climbed the stairs to a rocket and “flew” down to the stage… again. Apparently, once a flying entrance, always a flying entrance.
As soon as he landed, the white overall came off, and underneath he was dressed in red from head to toe: a red sports jacket, a red tank top, and red trousers. Then he launched straight into Let Me Entertain You, a great start, full of energy and drama.
After that energetic opening, the show settled into a good rhythm. Robbie mixed his own hits with a few covers and kept the energy high with his dancers, a tight band and constant banter with the crowd. There was a nostalgic vibe running through it all. He talked openly about his time in Take That, his solo career, and his journey from the 90s to now.
Then came Road to Mandalay, marking a transition to a quieter, more intimate part of the evening. During the song, Robbie made his way to the C-stage for a more stripped-down section of the show. He started with three short a cappella snippets — Tripping, Angels, and Rudebox — followed by acoustic snippets of Better Man, Sexed Up, and Candy. During this section, he was joined by Thom Rylance and Katie Lloyd from the support act Lottery Winners, Thom was on an acoustic guitar and Katie was singing. To wrap up the acoustic set, he “reclaimed” Relight My Fire, a song he was never allowed to sing during his time in Take That. The final song on the C-stage was Something Beautiful, which was sung while Robbie slowly made his way back toward the main stage.
I had heard in advance that Robbie talks a lot during his showson this tour and yes, he really does but it’s all part of the act. The talking was funny and self-aware and kept the energy up between songs. He had great contact with the huge Munich crowd and even ventured into a bit of German, which went down well. After Millennium, he disappeared briefly for another costume change and came back dressed head-to-toe in bright pink.
The dancers and band definitely added to the show, but let’s be honest: Robbie Williams is the show. A fun part was the band introductions, where each member had to play the intro to a song and if Robbie liked it, he sang a snippet. That’s how we got two Guns N’ Roses songs: Sweet Child o’ Mine and Paradise City (a nice little nod to our last concert). Yes, Robbie’s voice was much better than Axl Rose’s.
Another playful detail was a conversation between Robbie and an AI-generated version of his younger self, projected on the big screen. It was both funny and slightly surreal, a creative way of reflecting on his past and showing how much he’s changed since then.
We had a good spot in the “Golden Circle,” which is basically the same as Front of Stage. We stood towards the back, not far from the C-stage, which gave me enough room to dance a bit and when he came to the c-stage we simply turned around and were all of a sudden quite close. It rained off and on, but it was mostly just a light drizzle, nothing too bad, and luckily we had our rain gear. The sound was good.
I’ve always liked Olympiastadion in Munich. It’s kind of impressive and it has a nice shape but it’s old (about the same age as me). We found out the day after the show that this was the last concert there before a major renovation. The work will require a complete closure of the stadium from the autumn of 2025 until spring 2027. During that time, the Allianz Arena will serve as the alternative venue for open-air concerts.
I’ve written before about another special moment connected to this arena. It includes the King of Sweden. You can read more about that in my blogpost from Bruce Springsteen’s concert in Munich in 2023.
I was surprised by how many of the songs I actually recognised and I was happy to see that this show was so much better than the one I saw back in 2013. Robbie closed the night with the mega-hits Feel and Angels (standing on the steps again with his arms out like he was going to fly) and everyone sang along. The crowd was good and Robbie kept us on our toes, making us sing, wave our arms and light up our phones in unison.
One odd detail (which I also noticed in 2013) was the commercials featuring Robbie that were shown in the screens just before the show started. Apparently, FELIX is sponsoring his 2025 European Tour. Yes, the cat food brand teamed up with music! Plus, there’s a collaboration with MediaMarktSaturn, resulting in a co-branded audio product line called PEAQ by Robbie Williams.
Also, a quick shoutout to Oliver, who’s the man behind almost all the photos in my posts. I honestly don’t know how he does it. Technically, my phone has the better camera, but somehow his shots always win. Maybe it’s the lighting and the angles from up where he is (he’s 1.98, I’m 1.70), but either way, I’m grateful, not just for the photos, but for sharing these moments with me 😙
On Sunday, Oliver and I said goodbye again and headed back to our separate homes. Parting ways is never easy, but we’ll see each other again in just two weeks, and not long after that, it’s time for the next concert adventure: White Buffalo in Hamburg.
Setlist
- Rocket
- Let Me Entertain You
- All My Life / Song 2 / Seven Nation Army / Livin’ on a Prayer
- Monsoon
- Rock DJ
- Love My Life
- Strong
- The Road to Mandalay
- Supreme
- Tripping / Angels / Rudebox (a cappella snippets)
- Better Man / Sexed Up / Candy (acoustic snippets)
- Relight My Fire (Dan Hartman cover)
- Something Beautiful
- Millennium
- Theme From New York, New York (John Kander cover)
- Spies
- Kids
- Band introduction with cover snippets: Kiss, Sweet Child O’ Mine, Stevie Wonder song, Another One Bites the Dust, Paradise City, Think, Happy Birthday to You (for Paul, Hot City Horns), Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Y.M.C.A., Don’t Stop Believin’, Sweet Dreams, My Generation
- She’s the One (dedicated to Julia from Franconia)
- My Way (Claude François cover)
Encore:
- Feel
- Angels
Stray Bullet 
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