An unfunny* evening with Tim Minchin and his piano, Theatre Royal, Glasgow. Wednesday 26th July, 2023

"Warning: This is not a comedy gig. Attendance is not compulsory."

I was excited when Tim extended his impromptu London dates into a tour and even happier when my boss got me tickets for the Glasgow show at the Theatre Royal (thank you, Kim). I've been such a fan of his work since seeing him at the Edinburgh Fringe all those years ago and still remain a little starstruck in his company (so this is far from an impartial review).

As the poster said, it was just him and his piano (plus acoustic guitar for The Aeroplane) with no scripted comedic links between the songs. Not that he was unfunny. He was constantly amusing in a stream-of-consciousness way as he remarked about the background to the songs, or about his family, or about how his career rocketed after Karen Koren brought him over from Australia to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe eighteen years ago.

He'd asked us beforehand not to film or record the performance so everyone including him could be present in the moment and he could relax to play around on his piano without fear of repercussions. He fluffed the occasional note but no one minded. This was an audience of fervent fans. The applause he received walking on stage was so loud it felt like the theatre was shaking.

When it came to the audience choice numbers, he asked us to shout out Huzzah for the one we wanted. That didn't really work (too English) so instead he changed it to something more appropriate for Glasgow. So the requests for 'You Grew on Me'  and 'Airport Piano' (over 'Drowned' and 'Leaving LA') were won by instead shouting Fuck You the loudest.  

Despite the size of the theatre (1500 seats), it felt like an intimate gig. He was chatty and amusing and played beautifully, tinkering with the songs as the mood took him. He made light of the bits he fluffed, reminding us it was a one-of-a-kind night. He was good company and I left the theatre feeling content. He'd been just as amazing as I'd expected.

Reflecting on the gig the day after, I reckon this was his way of marking out his transition from Comedian to Performer. If he tours again (and he doesn't need to thanks to his Matilda money), I don't think it will be a comedy tour. It will be all about the music. And I'll be there, still starstruck and loving every minute.

Setlist

Beauty

Understand It

You Grew on Me  (Audience choice over 'Drowned')

Airport Piano (Audience choice over 'Leaving LA') 

Apart Together 

Lucy

So Much Love

Quiet

The Fence 

I Can't Save You

The Song of the Masochist (Timmy the Dog song)

I'll Take Lonely Tonight

The Aeroplane

Encore:

Darkside

White Wine in the Sun

The stage is set 

Day Five: Friday 7th July, 2023 - Billy Joel, BST Hyde Park, London.

Despite the thunderstorms back home, our weather in London was gloriously hot with baking sunshine. After breakfasting again at O'Neill's on Euston Road, we headed on the Northern Line to Green Park intending to grab a mid-morning drink and ice cream at Venchi on Piccadilly. An extended family arrived just before we did, taking their time to decide what they wanted, so we aborted that decision and instead crossed the road to Caffè Concerto where we sat inside and had a strawberry tart, a couple of scones, a cappuccino and a freshly squeezed orange juice. It wasn't cheap but, with the heat building outside, the air conditioning made it worth it. 

Afterwards, on the way to Hyde Park, we picked up a couple of bottles of still water from M&S, enduring the need to use their self-checkout. We kept the bottles sealed so we could take them into the venue with us. 

I made the mistake of thinking our access gate would be beside the one we'd used for Pink. I'd purchased Gold Hydeaway tickets this time, not Diamond VIP (can't remember why because they were the same price) and it turned out the entrance for those was on the opposite side of the park. On the plus side, the short queue at Gate 10 was shaded by trees. 

We got through security swiftly, received our wristbands and checked out the Hydeaway. It was a smaller and less grand affair than the Summer Garden, within a cosy area with lots of mature trees. Not all the tables had parasols and there were no deckchairs or beanbags to recline on. There were also fewer choices for eating places and, although the bar prices were the same, they only had 330ml cans of Coke Zero instead of 500ml bottles. We decided to go for a proper wander, not feeling such a great need to save ourselves a place. 

Although this was our third BST gig, we'd never wandered into the general area before and were surprised by how far back it stretched. I should have realised, with sixty thousand in attendance, it would need to be big. Food stalls and bars lined the field with numbered sound relay stations with screens popping up every so often.  

We never waited to watch any of the performers at either of the other stages. 

  

The Rainbow Stage

The Birdcage Stage

We then checked out the Gold Standing area and were surprised to discover it covered the entire front of the stage. At Pink, the walkway extending from the middle of the stage formed the divide between Gold and Diamond but this time Gold appeared to have it all. The Diamond VIPs were relegated to the edge of the stage. That didn't make sense. Maybe they were allowed in too but had to use a different entrance further back. I never did find out if this was the case. 

The Great Oak Stage, with Diamond VIPs
behind the barrier on the right. 

We returned to the Hydeaway to relax and hydrate. The pollen count was off the chart, especially under the oak trees so my wife's hay fever played up horrendously. She blew her way through a whole packet of tissues before any of the main acts came on and had to fill her bag with toilet paper to survive the rest of the day. 

