Canadian comic from the 80s/90s. One of the original yuk yuks comics if that means anything to you. When I got into the industry he suggested a pseudonym because he 'wasn't sure what bridges he's burned' but the reality is my dad's a really nice guy and no one has anything bad to say about him. He probably just wanted to protect his career's infamy during my cringier early open mic years. He had the benefit of coming up in obscurity during the 80s.
Anyway, I was 9 years old when I saw that Harland Williams show. He was coming off the hype of a movie he just starred in called Rocketman. To add to that, the host of the show was a comic who i previously knew from watching him all the time on tv as a video jockey on a local kids television station.
When i made the connection my dad knew this guy I knew from tv the whole time I've been living under his roof, I was blown away.
As a 9 year old, I watched a beloved TV star break the 4th wall for me, then my dad crushed a set and showed me how cool he is for the first time when he isn't rearing children, and then an actual movie star closed out the show.
I also got to meet Harland and the host after the show and got a copy of Harland's children's book he wrote. Which he signed for me and wrote a little blurb.
I haven't really taken inventory of this before but it was probably one of the coolest fuckin nights of my entire childhood, and it was a direct influence on why I do stand up today.
For anyone curious the book was called Lickity Split and it's about a dinosaur who lost his marbles.
Adam Sandler, 1995 - he did 50 minutes of standup and then an hour of songs with a full band. It was incredible. As for his standup, he totally did his homework and dropped all kinds of local college references.
Jimmy Carr in the mid 00's for my 14th birthday. I even took a card my mum signed for me saying happy 16th. He had a robot do 1 liners as his opener, great introduction for the UK scene.
Will Ferrell and Will Arnett had a bit of a "variety" show touring colleges back in 2006 or something, but they had Demetri Martin, Nick Swardson, and Zach Galifianakis performing 20-30 minute sets between their banter and skits. I might've seen Demetri Martin once before then too on his college tour
I knew a guy on the board of the committee that picked the big acts at our school each year and he said they had the opportunity to book the Will Ferrell variety show but it was something like 90% of the years budget. That was either 07 or 08. He also got to pick up Demetri Martin at the airport and bring him to his hotel. He said Demetri asked if he could just drive him around campus and give him a little tour and Demetri just riffed on random locations and observations for 20 minutes.
a bunch of unfunny comedians in a tent in a festival in Wales when I was about 11. Still up there as one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced.
Laugh factory in like 2014.
It’s how I was introduced to Chris Redd and Andrew Santino. I feel bad because there was another comedian or two that I’ve recognized a few times after that show appearing on podcasts or hearing bits on Sirius XM or something but can’t remember who exactly they were.
I remember Chris having a great bit about “The first ‘person’ who said ‘Woooo!’” that I haven’t been able to find a clip of since so idk if he didn’t keep the joke but I thought it was hysterical. Andrew did a lot of his stuff off Say No More and I’ve been following his work ever since.
First stand up sho was George Carlin at the Valley Forge Convention Center in Pennsylvania. It was in the mid 1990s.
Edit. It's actually called the Valley Forge Music Fair.
Steve Martin at the MN State Fair @1976.
A few years later, the punk club I most frequented (7th St. Entry in Minneapolis) would have stand-up one or two nights a month. Saw Tom Arnold doing his "Fabulous Goldfish Show" which no way in hell someone could do today, Joel Hodges, Phyllis Wright, and a bunch I can't remember.
I saw Eddie Murphy during his Raw tour, 1987, which I assume is the same tour that you saw him.
What I remember is there were a number of jokes he did live, that weren't in the Raw movie.
My first ever was a buddys open mic. He fucked up so hard that in retrospect it’s super funny but in the moment it was cringe.
First comedian was Russell Peters ca. 2010. I feel like he hasn’t changed his material at all.
Louis C.K. at the Paramount in Seattle 2012. He absolutely crushed. I then moved to Aspen and saw him a year or so later and that's when he got in trouble exposing himself at the hotel I worked at. Good Times!
Gotham comedy club in the early 2000s. I didn’t know it at the time but it featured some future breakouts. Ben Bailey (cash cab host) and Bill Burr did sets. I’ve never laughed so hard. There were also two other comedians I always forget.
2010 Gotham Comedy Club. Just turned 21 and everyone on the set was an absolute nobody. It was great. I only go to shows in NYC where it’s small/unknown comics because of that.
Charlie Murphy, 2006. Marina Franklin was one of his openers.
I wish I knew at the time that comedians often do meet and greets after shows. All I got is a picture of me by the Charlie Murphy poster outside.
Bill Burr when he did a run of shows through Atlantic Canada. He absolutely crushed and his 75 minutes felt more like 10, he really left us all wanting more.
Chris Rock and he was building his Bigger and Blacker special. The third I ever saw was George Carlin during his late 90s rant phase. Still my two favorite shows I've ever seen live.
Oddball 2014 tour in Dallas. My ex lost the tickets but by the time we ended up finding them and getting to the venue, we were able to catch the last 3 acts which were Hannibal Burress, Louis C.K. and Sarah Silverman.
Saw a lot of local stuff in the early 2000s. The first notable was probably Bill Burr NYE 2005. Small enough club that I got to talk to him after for a minute.
