Love him or loathe him, there is no denying the awesome staying power of Sir Cliff. This show at Wembley Arena marked the singer’s 60th headline appearance at the venue — a record by some way. Then again, the so-called Time Machine tour does celebrate his 50th year in pop. Much more important than statistics, however, was that the concert was a fun, fast-paced spectacular that not even a Cliff critic could fail to enjoy.

Sure, some of the songs had dated badly, but, aided by a small army of energetic musicians positioned around the sides of the stage, the vast majority felt fresh and punchy. And yes, Cliff does still dress like a tacky game-show host — his opening outfit of black trousers and shirt teamed with a hot-pink suit jacket and matching sparkly tie was particularly horrific, but some of his less ostentatious gear was simply smart.

The concert’s genius lay in its set design. Dominating the stage was a silver Wheel of Fortune-style prop supposed to look like an old tape reel, although it did rather resemble a giant hubcap. Every couple of songs it spun to choose a year in which Cliff had a hit, while pre-recorded video segments recalled world events at the time.

The incessant skipping between decades — the show started in the 1950s for Move It and Living Doll, then went to 1981 for a fizzy Wired for Sound, complete with acrobatic dancers — gave the set an element of expectation and a surprisingly vigorous pace.

While he can look a little frail these days, the 68-year-old singer seemed invigorated. A soppy Suddenly was followed by Daddy’s Home, on which Cliff briefly joined in a tight routine with eight dancers. His solo moves, of course, could have been choreographed by a piece of cheese — gyrating his hips, turning to wiggle his bum and pointing skywards with one finger, legs apart, on a rotating, circular stage engraved with his name.

There was a Spinal Tap moment during a duet of She Means Nothing to Me when two platforms carrying Cliff and a singing sidekick rose ludicrously high in the air and began to wobble, but there was also genuine humour, plus a rather raunchy segment during Devil Woman when women in short sparkly dresses lay at Cliff’s feet with their legs in the air. All at once, a crowd that really did range from twentysomethings to pensioners whipped out their camera phones.

Cliff Richard is at Wembley Arena until Sat. Then touring: Nov 17-18, Cardiff International Arena; Nov 20-23, Birmingham NIA; Nov 25-26, Manchester MEN

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