Brilliant Bill’s still giving us food for Thoughtifier
There was a buzz in the air at the Playhouse on Monday night as over 3000 fans eagerly awaited the arrival on stage of comedy legend Bill Bailey with his latest show, Thoughtifier. This was the last night of his UK Tour.
It’s always incredibly nostalgic for me seeing Bill perform live in Edinburgh as he started his comedy career at the Gilded Balloon in the early ‘90s.
I have so many fond memories over the years and so has Bill. He also met Kristin, his wife of 35 years in Edinburgh.
The show was, of course, hilarious, but also provoked thought, living up to the show's intriguing title.
One of the themes was artificial intelligence and its impact on our lives. Bailey's unique blend of music, wit and observational humour was a huge hit and the audience could not get enough.
Beyond the impressive visuals, his ability to connect with his audience through interactive segments was incredible.
At one point he threw Bluetooth powered balls to a number of punters, instructing them to play the iconic drum sequence from Phil Collins’ In the Air Tonight. It was a hilarious success, apparently the first of the tour… Well done Edinburgh!
One of the standout moments of the night came when Bailey revealed his laser harp, transporting us to another dimension altogether.
The mesmerising combination of the lasers and Bill’s musicality proved to be an unforgettable experience. It was a real ‘you had to see it to believe it’ moment, with his opera-singing friend Florence who joined Bill on stage to sing Paco Belle with Bill playing the laser harp.
The whole show felt like a fully immersive experience, almost like we were just hanging out with him at his studio, not in a room full of thousands.
As the show ended, it was clear why he continues to be one of the most beloved comedians of our time.
His ability to blend music, comedy and audience interaction make him an unparalleled performer. Thoughtifier was a wonderful representation of this and Edinburgh was the perfect city to end the tour in.
If you’ve seen Bill live before you’ll know just how magical watching him can be, and if you didn’t adore him before, you absolutely would after watching this show.
The whole thing started in 1995 with Cosmic Jam and later came other great tour names including 2001 Bewilderness, 2004 Part Troll, 2006 Steampunk, 2008 Tinselworm, 2010 Dandelion Mind, 2012 Qualmpeddler, 2015 Limboland, 2016 Larks in Transit, 2018 The Earl of Whimsy and 2022 En Route to Normal.
Bill will be starting his 30-date tour of Europe from 1 April.