The Big Yin returned to his hometown this week to kick off the Glasgow leg of his High Horse tour. Arguably the city’s most famous and beloved son, Connolly could probably take an actual dump on stage and be met with rapturous applause and laughter.
As was the atmosphere in the room throughout the night, the love and admiration for the comedian was at such a level that they would not quieten down upon Connolly’s appearance on stage, to which he ruefully commented “you’re only daen’ that cause I’m no’ well.” The audience, as you imagine, erupted.
The adoration is of course warranted, and Connolly continues to be peerless in his nearly fifty year long career. Some Connolly-philes may have been disappointed to realise that some old material was reused and recycled, a crime that his lessers would be strung up for on such a big tour. This probably results from Connolly’s well-documented illnesses in the press, and in a macabre twist that Connolly acknowledges, has awakened nostalgia for the comedy heavyweight, with fans being more devout than ever, if that’s even possible. Connolly has reached a stage in his career in which he is almost beyond reproach, being thought of (and arguably embracing) the persona of a wayward yet affable grandfather; always easily forgiven.
Criticisms that his material is not as sharp as it once was may or may not be warranted, but even not within his prime (which is debatable!) no one can touch him on the art of delivery. Nobody is as, quite literally, side-splittingly funny as the old master, not even Glasgow’s resident comedian Kevin Bridges, and certainly not the heavyweight funny men of the London circuit.
Mr. Connolly’s homecoming is once again a success, but when unending talent meets unconditional love, how could it not be?!
