3 months after buying my tickets and 10 years since I last saw him in concert, I am finally going to the Chris Rock show tonight at the Gibson Amphitheatre! Quite possibly the greatest comedian of our time. If you are there, say hi…he’s going to kill!
I have a new favorite comedy club - The Ice House in Pasadena. The Ice House combines all the best features of the Improv, Laugh Factory, and Comedy Store…plus it throws in ample parking. I absolutely loved my first visit to the Ice House. The venue was well-designed, the staff was friendly and on top of their game, the show was spectacular, and it’s reasonably priced. It was the little things though that I dug the most:
1. All the chairs in the main room faced the stage.
2. The staff took both your drink orders at the same time at the beginning of the show (as not to interrupt you during the show).
3. Every seat is within 30 feet of the stage.
4. The main room was tiered.
The list really goes on and on. The highest complement that I can pay the Ice House is to say that I would like to hold my 30th birthday here coming up in July. We are building a killer line-up of my favorite comedians for the event and I want it to be here.
The line-up was amazing: Frazier Smith, Steve Flye, Jason Collins, Kenny Johnson, and Jo Koy.
Everyone was terrific. Jo Koy went for about an hour and a half. He did new material on the 405 and his son. But amazingly, the crowded requested jokes…and he did them. It was simply the greatest thing I have ever seen in stand-up comedy. Right there…that’s what live comedy is all about.
The comedian of the night however was Steve Flye. We expect Jo Koy to be amazing…and he was. But I love seeing new comedians just kill it. Steve had a joke about child support that was off the charts. Seeing Steve was like seeing Ryan Sickler or Christina P. or Chris Franjola or Tom Segura for the first…he has the goods - you can just tell. It’s an exciting feeling for a comedy dork like me. Check out his VideoShot of Steve.
…and definitely check out the Ice House…I’ll be there all summer checking out the comedians.
I’ll be making my first trip to the Ice House tonight to see a special performance featuring the incredible Jo Koy. Jo kills every time. I suspect tickets are still available. Show starts at 7pm.
Life tends to be stressful. Ever have this go through your head - “Gotta get up for work.” “Is it really Monday morning again?” “Seriously? Taxes are due?” “It’s only Tuesday…this is the longest week ever.”
We all think the same stuff. It doesn’t matter who you are…everyone has those moments where you just want to pack it in for the day. Just shut down the lap top and say “F’ it…I’m out.”
That’s exactly why I absolutely can’t live without live comedy during the week. Thankfully this week it was another Ballgame’s Laugh Lounge at Red Rock. I don’t really feel like doing the standard show review. I just want to tell the world how much laughing means in the grand scheme of life. There are so many times at the end of the day where I just want to go home after work and go to sleep…even when I know Ballgame’s show is going to happen. But then I remind myself how great it is to actually go laugh for 2 hours. Think about it…you get to go laugh. You don’t have to think. You can laugh at Duncan Trussell do Lil’ Hobo or watch Chris Franjola rail on some girl in the front row for texting during his set.
I am thankful for these experiences. I really hope everyone will join in and try to laugh a little more often because it will help get you through a week that just seems to be going bad. I know you’re tired…I know you’re busy…but take an hour…or two to go laugh during the week. I promise it’ll make things in your life so much easier to deal with.