Kevin bridges: A night with the AECC

What do you get when you put a well-known Scottish comedian in front of nine sell-out audiences in the oil and gas capital of Europe...a kick-ass comedy show, that's what you get.

I've been a massive fan of KEV.I.N Bridges for as long as I can remember, so it's no surprise when I was invited along to one of his 'A different kind of story' shows as a guest of the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC), that I would jump at the chance of seeing him live again.

Our evening was to begin before the show, upstairs in a intimate room in the main building where we were treated to pre-show dinner and drinks. Being the food enthusiast I am, my eyes went straight to the menu, once I had made introductions with the other guests of course. We were treated to a two-course meal prepared by the AECC catering staff. The menu was very different to the usual banqueting menu of chicken and beef; which I was anticipating, so was pleasantly surprised to see duck, sea bass and mushroom risotto on the menu. I opted for the duck, it was deliciously succulent and was extremely easy to cut into. For dessert it had to be the chocolate brownie of course (see my pervious post on my love of brownies) and boy was it worth the battle I had endured to get it. (Some other guy was eyeing it up when I was taking photos of the gingerbread house, resulting in major panic in almost losing my beloved - you can't imagine my relief when he picked another dessert).

Seared and Roasted Duck Breast, Confit Leg Bon Bon with Star Anise and Ginger Carrot Puree, Braised Pak Choi, Spiced Red Cabbage, Soy Glaze and Toasted Sesame Seeds

Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Ginger Spiced Bon Bon, White Chocolate Sauce and Raspberries

After dinner we were then taken down to the main exhibition arena where we took to our seats. Eleven rows back may I add, pretty snazzy seats indeed. We arrived just as the support act, Karl Spain, took to the stage. For the next 30 minutes Karl entertained the audience telling us jokes about his life, his wife, and some childhood experiences which literally brought tears to my eyes, tears of hilarity that is.

What I've always loved about Kevin Bridges is his ability to tell stories in the most interesting, but humorous way. From his 'gee us a quid or your getting stabbed' joke a few years ago, to the new material he produced reciting half of Wikipedia back to us, due to his unfortunate incident with a new neighbour, Kevin really did pull out all the stops regarding his performance. 

A main vocal point throughout his act was his very noticeable weight loss, and his attitude to food during his younger years. He talked about those 'gym posers' we are all so familiar with and a personal trainer who it seems has a vendetta against fruit, carbs and everything 'yella' (yellow). What really did it for me was how he had lied to his personal trainer/nutritionist about what he had eaten for breakfast; this had me in tears as all I could picture was myself many years ago lying to my mum about what I'd eaten for lunch at school, classic.

His performance was also based around his childhood, touching on times in his life he was grateful to have the family he does. I really enjoyed his stories and how humble he came across on stage. I'm a fan of those individuals who stay grounded to their roots and Kevin truly comes across as someone who is. Although I must admit, I'm just grateful I'm not the hoose rice of my friends! (You'll have to buy the DVD to understand this if you didn't catch the show, but I promise it will be worth it!)

All in all Kevin was outstanding, although I've probably broken some photography law taking the above pictures slyly resulting in me annoying half of the stewards at the AECC (sorry guys, a girls got to do what a girls got to do for her blog!). He continually engaged with the audience throughout the show and even encouraged them to tweet him questions, so he could come up with more jokes at the end of the show. A great touch to round the evening off.

The evening was a remarkable experience and one I will not forget for a long time! Thanks again to all at the AECC, your hospitality was impeccable and very much appreciated.

  For now...

Just Julia