Robbie Williams entertained thousands at several Manchester gigs this past weekend, and he had an extra special surprise for one famous fan.
The chart-topping solo singer and former member of boyband Take That took to the stage at the AO Arena for three sold-out shows last week, and during one of those shows he dedicated one of his most famous songs to a northern comedy legend – who has called the moment “absolutely crazy”.
Tommy Cannon, who is most well-known for being once half of comedy duo Cannon and Ball, was among the 20,000 fans at Robbie’s gig at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday 22 October.
During his crowd-pleasing set, Robbie announced the comedian was there in the audience.
Getting ready to introduce his 1997 mega hit ‘Angels’, Robbie told the crowd before launching into song: “Now ladies and gentlemen, there’s a legend in the audience tonight who I am a huge fan of, and I would like to dedicate this next song to him.
During the brilliant moment – which was captured on video, and shared to social media by Tommy himself – the crowd can be seen instantly recognising Tommy’s name, with many turning round to catch a glimpse at the comic before launching into thunderous applause and erupting in chants of “Tommy, Tommy, Tommy.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Robbie then continued to more loud cheers: “How much do you love that man? We love you Tommy, this is Angels Tom, and it’s for you.”
Tommy shared a video of the heart-warming moment on Twitter: “I must say hearing Robbie Williams dedicate Angels to me in front of 20,000 was absolutely crazy.”
He added that Robbie’s dedication of the famous hit song “meant the world” to him.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tommy also posted a picture of himself and Robbie hugging, with the words “Wow, overwhelmed… met a legend last night.”
The video of the special moment has been watched by thousands of people online in the following days, with lots of Tommy’s fans commenting how much they loved it, and how brilliant it was to see one entertainer recognise another.
Tommy also has his sights set on his next gig, and says he’s hoping to see Michael Bublé when the Canadian singer performs in Manchester on his UK tour next year.
“Now I need to get myself to see Michael Bublé when he’s in the UK. Another singer I absolutely love,” Tommy said.
Featured Image – Robbie Williams (via Instagram)
Trending
66% of Brits consider Manchester to be the second city not Birmingham
Emily Sergeant
A new survey has revealed that more than half of Brits now consider Manchester to be the second city, rather than Birmingham.
At this point, the debate over where should hold the unofficial title of ‘Britain’s second city’ has raged for almost as long as London has been the capital… but now, in a bid to get to the bottom of the issue, a new YouGov study of more than 55,000 Brits investigates which urban areas the public feel have the strongest claim to holding the title.
Overall, it was revealed that 66% of Brits believe Manchester has a ‘strong case’ for being considered Britain’s second city, compared to 48% for Birmingham, and 49% for Edinburgh
When picking the city they most consider to be Britain’s second city, the public are, however, divided as 34% say it’s Manchester while 30% opt for Birmingham.
66% of Brits consider Manchester to be the second city not Birmingham / Credit: Chris Curry | Josh Taylor (via Unsplash)
As you can probably imagine, the answer to this age-old question varies significantly depending on where you are in the country.
Belief that Birmingham is Britain’s second city is concentrated in and around the West Midlands, whereas Manchester’s claim likewise finds its strongest support on its home patch (77% in Greater Manchester), though this does not extend to every part of the North West, with the people of Merseyside being more likely to consider Liverpool (34%) the second city than Manchester (27%).
Perhaps key to explaining why having a population roughly twice the size of Manchester’s doesn’t immediately settle the 'second city' debate in Birmingham’s favour is that just 14% of Britons consider population size to be the most important factor in determining a second city… pic.twitter.com/ThtAgJSKqq
Despite all this though, Manchester being considered the second city is the most common view across a ‘reasonably wide’ spread of England, YouGov found.
Beyond geographical differences, there’s also seen to be a small generational divide over the title too.
Among younger Brits, Manchester is the clear favourite, with 42% of 18-24 year olds seeing it as Britain’s second city, while Birmingham edges out Manchester for the silver city medal among over-65s by a margin of 35% to 29%.
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
Trending
Review | PinkPantheress turns Victoria Warehouse into one huge party on first night in Manchester
Emily Johnson
There was a point during Pinkpantheress’ set at O2’s Victoria Warehouse where you almost forgot you were watching someone perform an album that barely stretches past the 20-minute mark.
Instead, night one of two Manchester shows felt like one huge club night curated by one of the most exciting British artists around right now.
From the second you walked into the venue, greeted by an army of plaid, the world of PinkPantheress (real name Victoria Beverley Walker, for those who didn’t know) completely took over.
The stage itself mirrored that energy too, with a two-tier setup that allowed her to constantly move around the space, appearing and disappearing throughout the night alongside outfit changes, dramatic lighting and eventually, a pair of angel wings.
Backed by her dancers and DJ Joe, the entire show felt slick, immersive and miles away from the early days of PinkPantheress nervously clutching onto her handbag on stage like a comfort blanket. Ironically, the handbag did make a brief appearance during the evening.
It’s a reminder of just how much her performances have evolved – and evolve they have.
What could have easily been a short and simple set instead became a fully realised live show, complete with extended dance sections, rave-inspired moments, drum solos and seamless transitions that made the whole thing feel bigger than the music alone.
There’s also something undeniably British about a PinkPantheress show: the UK garage influences, the fashion, the awkward humour, and the understated confidence all combined into something that felt distinctly hers.
At one point, she paused to laugh: “It’s hot in this venue, f*** me,” which summed up the sweaty chaos of the night perfectly.
At one point, she joked that the last time she was in Manchester, she made it all the way to the final stage of Pointless, before being told she was now “too famous” to go on the show – a perfectly PinkPantheress anecdote that had the crowd laughing immediately.
By the end of the set, Victoria Warehouse felt less like a gig venue and more like the best house party you’ve ever accidentally ended up at.
And with another Manchester show still to come, it’s safe to say the party isn’t over just yet.
Emily Sergeant -
26th October 2022 
