Palestinian-American comedian Mo Amer took the stage at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Friday night, delivering an hour-long set that wove together personal storytelling and sharp observations about life straddling two cultures.

He opened with the line "it's good to be here... where people speak Arabic," drawing immediate cheers from the crowd. From there, Amer moved through material on Arab customs, regional accents and often farcical personal anecdotes, keeping the audience engaged throughout what reviewers described as a night with barely a dull moment.

A notable stretch of the set turned to the recent US midterm elections and Amer's own experiences with Islamophobia growing up in Texas, material he delivered with a mix of bite and humour. He also dropped hints about a possible third season of "Mo," his Netflix series based loosely on his own life.

One of the evening's standout bits was a story about an Egyptian taxi driver and the famous passengers he claimed to have carried, a tale that reportedly left the audience in "absolute disbelief."

Four comedians opened the show ahead of Amer: Ahmed Taher, Adi Khalefa, Azhar Osman, and Zainab Johnson, who delivered a 25-minute set to warm up the crowd.

Amer closed the night on an emotional note, telling the audience that finding joy has been difficult in recent years, but that his commitment to his son keeps pushing him forward. The show underscored Abu Dhabi's growing role as a stop for major international comedy acts.