Robbie Williams review: Surprise Garron Noone duet in Croke Park delights fans
Robbie Williams in performance at Croke Park, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney
If Robbie Williams had brought Oasis on stage as a surprise guest during his gig in Dublin, it’s hard to imagine they would have met cheers as loud as those that greeted TikTok star and singer Garron Noone.
Before the concert, Williams shared a video on social media of him with Noone performing in 37 Dawson Street on Friday night, with Williams joining in for Joe Dolan’s .
He mentioned during his night date in Croke Park that he made a few friends in Ireland and asked the crowd to welcome Noone to the stage.
The crowd went wild as the pair sang together in Croker with the Fiddling Farrells accompanying them.
“Look after this man,” Williams said at the end of their duet. “He’s fucking delicious.”
It was the cherry on top of a night of pure entertainment.
“My dream is to be the best entertainer on the planet,” Williams declared in the packed stadium, and there is no doubt after an electric night that his latest tour is the ultimate love letter to entertainment.
The ‘bad boy’ of boy bands was in Dublin with his tour on Saturday night and despite his swagger and bravado on stage it was an evening of genuine charm and joy.
Some of his fans online — and Williams himself — describe him as the ‘nicest narcissist’ and that seems to be the best way to sum up his cheeky confidence on stage as well as his sincere love for the audience.
“Good evening Dublin, have you missed me? Of course you have. Look at me, Robbie Williams, back in Croke Park,” he declared.
Indie pop band Lottery Winners and singers Elbow opened the gig, ensuring an enthusiastic welcome for Williams, 51, who arrived on stage at 8.30pm with both a burst of energy and an opening sequence that reflected on the impact of social media and AI on the entertainment industry, complete with mock versions of stars like Elvis and Bowie singing the star’s praises.
“Let me reintroduce myself. I’m Robbie fucking Williams. This is my band. This is my arse. Croke Park, are you ready?” he asked, as he launched into .
He was effervescent all night, fizzing with enthusiasm and shimmering not least thanks to his sequinned outfits and full-length faux fur coats.
He leaned into his maturity, with nods to his previous struggles as an up-and-coming pop star and his mental health as well as his life now as a man in his early fifties.
He shared he will be home with his wife and children on Sunday after many weeks apart during his tour but Williams rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of Take That, the biggest boy band of its time.
His departure from the group in 1995 led to a hotline being set up to comfort distraught fans but his subsequent solo career was stratospheric, producing hits like and (the original version of which was co-written by Dublin-born songwriter Ray Heffernan) — and those tracks were received with an almost teenage frenzy in Dublin on Saturday night.
“I’m not going to lie. Dublin, you’re the fucking best in the world,” he praised, during one of his many chats with the audience.
There was a sense of deep personal connection throughout the gig: Williams shared photos of his wife and children during a montage of his life, telling the crowd about each one. He also came close to tears talking about his parents' struggles with dementia and Parkinson's disease.
It’s a rare gift to make a 90,000 capacity venue feel like an intimate gig but that’s just another part of Williams’ skill as an entertainer.
We’ll let him entertain us again — especially when he brings some familiar faces along for the journey.
