Peter Kay left fans and critics in hysterics during his first tour date in 12 years.
On Friday (2 December), the comedian, 49, returned to the stage after taking a lengthy hiatus from the spotlight.
Kay’s tour kicked at Manchester’s AO and, as he came onto the stage, the comedy star was greeted by a standing ovation, which left him emotional.
“How am I supposed to do comedy now?” he said through tears. “I can’t believe you made me cry.”
Kay addressed his absence from the stage, telling the audience: “I love you too, in ways you’ll never know. I’ve been looking forward to this for five years.”
Kay was originally set to go on tour in 2017, but cancelled for reasons he has never divulged. The show on Friday was the first of 110 arena dates the Bolton star will perform over the next two-and-a-half years.
The Guardian gave the set four stars, calling it “catnip” for his fans, writing: While the set never directly addresses the reasons for Kay’s temporary disappearance from public life, there is a section on his recent health challenges. In comic terms, it’s the strongest part of the show, as Kay rolls his eyes at the anaesthetist asking for a selfie, then recounts the indignities of his recent operation for kidney stones.”
The Telegraph also gave the show four stars, writing: “Anyone worrying that his funny bones would be creakier than usual need rest assured: Kay delivers the goods all over again, albeit they’re remarkably similar to what came before – the package he offers being one of comfort not edgy challenge.”
It was four stars from iNews, also, whose review read: “By the time the lights came up for an interval, I was enthused, not enthralled. This was the Peter Kay I’d watched on my TV as a child. I could watch this sort of comedy from the comfort of my own home. The second half assuaged all concerns of irrelevance.”
Meanwhile, The Times gave the set three stars, writing: “What started with a big sense of event turned anecdotal, meandering. A sense of “is this it?” started to descend.”
When tickets went on sale last month, fans faced huge online queues as they attempted to secure tickets.
Many reported seeing messages on the Ticketmaster website telling them there were more than 200,000 people ahead of them in the virtual line.
Tickets are currently sold out until 2025.
