Live in Las Vegas

About

Live in Las Vegas was an original composition written by Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers and British comedian Jimmy Carr for Williams’s 2019 Las Vegas residency at the Wynn Encore Theatre. The song was used to open each show, debuting at the dress rehearsal on 5 March 2019. Performed as Williams descended from the ceiling on a platform, it set the tone for a lavish production of swing, pop and covers, created especially for the 1,480-seat venue.

Although never officially released, Live in Las Vegas was conceived as a tongue-in-cheek homage to the city’s showmanship. The arrangement featured bright horns, a big-band rhythm and brassy backing vocals, echoing the style of Williams’s earlier swing albums Swing When You’re Winning and Swings Both Ways. Fans described it as a high-energy blend of cabaret and pop, with Williams accompanied by dancers and an illuminated microphone cane.

The lyrics celebrated excess and glamour in typical Vegas fashion. Lines such as “Strippers keep on stripping, paying for tuition, and they bang like dynamite” and “I’m live in Las Vegas, turn the Sunday into Saturday night” highlighted the city’s mix of decadence and spectacle. Other phrases, including “The stakes are sky high, but I’m the type of guy who goes on and steals the show,” reflected Williams’s self-aware humour and confidence as a live performer.

I want people who have never seen me before to come to the show and be entertained and not be bored. I’ve just constructed a show where if you know me or you don’t, you will be entertained and you will know the songs.Robbie Williams

Critics praised the residency for its showmanship and intimacy, with Live in Las Vegas standing out as its defining statement. The track remains exclusive to those performances, symbolising a period in which Williams re-imagined himself as a modern-day showman in the tradition of Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley.