Billy Connolly at Hammersmith Apollo

This was a slightly odd gig. Odd because I, my friends, and I suspect a lot of the audience, were there in case this was the last time we would have the chance of seeing Billy Connolly - a true comedy legend. He has Parkinson's disease, as well as just getting on a bit. Indeed he confronted the Parkinson's upfront and recognised that we might have been disability spotting. Yes one arm can do a bit less than the other, and has the habit of involuntarily rising up his side.

However, if one has seen his act in the past, its not just that. This was an altogether less animated routine. And by that I don't mean a lack of prowling up and down the stage. I didn't expect that. But I mean that the delivery was so much more monotone than before. More a monologue than a series of gags. That is not to say this was some sort of memorial where we came to pay respect to a great comic of the past; this was still a very funny enjoyable and amazingly long stretch of anecdotes. We were all perfectly well entertained. But I would have liked to see that old animation back.

Oh, and don't go if you are a cat lover. The dead cat routine was very funny but I can imagine the more squeamish animal lovers might have a problem....