13 December 2023 , 19:26
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Stand-up comedy in front of a live audience must be difficult but in front of 23,000 people, it must be tough for even the most experienced.
But Peter Kay seemed to be at ease following his recent residency in his hometown at Manchester's AO Arena in the city centre. The comedy legend has already performed eight sold-out shows at the arena and has even more to come in the new year.
In total, Peter is performing 46 shows across his tour which, due to popular demand has had to be split over 2023, 2024 and 2025. It comes as no surprise that the vast majority of these are, of course, in Manchester.
From the comforts of the Virgin Red Room at Manchester's AO Arena, Peter Kay had me in fits of laughter (Daily Mirror)Upon announcing his comeback tour, the legend said: "It's good to get back to what I love doing best, stand-up comedy, and if there's ever a time people need a laugh it's now," before adding that he was blown away due to the response he received from the public. But what made it so good? Besides the fact he is an utter genius in comedy, Peter made the audience feel as though they were watching him in their local pub.
It didn't matter that he was performing at the UK's biggest indoor arena, with ease, he commanded the stage and had everybody in fits of laughter. Throughout the show, he spotted people from the audience and got them involved with his jokes but we were safely tucked away in the Virgin Red Room so we were safe.
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Discussing growing up in Manchester, Peter recalled only having several channels on his TV, saying: "We had BBC One, BBC Two, ITV and ITV2 but there were no Love Island then, Channel 4 was just a star." He even went on to recall a story when he discovered Eric Clapton was a fan of his and once invited him to his house in the South of France, much to his shock.
But it wasn't just comedy that fans were treated to, Peter took to the stage and belted out his own rendition of several classic songs for fans, albeit using a spade instead of a guitar. However, one thing we didn't expect was an unexpected cameo from Oasis legend Noel Gallagher.
It's safe to say that Peter Kay certainly didn't disappoint and there is a reason why he's still one of the most in-demand comics. His show was everything and more.
Although fans were able to purchase tickets, those who use Virgin Red were able to exchange points on their account for tickets to events while sitting in the lavish suite at the arena. But this isn't all, to make the most of a trip to Manchester's AO Arena with Virgin Red, you can even use points for hotels, train tickets and experience days including iFly based at Trafford Park.