In a world of cancellation, Russell Howard's Respite show was a clarion call to embrace silliness

When Russell Howard fans bought these tickets in 2019, little did they know that two years later they would be watching the comic not in Bristol Hippodrome but in Ashton Gate at an eighth of its capacity.

This was a gig in a stadium but it was not a stadium gig. It was, however, still a gig, a real-life gig, and Howard seemed genuinely thrilled that he was able to perform his material in front of a live audience at all.

The first challenge at Ashton Gate for fans was joining the right queue. Covid vaccinations are taking place in the South Stand while the comedy was hosted on a temporary stage in front of the Lansdown Stand, one of south Bristol’s newest landmarks.

“It’s an amazing time to be alive,” Howard told his socially-distanced crowd after support act Steve Williams had warmed them up with talk of Harry Kane, Matt Hancock and a previous audience member of his accidentally waterboarding himself with Stella.

In a world where comedians can get cancelled, Howard wants us all to embrace silliness. To create what he referred to several times as “death-bed memories”. He urged us to be silly at every available opportunity. “The funniest moments are always the ones where you make a fool of yourself.”

This was almost a homecoming gig for Howard, who used to live in Bristol and is a proud son of the West Country. He mercilessly mines his extended family – wife, mum, grandparents, cousins – for material to share on stage, from his mum’s misuse of the word “nonce” to how he hoped he might be able to protect his wife from a lion on their honeymoon in Tanzania.

Observational comedy runs throughout Respite, Howard’s new show, which after kicking off at Ashton Gate will take him across the UK, Europe and North America, with one stop in Dubai. But it is Howard’s riffs on life in 2021 that is the best material here. He confronts topics including Instagram influencers, using the correct pronouns (“All I ask is if I get the new words wrong, don’t have a go at me”) and Greta Thunberg surely sometimes wanting to use a private jet rather than a canoe.

Respite is, at times, Howard’s philosophy on life. Sort of like a self-help book for a flawed world slowly coming out of hibernation that would be a whole lot better – and sillier – if we followed his advice.

If any jokes didn’t land in front of his 2,000-strong audience, Howard himself admitted that they might be more suitable for Netflix. Not something completely relatable but at the same time a sign that this West Country weirdo has achieved global success. He even seemed to have taken lessons on social media etiquette from Bristol mayor Marvin Rees, who has recently gone on a blocking spree on Twitter to remove negativity from his life. “Ignore the joy thieves,” Howard implored.

You would have to be pretty joyless yourself not to have fun at a Russell Howard gig. He will now take these life lessons around the world, offering togetherness, hope and a lot of silliness.

Russell Howard's Respite World Tour, Ashton Gate Stadium and touring. Info: russell-howard.co.uk