King Robbie bringing former pop royalty on NZ tour

By RUSSELL BAILLIE

It's the return of the king. Robbie Williams is playing in Auckland in December and he's bringing with him some former British pop royalty - Duran Duran.

The band which helped define the sound and style of the 80s with hits like Girls on Film, Hungry Like the Wolf, and Save A Prayer, has reformed its original line-up - Simon Le Bon, Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, John Taylor, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor - for a new album and tour.

The group were awarded a lifetime achievement award at the MTV music video awards last week in New York in between sold-out dates on their American tour.

They will open for Williams. He returns after his late 2001 concerts, which with dates in Wellington and Christchurch, became the biggest money-spinner in New Zealand concert history. It was estimated to have grossed $10 million with about 100,000 people in the audience across his four dates.

Williams' bigger 2003 stadium show requires carries 400 tonnes of gear on twenty trucks and needs sixty crew to build it with the staging featuring a walkway that runs twenty metres into the centre of the audience.

It seems the rest of the country is missing out as Williams' appeal in Australia has finally caught up with his greater popularity in New Zealand. Having played indoor arenas when he was last across the Tasman, this time Williams is performing at Melbourne's Telstra Dome on Wednesday December 10 and Sydney's Aussie Stadium on Saturday December 13.

Tickets for the Auckland show go on sale on Monday September 22 at New Zealand Postshops, via the website Live In Concert or phone 0800 000575.