Robbie’s “a very bad boy”
Health groups have dubbed rocker Robbie Williams a “very bad boy” for smoking onstage during one of his sell-out Brisbane concerts. The British entertainer last night smoked a cigarette during banter with the 52,000-strong crowd at Suncorp Stadium, in the first of two Brisbane shows from his Close Encounters world tour. Williams, 32, told the adoring crowd he was well aware of a smoking ban at the venue but had failed in his attempts to quit. Authorities today urged Williams not to repeat sending the “wrong message to kids” and flouting the law by sparking up again at tonight’s second show.
The Queensland Cancer Fund’s prevention and early detection unit manager Susan Greenbank said his smoking performance was disappointing, but hardly surprising. “Robbie’s a very bad boy and there are a number of staff at the Queensland Cancer Fund who are more than willing to give him a stern talking to about this,” Ms Greenbank said. “It’s disappointing he chose to break the law. “(But) that’s probably indicative of his attitude to most things … he’s very ‘I’m Robbie Williams I can do what I like’ – it’s just consistent with the rest of his behaviours, so it’s probably not that surprising.”
A spokesman for Health Minister Stephen Robertson said authorities wouldn’t pursue a $150 fine for Williams – the penalty imposed for breaking anti-smoking regulations at sporting venues. “The (health) department has communicated with Ogden – Ogden operates Suncorp Stadium … it is actually up to them to police these sorts of things and to make sure people abide by the laws,” the spokesman said.
“It is illegal to smoke at public venues such as Suncorp Stadium.” But he urged Williams not to light up again. “Robbie is obviously a visitor to this state and he may not be aware of the laws and how seriously we treat them and, while it was a great show last night, we hope there isn’t a repeat performance tonight of that particular episode,” he said. “It sends the wrong message to kids.” The noise from the concert at the venue in Brisbane’s inner suburb of Milton attracted only seven complaints to a hotline specifically set up by the state government. A Suncorp Stadium spokesman said there were two instances where the noise went “slightly” over the limit. He said six troublemakers were evicted, but there were no arrests.
AAP / theage.com.au