Robin Thicke Trying to Get Paula Patton Back One Public Declaration at a Time

Robin Thicke with Paula Patton (Getty Images)

Robin Thicke is not ready to walk away from his marriage — as he told the audience at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia, on Thursday night.

Taking the stage for the first time since he and his actress wife, Paula Patton, announced their separation, the crooner talked about his marital problems and dedicated his performance of "Lost Without U" to her.

"For those of you who don't know, my wife and I got separated a few days ago," the "Blurred Lines" singer told the crowd. "But I want everybody here to know: I'm trying to get my girl back."

In a YouTube clip of the moment, you can hear someone say, "That's brave," as he gets candid with the crowd, and the audience screams wildly when he says he's not giving up on his marriage.

Thicke, 36, continued to talk about his marital strife, recounting a conversation he had with Patton, who is his high school sweetheart.

"She told me, she said, 'You should go out there and tell the truth, ya know? You should tell them that you're trying to get me back," he said with a laugh. "She's a good woman."

After taking a moment to wipe his face — and adjust his hair, natch — he gave a hoot of relief.

"It's hard to say it in front of everybody," he admitted. He then asked the crowd to help him with the next song. "If you have somebody with you tonight that you love and you appreciate, hold on tight to them. Take care of them. 'Cause I want to dedicate this song to her. I wrote this about her and I need your help to get me through it. Let's do it."

He then launched into "Lost Without U," which was released in 2007 as the second single from his second album, "The Evolution of Robin Thicke." At the time, he told MTV News that when he was writing it, "I was going through an insecure period and wanted my lady to tell me how fabulous and how sexy and how wonderful I am."

Thicke and Patton appeared in the video together, which was steamy. It features her dancing around for him as he sings, "Baby you're the perfect shape. Baby you're the perfect weight," and, "Tell me you depend on me. I need to hear it."

Thicke and Patton announced they were separating on Monday after eight years of marriage. He canceled a series of shows after the news broke, and upon arriving in Washington, D.C., on Thursday for the Virginia concert, he told a TMZ reporter, "I'm just trying to get her back."

Indeed he is — and he appears to be pulling out all the stops. Time will tell if his efforts pay off.