What We Did Last Summer [DVD]

What We Did Last Summer records the three August days in 2003 in which (it seemed) most of the Home Counties converged on rural Hertfordshire for Robbie Williams's record-breaking Knebworth gigs. For the 375,000 fans (or pilgrims) who endured the massive traffic jams and the sweltering heat to attend the concerts, Williams is their pop messiah--an image the star seems content to cultivate throughout the two-hour set. Opening the concert in the style of another who wowed the masses, the stage curtains fall to reveal Robbie hanging upside down like Houdini in an escapologist costume; and like that master showman, Williams manages to keep his audience spellbound too. Despite the tens of thousands at the gig, Robbie does his best to interact with the audience, utilising his charm in an almost impossible attempt to persuade the masses that he's performing individually to each and every one of them. Various items of Robbie's attire are thrown into the audience, and one good-looking female fan is pulled from the front row, an event that Mr Williams uses to his own benefit by consensually sticking his tongue down her throat. He also takes advantage of the size of the audience and the fading light, by requesting that those with cameras use them at the exact same moment. Like a galaxy of pulsating stars, the camera flashes look spectacular, an effect that could only have been witnessed at the time by those lucky enough to be on stage.

Consisting mainly of greatest hits and tracks from Escapology, the show connects the familiar with the lesser-known songs. Nonetheless, despite this mix of old and new, there's a slight air of weariness about the gig. Maybe it's the plethora of other Robbie DVDs available, his sheer over-familiarity, or perhaps, as the star himself suggests, now that he's reached the pinnacle of his career he has nowhere else to go. Only time will tell whether the fans stay loyal, but this concert provides an excellent memento of Robbie on top.

On the DVD: What We Did Last Summer has the two-hour gig on the first disc, presented with a choice of spectacular sound options: DTS 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 or Stereo. The second disc, frankly, has a paltry amount of bonus material that takes up a fraction of the potential space available. The DVD-ROM extras should also come with a health warning, particularly the PC sound effects/clips, which have the potential to test the patience of a saint. Luckily there are a number of hidden extras including Robbie's legendary live performance of "Back for Good" with former Take That bandmate Mark Owen. --John Galilee