Bats may halt Robbie's super gig

A rare breed of bat could stand in the way of a massive Robbie Williams concert near Cologne in Germany this summer.The singer could be forced to cancel the major show.

Specialists say the species - the Daubenton and Pipistrelle Bat - could be irrevocably damaged by the huge 160,000 capacity show, which is due to be staged in close proximity to the animal's woodland nesting ground, goes ahead and are to undertake a study to see if the bats can be protected from the sound levels.

Show organisers, Concert Team, will foot the bill for the research, but as spokesperson Annette Roettgen explains, the outcome is probably best for both camps. "It is still cheaper then paying damages later, she says. "We will do everything we are asked for, so that the animals will survive the Robbie concerts."

In other concert news, Williams is reportedly set to earn £1m to entertain a crowd of 50,000 in Dubai for a one-off concert. The gig reportedly came about after the pop singer was approached for a number of private, big-money engagements, which he declined in favour of the public concert.

"He will still make a large amount of money off the night, but nothing like the offers he was getting from some individuals," an insider told a British tabloid newspaper.

"Rob's view is that he's already loaded and why not make 50,000 people happy as opposed to just a few hundred."