This stand-up was one of the funniest, if not the funniest, I have seen. Recently I have been lucky enough to see Micky Flannagan in Leeds; however, Ed Byrne has just clinched the win with his humour. It's not often a comedian will come out before their own support act, but Ed Byrne did just that. Ed came onto stage and told the audience how he was there to warm them up before his support act - and he did just that. There was a five minute routine Ed performed, before support act, Michelle Shaughnessy, took to the stage.
Michelle was a delight to have on stage and lifted the crowd's spirits after an eight goal draw for the Magpies against Luton FC. Throughout the night, Ed made references to said match as he came on stage admitting 100 people bought tickets and hadn't shown up to his gig. He thought the match was to blame.
When Ed came back on stage after a short interval, the audience was in stitches from his first words to his last. In a few of his jokes, Ed used on-screen prompts and music which broke up his speeches and added an extra layer to his jokes. Without said prompts, the jokes would not have landed. It is clear the pride Ed Byrne takes in his work to make sure that he and his audience are having a fun time.
The overall theme of stand-up was focussed on a family tragedy (hence the name of his show), but it did not hold a macabre ambience over the audience like I thought it would. Ed magically put together this show to honour his late brother, Paul, and he did it perfectly. Instead of going on about his children, as he does in previous acts, Ed spoke highly of his entire family and friends. He let us in to another side of him which is not seen on shows such as Mock the Week. By letting the audience in, Ed was able to captivate them in a way I have not seen a comedian do before. It was a magical night to be a part of.
Just to clarify, I would totally give this stand-up show five stars, but due to a joke Ed Byrne made (about a student newspaper giving him 4 starts)... I'm only allowed to give it four stars.
