The Prat Pack UK Tour 2025, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow. Monday 28th April 2025

My wife wanted to see this show, but I didn't book the tickets when they went on sale because we had planned to be away the weekend before the gig. Then we got Poppy, and those plans fell through, but unfortunately, the show had already sold out. 

After numerous searches on Ticketmaster for resale tickets, I managed to acquire one ticket, accepting that I would have to pay the double booking fee, which refunds the original seller's costs and pays the new purchase fees. Then, late one night (in the early morning, actually), I happened upon the Glasgow Life website and spotted eight tickets available in the arena. To my surprise, I was able to add two of these production release seats to my basket. Result! 

I then sold the resale ticket on Twickets, but for thirty pounds less than I paid. Dems de breaks!

We drove in early, parked for free on the street and went for a drink in Walkabout. We headed to the venue at 7 o'clock, and the lines in the foyer were already long. Lots of older types were slowly shuffling forward while the younger ones queued at the bar (until they announced there were more bars inside). 

We took our seats. The view was good. I hadn't bought a programme, but it looked full of engaging content, as much as I could tell, viewing it over someone's shoulder.

The fifteen-piece band took to the stage (all male, as it was, back in the day), and then the mayhem began. Bradley's introduction brought us both Brad and Brian, the latter claiming to be the former, which he proved by flattening his nose with the help of a roll of sellotape around his head. Shane was then brought on along with 'Squeaky', who didn't know why he was there, as he couldn't sing.

    

Bradley, who had instigated the show, performed hosting duties as much as he was allowed by the three reprobates. Rehearsed and unrehearsed banter bounced back and forth as they made each other corpse (natural and fake). Rarely were any of the numbers performed entirely straight, with the others chipping in with gags or comic interruptions. They all got to perform individually, singing, telling jokes and interacting with the audience (Bradley's attempts to get us to do a Mexican wave didn't really work). More often than not, though, the lifelong friends were together on stage, having a blast.  

Not everything ran smoothly. At one point early on, Bradley's braces broke; later, Shane forgot the lyrics to "Mack the Knife" and had to lean over the pianist to read them from his music. I enjoyed Joe "Squeaky" Pasquale's contributions, especially his prop gags. Brian Conley, who's sixty-three, dressed up in a Gladiator leotard, calling himself "Thrust", for a skit on the Brad-hosted TV show. I wouldn't have wanted to be near the front during the water pistol bit ("Now this is a water pistol), as one woman in particular bore the brunt of the increasingly larger water cannons. Squeaky came to her rescue with a leaf blower toilet roll dispenser, blowing the entire roll at her, reminding me of a Blue Man Group bit.  

It was a fun night, filled with jokes about erectile dysfunction and the audience's age. The little music they actually performed was sung well, and everyone had a good time. Special mention should go to the Concert Hall security, who were tenacious in preventing photography and filming, even getting one row to stand up so the usher could get close enough to berate the culprit sitting in the centre. Whenever a flash went off, it triggered their attention. One woman in front of me even received a warning during the interval not to use her phone again. I only managed to snap this one at the very end. 

On the way home, we stopped at a Tim Hortons, which was surprisingly busy with students on their laptops, even though it was after ten o'clock. It felt like we were witnessing a whole subculture of society. The honey cruller and hot chocolate were nice.

 

Ticket Price: £85.50 each from GlasgowLife.

Blurb:

Four of the country’s greatest comedy entertainers will tour the UK in 2025 with their own special take on the Rat Pack – Bradley Walsh (The Chase, Gladiators), Brian Conley (The Brian Conley Show, EastEnders), Shane Richie (EastEnders, I’m a Celebrity…) and Joe Pasquale (I’m a Celebrity…, Dancing On Ice) are ‘THE PRAT PACK’.

Inspired by the performances of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford, the UK stars are hitting the road (with Pasquale at the wheel of the tour bus). Tickets go on sale at 10am on Friday 29 November.

Packed with laughs and songs, backed by a 15-piece band, the show will let the audience in on the banter between some of television’s best-loved stars – who are also very close friends.

Bradley Walsh says: “People are starved of our type of entertainment – songs, stories, jokes – and banter! It’s an homage to the Rat Pack but brought up to the modern day, and it’s a fantastic night. We are just thrilled. We all share the same dressing room – we’re mates. We’ve known each other for so long now – and the show is about warmth and family – because we are. It’s great, really great.”

Fans can expect an evening packed with jokes that can only come from the chemistry of such seasoned entertainers. Walsh, Conley and Richie were all Pontins Bluecoats earlier in their careers and Pasquale was a Warner’s Greencoat, giving them all a grounding in variety before decades-long careers at the very top of entertainment.

Bradley Walsh says: “The show harks back to the 1950s and ‘60s – the Rat Pack era of Sinatra and the gang. The four of us have been mates for over 40 years now and we have a combined age of around 250 years, so a quarter of a millennium. The only time we were on the same show was in 1993 for the Royal Variety Performance. I’ve been desperate to put something together like this for so long.”