Comedian Tim Minchin is back in Manchester, but this time he is famous enough to be followed around by a 55-piece orchestra. Incorporating humour into his first outburst, he sings: “Nothing ruins comedy like arenas…”
With a crowd of 6,000 people the vibe is electric and the gig kicks off with a rockin’ violinist solo with the massive orchestra backing Minchin as he arrives on stage in a cage to screams of appreciation from his audience. Tonight, the artist covers his most essential work including ‘Dark Side’, ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Nerd’ and ‘If I Didn’t Have You’ but also introduces bombastic new compositions including, ‘Guilty Pleasure: Cheese’ and ‘On The Fence’. His updated take on ‘Dark Side’ really shows off the collaborative efforts of both Minchin and the orchestra, demonstrating how as an artist, and performer he has adapted to make the delivery ever-more eccentric in nature.
The orchestra is particularly effective during Minchin’s two encores as he performs the ballads, ‘Not Perfect’ and ‘White Wine In The Sun’, the last of which brought a tear to the eye of this delighted scribe. Unfortunately, the comedian is at times overpowered by his musical back-up, and his own vocal talent is drowned out by the acclaimed instrumentalists behind him. Overall though, despite some aural difficulties for the audience, the stage and routine is well thought-out and cleverly delivered.
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