After seeing Kev do an open spot at The Stand earlier in the year, I was keen to see which material made the cut.
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| The view from the front of section 203 |
Two support acts graced the stage in the first half of the show. Christopher MacArthur-Boyd performed a mostly familiar set, mentioning Scotrail and his Australian girlfriend, amongst other things. Christopher is 5'3" and was somewhat dwarfed by the stage and cavernous room. Physically, he reminded me of Ronnie Corbett in the way he kept adjusting his dark-rimmed spectacles.
Chris Kent, an Irish comic from Cork, came on second. The only thing I recall about him was that he said he was from Cork.
During the interval, my wife remarked that she had two empty seats beside her. Then, just before the lights went down, a couple arrived. The man sat beside my wife and reeked of fresh cigarette smoke and clutched a pint. Throughout the show, he kept coughing wheezily, dredging his chest for catarrh as if to recycle much-craved nicotine back into his mouth for oral absorption. The pair left before the end. Maybe they wanted to beat the queues, maybe he needed a fag.
Kevin was on top form. Despite the huge room, he kept the atmosphere intimate, engaging with audience members to prompt his prepared material. His skill is in both the writing and the delivery. He had honed the bits he tested at The Stand, cutting away the chaff and leaving only the funny. I noted he often used football references, such as comparing our global political woes with Russia, Iran, and China to the group stages, where progression would lead to a knockout game against North Korea. He also used Ronaldo and Messi at the Kelpies as an example of AI internet scams.
I couldn't make out his facial expressions from the balcony, so I spent most of the show watching him on the screens. The sound in the room was terrific, volume perfect to avoid the echoeyness that affected the support acts.
I bought a programme (£10), but the content was basic: just an interview with him and tour production credits. The merch unit also had baseball caps and other stuff I wasn't interested in.
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| Front |
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| Back |
Afterwards, as we headed out of the venue, I watched the masses traipse across the footway bridge to the multi-storey car park, while others piled into the Moxy Hotel. I realised people would be better off sleeping overnight in their cars in the car park. At between £12-24/night, it might not be luxurious, but it is cost-effective. Elaborating, I considered whether people would choose their vehicle based on its comfort rating, asking the car salesman, "Do the seats fold out into a bed? Does this one come with blackout curtains? Is there any way to add a commode?" With EVs, you don't have to worry about exhaust fumes killing you while you sleep. You would also avoid the hour-long queue to get out of the car park after the show. So the council shouldn't approve building yet another hotel near the SEC; they should ramp up the car parks and rake in the cash.
As Madness wouldn't sing: "I like sleeping in my chariot; it's not quite a Marriott."
... I'll be waiting in the car.
Ticket Price: 2 x £45 + Service Fee: £6.10 x 2 + Venue Facility Fee: £2.50 x 2 + Handling Fee £2.50 = Total £109.70 (via Ticketmaster OVO Presale).
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