After Covid-related postponements, Bill Bailey was genuinely excited to finally be En Route To Normal and to Aberdeen… but getting to the city proved a little difficult for the comedian.
Recalling what happened earlier that day, Bill told his last night’s audience that it took three sets of boarding stairs for him and his fellow passengers to be able to get off the plane.
“The first one didn’t fit, the second got pushed away,” laughed Bill who still made it in time for his P&J Live gig to treat his north-east fans to a great night of entertainment.
Explaining that he’s his own warm-up act, he began his two-hour set by poking fun at certain members of the parliament and presenting his new invention – the “Boris Randomizer Button”, which went down well with his Aberdeen audience.
But aside from a few jokes, his show wasn’t overly political and the comedian certainly allowed his fans to switch off from what’s going on in the world and enjoy a night of music and comedy.
Bill Bailey on Strictly, snails and Swan Lake
Bill – who realises he gained a lot of new admirers after winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2020 – also spoke about his time on the dancing competition. Appreciating his new fans – many of whom undoubtedly made up last night’s audience – the comedian also discussed the downsides of what he called more “mainstream” fame.
Speaking of Stricly, Bill almost reunited with his dance partner Oti Mabuse in Aberdeen. The Latin dance champion and Romeo And Duet host danced her way to the Granite City last Friday (May 6) with her new show I Am Here.
Apart from comedy and dancing, most of Bill’s fans know that he also loves animals, rescues them and is a keen conservationist. So it didn’t come as a huge surprise when he started telling an entertaining story about Polynesian tree snails.
But when he asked, “Are there any snail experts here tonight?” I doubt the comedian expected that “Scott the snail expert” would be part of the P&J Live audience.
Mind-blowing musical arrangements
Bill had a great rapport with the evolutionary biologist, but the same cannot really be said about last night’s crowd in general. Not too keen on participation, some jokes fell a bit flat and the funnyman looked a little frustrated at times, even asking whether anyone had a “will to live machine” after he struggled to make out what his fans were saying.
Absolutely brilliant night at @BillBailey! Shame the P&J crowd wasn't so legendary 🤣
Everyone needs a Boris randomiser in their lives I feel! 😂— Dr Gaynor Lawrence (@BandanaBarnacle) May 9, 2022
But his mind-blowing musical arrangements and wonderful renditions received roars of applause from the Monday night audience.
From opera and reggaeton to rock and heavy metal, it seemed like Bill mastered every musical instrument, including The Bible.
Bill also wheeled out his infamous bells and horns of rock to perform a unique rendition of Swan Lake before treating the Aberdeen audience to a horned-up version of Metallica’s Enter Sandman.
Performing even more songs towards the end of the show, Highway To Hell was the last tune he played for his north-east fans – what a way to finish off a great night.