Peter Kay officially launched his first tour in 12 years, and on the first night he was moved to tears by a standing ovation.
Kay’s tour began yesterday (December 2) in Manchester, where the legendary comedian performed in front of 21,000 fans at the AO Arena. According to the BBC, fans enthusiastically chanted Kay’s name before he took the stage, and when he did, he was overwhelmed with emotions. After crying, he reportedly told the crowd, “How am I supposed to act in a comedy now? You’ll tear me to pieces… I can’t believe you made me cry.
Tonight (in December) Kay will perform in Manchester again and then embark on her comeback tour in London. However, he will return to AO Arena next September, giving at least two concerts a month until January 2025 (and then five more concerts in July). In total, Kay will give 41 concerts in Manchester, and, according to Ticketmaster, tickets for all of them are close to sale.
Elsewhere on the 111-concert tour, Kay will give 27 concerts in London, 16 in Birmingham, 12 in Sheffield, five in Leeds, four in Belfast and two each in Cardiff, Glasgow, Newcastle, Nottingham and Liverpool. Tickets for all the shows can be found here.
Kay’s return to the stage was announced last month, which led to a huge demand for tickets: tickets for the first concerts were sold out within minutes of going on sale, and the O2 Priority website crashed due to the “highest demand” in the last 15 years. . Responding to the hype he received after his return, Kay joked in an interview: “I should only be in the news if I’m dead!”
Kay’s last full tour ended in 2010. He was supposed to return in 2017, but canceled a UK tour and refused to perform publicly due to “unforeseen family circumstances.” His return to television came in 2020, when he took part in the BBC program Big Night In.
Announcing his current tour, Kay said in a statement: “It’s nice to get back to what I love doing most, stand-up comedy, and if ever people need to laugh, it’s now. With a record high cost of living, ticket prices start at £35. At the same price as on my previous tour in 2010.”
