Robbie Williams - Under the Radar Live in London

You know it's going to be a special night when pop's greatest showman gets on stage and says, "I've left Robbie at home tonight, I've only brought Rob."

And still, it was the most incredible Robbie Williams show I've seen. Every show he does is great, but this was its own special kind of amazing. There were no hits -- no Angels or Let Me Entertain You like every other show -- just a lot of songs from the three Under the Radar collections, and some 'deep cuts' from the other albums that our Robstar never gets to sing in the stadiums full of casual followers.

The big night came about as an idea a couple / few years ago, when Rob wanted to throw a concert in his garden, with just the inner circle, to sing the songs we never get to hear live. More recently, it turned into a show based on the UTR records, still invite only, but in a concert venue like a regular show. When all the plans came together, invitations went out just to specific folks, and those of us who got them were thrilled to be included in such a special, once in a lifetime, event. I woke up at 4am to ensure I got a ticket as soon as they became available, and gave up time at the RWC in Japan to make sure I could attend.

But with less than a month's notice, many of the invitees couldn't make it. Tickets were cheap, so I'm guessing the venue's more than 3000 person capacity needed to be filled for the RW team to break even. Unbeknownst to Rob (I'm not sure he didn't know, but I'm pretty sure), tickets were next offered to basic members of the RW app, then to anyone who's ever bought anything on the Robbie website, then to any rando passing by on the street. Not quite the intimate friendlies-only show originally planned, but Rob still treated it like it was. He was so relaxed and just himself -- the him we see offstage -- telling stories, smiling, laughing, having the best time. And so were we.

I heard from a few folk sat at the back that they were surrounded by stone-faced miserable people annoyed they'd paid for a bunch of songs they'd never heard before. But since they let the original invitees in first, we were all right down front, and for us it felt like it was just the inner sanctum. It was a 2 hour musical group hug between Rob and the friendlies.

Oh, and by the way, I went out in public in pajamas. In London. I rode the Tube in pajamas. Me, the world's worst joiner. I guess there was some discussion about a sleepover and pillow fight in the original gig idea, and Rob set a dress code of pajamas for the Roundhouse... himself, band, and crew included. Most everyone who showed up played along, but I'm not sure everyone knew why.

When I got back to the hotel, I was so abuzz that I was awake until 2:30am chatting with the other Rob mentals who were also unable to sleep, and am subsequently useless today. I have a gig hangover (not actually hungover, because I didn't drink, although I might be dehydrated, since the venue was boiling), physically broken and mentally useless today.

Both during the show and right after it ended, Rob kept saying he wants to do it again. Yes, please! Name a time and place, I'll drop everything and be right there.

After last night, I'm sleep deprived, my voice is croaking, my head hurts, my body aches from hours of standing, and I can't concentrate because my brain is stuck in a memory loop of the show's best moments.

I can't wait to do it again.