Damien Gerard

Back near the start of the year, it was announced that Monty Python would be doing a reunion tour at the 02 arena in London. On the day that the tickets were available, I set my alarm and got up early in readiness to make sure I got tickets.

I couldn’t get any; I tried again and again and again but the website kept crashing and ‘timing out’ on me. Apparently all 100k tickets (5 nights at 20,000 people a night) sold out in less than thirty seconds. Later that week they decided to put on five more shows. I tried again and the same thing happened.

I was distraught. I am a huge Monty Python fan and have been since my father introduced me to them as a young child in the 1970s. I have their albums, their books, videos and even some rare stuff too. I know more of their sketches and songs off by heart than the songs of my favourite band.

The last time Monty Python held their own concert was at the Hollywood Bowl in 1982, although they have turned up at the various Secret Policeman’s Balls over the years.

I actually cried when I couldn’t get tickets. Sad huh? Monty Python was such a huge part of my childhood that I would have given anything to go but it was not to be. I had notions of camping outside the arena to get tickets.

A few weeks back, I received my local Equity union newsletter and in it there is a regular spot from Carol Cleveland, who lives just down the road from me. Carol is a long-standing member of the Python team and usually if the skit needed an actual woman in it, rather than a pepperpot, Carol would be there, front and centre. In the newslestter, she mentioned that there were some limited tickets available for the gigs. I rushed to the site and scored two tickets right at the front in block A2. They weren’t cheap but this is a once in the lifetime opportunity. I cried again when I got them. You honestly don’t know how much it meant to me to be going to see the people I had grown up with who I had watched on screen more than any other.

Well, last night we went. It was amazing. In fact, it was better than amazing. It was one of the greatest nights of my life to be able to take part in some of the most iconic sketches. Singing and reciting along with John, Michael, Eric, Terry and Terry as they sometimes fumbled, sometimes corpsed their way through these wonderful sketches. It didn’t matter that they didn’t always remember their lines because we were there to help them. It didn’t matter that they laughed their way through some of them as we were laughing along with them. It felt like I was part of one big, supportive Monty Python family last night and I couldn’t be happier.

I am so grateful today for having this opportunity to go and see Monty Python in all their glory.