Review: Peter Kay, at Birmingham NIA
With a front row seat for Britain’s best-loved comedian, I feared being in the firing line for any stand-up jokes.
But I needn’t have worried as part of Peter Kay’s appeal is that he isn’t of the cruel wit variety of comedian.
After a seven year absence from live shows, the 37-year-old funnyman was raring to go, rapidly firing jokes in this The Tour That's Not A Tour performance.
His forte, which made Phoenix Nights so good, is noting the hilarious small details in every day things.
That’s exactly what he did for nearly two hours using his family, school nostalgia and old pop songs for inspiration.
Plus there were plenty of digs at close pal Paddy McGuinness.
Kay and music go hand in hand and one of the highlights saw him talking about getting song lyrics wrong.
I was scrunched up in tears of laughter as he played through what he thought various pop songs were saying.
The family-friendly humour was slick and scripted, but it was just a shame Kay’s off the cuff talent had only a brief airing when he zoomed a camera on the audience.
If you go to see the show, make sure you stay for the must-see encore when Kay does amazing things with a spade.
A welcome, hilarious return to the stage.
The tour continues in Birmingham until Monday night.
VERDICT: * * * *
