Jerry Seinfeld | The O2

Review by: Caroline Foran

Last night I popped my Jerry Seinfeld cherry. His hit show was one I'd never watched growing up, so given the chance to experience the man touted as "the best comedian of our time", I was eager and excited to say the least.

A few minutes in, you soon realise there's nothing particularly new about what Seinfeld does. In fact you've probably heard it all before. What's worth pointing out to newcomers however is that it was he who started it. A pioneer for stand ups the world over, it's not the subject matter of Jerry Seinfeld's show that elevate him above the rest, it's the class and sophistication with which he delivers it. A style so polished, it's inspired thousands to follow suit.

Bounding out on stage to a crowd of expectant fans, with more energy than you'd expect from a 57 year old man whose recently said he's done with large arena gigs, he got straight to business. Gesticulating wildly about how getting ourselves into our seats at The O2 for this show was an activity that although not on until 8pm, took over our entire Sunday, the audience found immediate comfort in his familiar insights. Acting out the 'are you ready yet?' arguments that surely preceded our being there, it's nice to know that a man worth over 800 million Dollars can still find ways to relate to us, that his life too can suck. "Probably not in quite the same way", though, he charmingly reminds us.

Barely stopping for a sup of his Deep RiverRock - no celebrity water here - Seinfeld worked through a whole list of modern day obscurities during his set. Laughter thickened as he chronicled his middle aged disillusionment with the likes of Facebook and Twitter; how nobody wants to communicate face to face anymore; how his life has changed since marrying and having kids; the fact that we can't seem to endure a single activity without some form of beverage today - "I Just got a latte, I'm on my way to get a green tea, I'll meet you at the juice bar" -; how sports drink companies bully you about hydration, "if you're thirsty then it's already too late" and the ridiculousness of the fact that whoever came up with the 'Star 69' function on US phones got away with suggesting that particular number, never mind the person who suggested'three-way calls'.

His musings were funny, insightful and although simple, often carried an existential weight, reflective of just how much this man has experienced. Again, what's impressive about Seinfeld is not the topics listed above, among many others that featured, but the precision and careful engineering you'll find working beneath the surface: his attention to detail, his skill with timing and use of intonation make for the smoothest of rides that only someone at this level could provide.

Finishing the show on a natural crescendo, Seinfeld was kind enough to indulge his fans as he answered questions about his next project with Larry David, who his favourite Seinfeld character was and more, before flying off to the next stop on his tour.

"Who's funnier, you or Larry David" was a question typical of an over-excited half-pissed Irish audience member...

"It doesn't matter, we both did quite well" was an answer typical of a comedian as slick as this.

Story by EI Team | 09:00 | Monday 14th May 2012 | Comedy

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Comments

• KickedArse

  Ahhhhh would've loved to have gone. Love the show!

  Posted 12:59 | Mon 14th May 2012

• ShankillDublin

  Brings me back to my days living in California when we used to watch the show all the time......

  Posted 15:23 | Mon 14th May 2012

• fitzer

  It was funny in parts but the box set of "Seinfeld" is cheaper and way more funny.

  Posted 15:27 | Mon 14th May 2012

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