The very first Eddie Izzard gig I went to was way back when in the Olympia. I went in an Eddie virgin and by the time the lights went down I was, quite literally, clutching my ears so I wouldn't hear any more, my stomach ached so much from laughing.
Poor Eddie, he had a lot to live up to last night - the man has been my benchmark for all comic hits or failures ever since. After a rousing (if slightly Eddie-esque) warm-up by Barry Murphy, the whole stadium went X-Files; music, lights, the lot. Then out of the darkness walked Mr Izzard.
Describing what the great man was wearing has become a bit tired, as the whole world knows he's a transvestite and the whole world knows it's not a very large part of his routine. Still, I feel I must mention it, because it was such a nice shiny red tonic suit that went ever so nicely with the heels.
The show was entitled "Glorious", and that's just what it was. All the Eddie Izzard hallmarks were there - plenty of pointless allusions to jam, stoats and taxidermy, plenty of silly walks and shuffling, bearlike dancing, and enough silly voices to flesh out an entire episode of the Goons. Silliness, however, is not the only fiddle to Eddie Izzard's bow. He is a master craftsman and no absurd aside is forgotten; rather, they are all woven back into the show as catchphrases which become increasingly hilarious as the evening progresses.
Take the "five gold rings" gag. Early on, Eddie points out that everyone always belts out this line in the noisome Christmas jingle, Twelve Days of Christmas, because it's impossible to remember the rest. He gets a laugh, but by the end of the show, when "five gold rings" has popped up where you never thought it would, people are clutching their sides before he can even say it. It's surreal, but it's quite ridiculously funny.
I didn't see anybody else clutching their ears and this time I just about managed to sit it out myself, but Eddie Izzard still performed a blinder. As the happy crowd flooded out of the Stadium, everybody was repeating the lines and acting out their favourite sketches. We weren't very funny though - maybe there's more to the false nails than I thought.