How do you make a roomful of people laugh when their Queen has recently passed away?
It’s a question any stand-up starting an autumn run must be asking, and I did wonder what the atmosphere would be like at The Stand in Newcastle on Thursday as Jason Byrne opened his 2022 UK tour. His shows, both at the Edinburgh Fringe and the gigs on his annual autumn tour, are notorious for reducing audiences to tears - would people be ready to laugh hard?
They were, and he handled the situation with skill, judging the mood just right as he eased us in by immediately referencing what’s happening but without any sense at all of ‘and here I am to make light of it’. It was a gentler start from a man who’s previously had me in tears within five minutes of coming on stage. But it was exactly what was needed up until the moment when he said something about a Dundalk woman he was chatting to in the audience that raised a scream of laughter, and we were off.
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A nice touch was that Jason had brought along a Royal Variety Performance programme from one of the years he appeared on the bill, which was a timely reminder that the Queen liked her comedy. He shared a few anecdotes from his performances and subsequent meetings with royalty which were good to hear about after such a sad week.
I’ve been watching Jason live for 20 years and he’s pretty much the only person in the world capable of making me laugh helplessly, till my face aches. The euphoria that induces is why going to watch his shows is an annual treat and my favourite night out of the year.
His crowd is made up of regulars who clearly feel much the same: he was met with silence when he asked the audience ‘who WASN’T here last year?’. There was a strong shared sense of gladness and relief at seeing him looking so well - this tour is called Unblocked, in reference to his recovery from having five stents fitted last year to treat a heart condition.
The audience was very quickly unblocked last night too, enjoying one of the best performances I can remember Jason giving, although he’s always excellent. His observations on Newcastle’s obsession with bridges and heartfelt rants about loft hatches and terrible 80s children’s TV were riotous highlights, and as ever Jason’s conversations with the crowd brought forth some special only-happened-here moments.
The show ended with a post-covid return to the on-stage physical antics Jason is well-known for, with two willing volunteers from the audience summoned to do something gloriously silly (and difficult to describe in a family publication - you had to be there). It resulted in one of those precious moments that fellow Jason regulars addicted to this annual pilgrimage to see him will be familiar with - the sound of an audience collectively out of breath from several minutes of howling with laughter.
There was a real warmth to this show, from both Jason and the crowd, and his closing words were a perfect way to finish. He said: ‘Fair play to your Queen, she was a lovely woman’.
I always end reviews of Jason by urging people who’ve not seen him live to go - it was an Edinburgh Fringe review that led me to discover him and I’m so glad I did. There are further opportunities to see him perform in the North East this autumn, as he plays Durham Gala on November 4 and is back at The Stand in Newcastle on November 21 - tickets available on Ticketmaster here.
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