A jam-packed Echo Arena saw Michael McIntyre make his stand-up debut here in Liverpool this weekend, and he was greeted by a very enthusiastic crowd.
McIntyre began with the obvious: “What I love about this city…” gag, met by many laughs and knowing looks across the crowd. He exclaimed: “This is the most tanned place I have ever been to, outside of anywhere where there is sun.”
He met the demands of the crowd with his Scouse impersonations, which were well received. He gave a highly energetic performance, dancing and prancing all over the stage in his usual lively manner.
McIntyre has a skillful way of making you believe the most surreal situations really did happen to him, with stories about dentist trips ending up in hospital, awkward scenarios involving his children’s friend’s parents, and the usual husband/wife conflicts.
He delivers observational comedy gags so well, with great visual portrayal, which seems to be popular with his fans. As ever, there was a lot of material that the audience loved to relate to, for example, the difficulty of using online booking services, the dwindling romance of long term relationships, and the struggles of parenting.
One thing particularly endearing about McIntyre is his lack of the risqué, offensive, sweary, dirty jokes. He doesn’t need to push boundaries to be funny, and he could even be categorised as ‘family entertainment’, minus the odd f-bomb.
Overall a fantastic show, well worth the ticket price (£35) and the wait (over a year since they went on sale, over which he apologised to the crowd for!)… and a show worthy of a five-star rating.