I discovered a handy tip for making the free water more delicious. Having been offered (and accepted) a slice of lime with my Coke Zero, I inserted it into my bottle of water and remained refreshed by its flavour during multiple refills for the rest of the day. 

We were joined briefly by someone who had flown in especially but had not paid to get in. He didn't stay long, knowing he wasn't wearing the appropriate wristband.

Natasha Bedingfield was the first act to appear on The Great Oak Stage. We headed through to watch her and found her quite pleasant. She had a beautiful voice and looked striking in her white stage clothes. Lots of the crowd sat or reclined on ground mats, laid out to maximise their space. It wasn't too busy and we had a great view, albeit with some photos taken on maximum zoom.

Setlist

Love Like This

Pocketful of Sunshine

Single

Soulmate

The Scientist (Coldplay cover)

Weightless / Anti-Hero / Gotta Get Thru This / Just the Way You Are

(Medley of Taylor Swift, Daniel Bedingfield and Bruno Mars covers)

Purple Rain (Prince cover)

Wild Horses (Acapella, First verse and Chorus)

These Words

Unwritten (acoustic performance due to technical problems)  

We left to get food, using the nearest exit at the rear which took us into the General Area. Suddenly everywhere seemed crowded. All the food places had long queues so we elected to return to the Hydeaway to eat there. It took us longer than anticipated to get back but at least the queues were shorter. Unfortunately, all the seats and tables were taken so we had to sit on the grass to eat our chicken burgers, which were actually delicious. By the time we'd finished, Daryl Hall was already on stage. The staff had closed the entrance we'd used previously to get into the Gold Area so we had to go in at the back. It had become very busy but we found a spot near the middle at the rear. 

Daryl's performance was not very good. Much like Axl Rose, he couldn't reach the high notes and had to sing around them, often aborting and pulling away from the microphone. His backing band did their best to carry him but Daryl was not happy. At the end of each song, he waved a throwaway hand as if to dismiss it, a sour expression on his face. He didn't give up but you could tell he felt bad and at the end he marched to the middle of the stage, took an extravagant bow then swiftly exited the stage, leaving the band trailing behind. Sad. 

Setlist

Maneater (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

Dreamtime

Family Man (Mike Oldfield cover)

Out of Touch (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

Method of Modern Love (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

I'm in a Philly Mood

Everytime You Go Away (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

Sara Smile (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

Rich Girl (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

You Make My Dreams (Daryl Hall & John Oates song)

More and more people poured in after his set but, fortunately, no one tall stood in front of us. To be fair, we were quite far back so most people were trying to get further forward. The sun was still going strong and there was barely a cloud in the sky. A drone seemed to be monitoring the crowd. Not that there was any trouble. As a more mature crowd, they had come to be entertained, not get blitzed out of the faces. 

Billy wore a dark, tieless suit and dark sunglasses and took up his position at the piano, receiving a huge cheer from the crowd. He looked trimmer than the last time we'd seen him and his voice was in excellent form. He enjoyed entertaining us, telling us in his New York drawl, "I got good news, I got bad news. The bad news is we don't got anything new to play. The good news is you don't need to hear anything new."  When he came out from behind the piano, he joked about being no Mick Jagger, whereupon the band kicked in with "Start Me Up" which he sang along to briefly, mimicking Jagger's moves, before calling it off for one of his own songs.  

What made this event even better, apart from the brilliant sound quality, was the use of the giant screens to show the performance. With multiple camera angles and moving shots, it gave the screens a cinematic feel. They would cut to views of the audience singing along, showing how far back the crowd went, then straight back to Billy or the band. It gave the event a sense of scale, yet kept it intimate.

Billy shared the limelight with his band. Crystal Taliefero-Pratt took over lead vocals for Ike and Tina Turner's River Deep, Mountain High while Mike Delguidice got to sing his party piece, Nessum Dorma, fitting given Pavarotti had famously sung the song on the same stage back in 2001.   

The encore was a delight, especially when they hit that chord that starts The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night. As a surprise bonus cover, it couldn't have been better.

Overall, it was a bloody good night.

Setlist

Intro track: The Natural (The End Title) (Randy Newman song)

My Life (with “Ode to Joy” intro)

Movin' Out (Anthony's Song)

The Entertainer

Vienna (audience choice over “Just the Way You Are")

Zanzibar

An Innocent Man (with “Start Me Up” first two verses as intro)

The Longest Time (Snippet of The Marvelows - I Do as intro)

Don't Ask Me Why

New York State of Mind

Allentown

She's Always a Woman

Sometimes a Fantasy

Only the Good Die Young

The River of Dreams (With "River Deep, Mountain High" snippet sung by Crystal Taliefero)

Nessun Dorma (Giacomo Puccini cover) (Sung by Mike Delguidice)

Scenes From an Italian Restaurant

Piano Man

Encore:

We Didn't Start the Fire

Uptown Girl (with Joe Jonas)

It's Still Rock and Roll to Me

Big Shot

A Hard Day's Night (The Beatles cover)

You May Be Right (With “Rock and Roll” by Led Zeppelin)    

Ticket Price: £299.95 each via AXS.     

