Kevin Bridges’ catch-up was, indeed, overdue.
Because a lot has happened in the four years since the comedian’s last trip to the Granite City to give us a good laugh and a cheeky “fit like, Aberdeen, and so on and so on”.
For starters, with his new The Overdue Catch-Up Tour he was playing P&J Live for the first time (“love it”) not the old AECC (“time it was put out its misery”).
There’s been the small matter of a pandemic and the passing of a monarch – he wasted no time in kicking ‘that’ Queen gag and its attendant controversy into touch.
But, more importantly, he’s only gone and got married and become a dad – it was his wee boy’s first birthday as he opened his four-day run at P&J Live, which elicited an “awww” from the folk sitting around me.
More mature Kevin Bridges was razor-sharp at P&J Live
Why more importantly? Because this was a different Kevin Bridges to the one we’ve seen in Aberdeen before. This was a more mature one.
The themes in his catch-up show are no longer about 15-year-old birthday hopes that include a bottle of Mad Dog 2020, but about dealing with the “I’m not being quiet, you’re being quiet” moments that can descend on weekends away with your other half.
Or finding himself crossing into middle-classification – for which he regularly and warmly thanks his fans – and now having dinner parties with the very Sebastians he once mined for humour. Mind you, he still does.
His working-class roots haven’t vanished. They are the counterpoint that punches up the jokes about his lifestyle today.
Then there’s his hitting the ripe old age of 35 with the realisation he’s started using phrases like “isn’t it nice to see children outside playing”.
What isn’t different though, is his razor-sharp observational humour that can have 10,000 people in a room laughing as one. It’s a skill to make piles and the purchasing of the requisite cream that funny.
Acutely-observed riff on pandemic almost induced nostalgia
And his opening riff on the pandemic was so acutely observed, hitting familiar beats for everyone, that it almost induced nostalgia for the days when all we had to worry about in the world was staying home.
There was nearly misty-eyed remembrance about waiting to see which tier you were going into, akin to watching a Scottish Cup draw, albeit followed by plans to go to Perth and Kinross.
With maturity comes wisdom. You might go to a Kevin Bridges gig for a great laugh, but these days you come away with life lessons in the bargain.
His take on cherishing your happy moments in life as they happen and not squandering them on the toxic wasteland of social media drew as much appreciative applause in agreement as belly laughs.
When Kevin bravely touched on issues around mental health, his own included, it was one of the funniest moments of the night – a gloriously genius stream-of-consciousness diatribe – but also one that carried emotional heft.
Kevin Bridges weaves through his material effortlessly
He weaves through his material effortlessly, looping away on tangents, then coming back to the punchline, all the while pacing the stage, perpetually in motion in his trademark, slick black – and now skinny fit – suit.
Kevin knows not only how to play his audience, but play with them, too – as Danny from Huntly discovered and was no doubt talking about on his tractor ride home, preferably not with Emma. You had to be there.
One recurring theme of the night was how delighted Kevin was to see people out, getting together, and having a laugh. And, from the standing ovation he was given, the audience was just as delighted to be there with him.
Kevin Bridges’ The Overdue Catch-Up at P&J Live is sold out for Friday and Saturday, but some tickets are available for Sunday. For information go to pandjlive.co.uk
You might also like…
Conversation