Last updated: 29 July 2023
From the Roaming Required Archives. Here’s a flashback to the time that we saw Billy Connolly live at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2016. A bucket list item for me.
I’ve been a Billy Connolly fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up renting as many of his concert videos as I could find and when I exhausted the video store’s selection, I simply rented them again. And again. And again.
Eventually I knew the routines back to back, could sing along with The Big Yin as he plucked his banjo and sang about the importance of wellies, D-I-V-O-R-C-E, and the sad tale of a little blind orphan called Joe and his granny.
No matter how many times I heard the stories of the Cardinal returning to his school for a visit, the bovril incident at a Rangers v Celtic game, or considering toboggan as a career, I’d still laugh like it was the first time.
There’s no doubt about it, I’m a Billy Connolly fan and hooked for life
So you can imagine just how happy I was when we secured tickets to the 2016 High Horse tour. It was a dream come true. After spending the last 20 years watching, listening, and laughing with my comedy hero I would finally be able to see him in person.
Billy Connolly’s High Horse tour was playing at the Eventim Apollo theatre in Hammersmith, directly opposite the tube station. Our seats were towards the back and near the side but the view was fine, could have been better but could have been much worse, and realistically nothing was going to ruin this dream come true. Not even the drunken Scotsman sitting a few rows in front of us but I kind of felt that he just added to the atmosphere.
The moment was almost upon us…
We were in our seats for a few minutes before the show started and I began to feel anxious, perhaps even a little nervous. I just couldn’t believe I was there in the theatre about to see my favourite comedian of all time. And then it happened, the lights went down, the intro was given, and there he was. The Living Legend. Billy Connolly.
The crowd, as you’d expect, went wild. Walking on to the stage, he may have looked a little older but he was Billy Connolly through and through. The hair. The Van Dyke beard, the black shirt (long at the back), and bright yellow shoelaces on one foot and bright red on the other.
You’re only doing that because I’m not well
In typical fashion, nothing is off the table when it comes to a Billy Connolly show, so in response to the warm welcome; “You’re only doing that because I’m not well”, referencing his 2012 diagnosis for Parkinson’s disease.
His diagnosis, subsequent impact to his health, and treatment for prostate cancer all featured in his 2 hour performance, and whilst none of these are laughing matters, The Big Yin tells a story like none other.
The ability to talk about one topic and then segue to another and another and then five minutes later return to the first topic. I’ve seen it on TV countless times but watching it in person is poetry in motion.
The entire performance is about 2 hours long but it didn’t feel like it, not even. Time just flew by. We had a great time and based on the laughter from the people sitting near us, they had a ball too!
I couldn’t be any happier. I finally managed to see my favourite comedian in person.
Another bucket list item checked off the list.