Celeb guests, Sam Ryder and Stephen Merchant 
(Claudia Winkleman, Gary Neville, Catherine Tate
and Brett Goldstein were also there)

"When I was a little girl..."

River Deep, Mountain High

Nessum Dorma

We Didn't Start the Fire

Uptown Girl with Joe Jonas

Day Four: Thursday 6th July, 2023 - "The Wizard of Oz" Press Night at The London Palladium.

Warning: this blog contains plot spoilers. Having game experience in D&D will also help.    

It was a warm and sunny evening in London and the streets were busy with workers heading home and tourists curious to discover what was going on outside the London Palladium. As this was press night, barriers lined both sides of the narrow Argyll Street with press photographers corralled into a pen opposite the doors. A yellow carpet had been laid in front of the theatre, instead of the traditional red one, to represent the Yellow Brick Road. PR staff buzzed about, ensuring each newly arrived photographer received a press pack containing the images and names of the anticipated guests. Security in dark suits endeavoured to ensure public safety by controlling the flow of pedestrian and car traffic when the pavement opposite became clogged with onlookers. They also wore earpieces to alert them to the arrival of anyone famous.

From our position across the street, it became a friendly competition to identify first who the next minor celebrity being photographed was.  

Jenny Eclair

Seeta Andrani

Jo Wood, former wife of Rolling Stones' Ronnie Wood.

Linda Robson and family

Steph Mcgovern

Andi Osho

Kathy Lette and Anneka Rice

Alfie Boe

Gregg Wallace

Ore Oduba

Sinitta, with her dog

Sally Lindsey and her family

We had to join the queue to go in so missed loads of others but they're all pictured here (Getty Images). Follow the link to see: Toby Jones, Christopher Biggins, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, Nigel Havers, Sandi Togsvik, Bruno Tonioli, Dawn O'Porter, Ross King, Martin Lewis, Beverly Knight, Dame Kelly Jones, Fleur East and others I wouldn't have recognised. 

The view from the Grand Circle, row B

The show I liked but it didn't wow me. I didn't realise it was a touring production so the staging was sparser and not as big as I'd anticipated. It didn't inhabit the theatre like a residency would but that flaw was on me. I was disappointed too that the flying monkeys didn't fly (though their design was excellent) and the special effects were not so special but that didn't stop the show from being entertaining. The songs and singing were good, the choreography was of top West End quality and the performances were mostly excellent. Jason Manford utilised great comic timing as the Cowardly Lion, Ashley Banjo employed a street dance ethic for his version of the Tin Man and Louis Gaunt brought a loose physicality to his performance that embodied the 1939 film's Scarecrow. The Munchkins were taller than I'd expected but the production didn't seem to suffer for it. Dorothy had a great voice and Gary Wilmot was great as the Wizard.

The biggest novelty was probably Toto the dog. Once you ignored the grown man operating the puppet, it was difficult not to fall for the dog's charms, with its expressions, wagging tail and the natural way it bounded about the stage. 

Overall, it was a fine, family-friendly show that I wouldn't need to see again. 

I did have one epiphany. 

I've always had a problem with the ending of the film, where Dorothy is told to click her heels together three times and think of home. Why did Glinda the Good Witch not just tell her that at the start? We could have skipped to the end of the film.

So, here's a Dungeons and Dragons analogy to explain it.

At the start, when she arrives in Oz, Dorothy is a first-level magic user with a dog familiar called Toto. She gets lucky during her first encounter and kills a witch by accidentally dropping a house on her. Without having to search the dead body, thanks to Glinda the Good Witch's intervention, she gets rewarded with a pair of ruby slippers, a powerful magical item imbued with a Protection from Evil spell. They later save her from the Wicked Witch of the West, who wants the powerful slippers for herself.    

As Dorothy wants to go home but doesn't know how, she follows the Munchkin's advice and takes the Yellow Brick Road to the nearest big city, the Emerald City, minimising the risk of random encounters on the way. She does, though, meet three NPCs (Non-Player Characters) and agrees to form an adventuring party with them.  

At the Emerald City, she meets a scary avatar of the Wizard, who sets them all off on a quest to bring him back the Wicked Witch of the West's broomstick. In return, he promises he'll send Dorothy home and grant the others the things they wanted too.  

They have more encounters, including one in a forest where they fail their saving rolls against sleep. Dorothy and Toto get captured by flying monkeys (not yet high enough level to fight them all off). The trio of NPCs rescue them, gaining enough experience points (XP) to level up their characters. Dorothy inadvertently discovers the WWW's secret weakness when she splashes her with a bucket of water. She gets loads of XP from the boss kill. Typical lucky magic user.

The Wizard rewards the NPCs by explaining they've already unlocked the proficiencies they sought. Toto messes up Dorothy's exit in the balloon but fortunately, Glinda is on hand to explain the slippers have a Limited Wish function, which Dorothy is now high enough level to cast. She even explains how to perform the spell. Dorothy clicks her heels together three times and repeats the magic words "There's no place like home".  

And we're back in Kansas again. Adventure over. Back to boring real life but happy for learning our lessons from the game.

The End.  

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