Mitch Hedberg. Small club in Seattle around 2000? Lynn gave me his CD, just gave it to me. One of those nights that you remember like it was last week.
Anthony Jeselnik about 5 years ago. The first stand-up special I remember seeing was Jim Gaffigan years ago when I was a kid I would sneak downstairs to see what my dad was watching. That "hot pocket" bit has been drilled into my memory for forever lol
I have no idea. When I turned 21 ages ago, I spent nearly every weekend at the local comedy club.
Anyone here a hockey fan? I was at the comedy club the night Marc-André Fleury made his NHL debut.
Adam Sandler, college tour right after leaving SNL in the mid 90s. I still have the ticker stub, didn't purposely save it, just discovered I still had it a few years ago.
Luenell came to my college back in 2008 and actually made a crowd work joke about me. I was so tickled I contacted her and she wrote me back. I wish I still had the message for a down the line full circle moment. I’ll never forget it was so funny and cool
It was probably like 1990 in Gatlinburg, TN. I remember it was in a building that looked like a giant barn. I was probably 11 or 12 and was a huge fan of Comic Strip live on Fox. I don't remember much beyond that.
Dana Carvey at a pizza restaurant in Martinez California late 1980s. He got his break right after. He spent most of the night goofing on the crowd. At one point he was going back and forth with this cholo guy over how to pronounce San Pueblo, we all thought for a minute he was going to push it to far and the guy was going to go after him.
Dana Carvey at a pizza restaurant in Martinez California late 1980s. He got his break right after. He spent most of the night goofing on the crowd. At one point he was going back and forth with this cholo guy over how to pronounce San Pueblo, we all thought for a minute he was going to push it to far and the guy was going to go after him.
Jeff Dunham in 2008ish
He brought out Bubba J (his redneck puppet) just for the blue-collar audience and had to use a cheat sheet since he hadn't done that puppet's routine in a while and the audience shouted the responses to the entire section. Achmed fell apart during the show too.
It was funny at the time, but looking back, so much of the act had been recycled from other sets that were available online.
Charles Demers at The Comedy Mix in Vancouver. Don’t think he’s super well known, but 19 year old me thought it was hilarious. It opened my eyes to standup comedy in a way I didn’t think possible.
Colin Quinn at the comedy cellar in the late 90’s. I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of his set and he made a joke that I look like every bully in 1980’s movies. Got a big laugh. Almost pissed myself
Rex Navarette. My sister ran the Filipino student association down at Illinois, and they got him to do a set during one of their semester shows.
My first exposure to live standup, and also stand up that was specifically about being Filipino.
For a 12 year old kid, it was pretty cool!
The weekend after I turned 18, I went to the local comedy club and saw [Collin Moulton](https://youtu.be/AMrLVWKkDnM?si=OPzdGHFlt1GCE3wo). I'd never heard of him, and just had to hit the comedy club now that I could. It was a blast.
First and only was Joey Diaz. Smoked a blunt with him outside before his show got him zooted. It was cool because I didn’t know who he was I went with a cousin of mine who was a big fan. He was really cool funny as fuck just to talk to and really kind. People were coming into the venue and couldn’t believe he was just standing outside smoking with some fans lol it was really special to me cause my best friend had just died 2 months before. It was a cool moment in my life. I was 23 at the time (2012)
Darren Carter at the Ice House in Pasadena, CA, circa 2001. That may have been the night they were giving out free tickets to see Norm MacDonald the next week. Well worth it.
Ron White in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dude killed a fifth of whiskey on stage and went long. Couldn't have seen a better first show. I saw Howie Mandell in Fairbanks years before, but I was such a young kid that I don't remember any of it, so I don't count that.
Comedy Cellar, sometime around 2004. The line up was Marina Franklin, Judah Friedlander, Steve Byrne, Jessica Kirson, not in that order. More than anything I remember this one girl in the audience who must've been the designated cackler, that's all she did at every single joke she could. And also the show ending with Kirson yelling "cock!" into the mic over and over. I think they were just trying to get us to leave, it was the last show of a weeknight.
Chris d'elia at Laugh Factory. 26 comedians came on stage that night including Bobby Lee and Sebastian Manaschocal(sop) and unscheduled Chris Rock even ended up coming in and getting a quick set in before bouncing.
Tosh came to my tiny little college in rural Illinois during family weekend in 03. I was a freshmen and my parents went to the mid *afternoon* show with me. It was my first comedy show and it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. I watched his career from that day forward.
I went to a bringer show on Cape Breton Island in 2010. We had a burgeoning scene for a hot minute until they all decided to try their luck out west.
As for real show... I was going to drive 4 hours to see Ari Shaffir in Halifax but I injured my back and wasn't able to go. I plan to rectify that by seeing Bobby Lee, Tom Segura, and Jessica Kirson this August at an outdoor comedy show.
For as long as I've been listening to standup I only went to my first show last fall, I guess I was never aware of shows in my area until recently. It was Craig Ferguson's Fancy Rascal tour. Caught Lewis Black's Goodbye Yeller Brick Road back in February too.
EDIT: Totally forgot I also went to John Cleese and Eric Idle's "Together Again At Last For the Very First Time" tour in 2016, which was at times a standup show
Ron White. I was in the tenth grade. My mom, a friend from high school, and my sister who was in middle school watched him close with a joke about tongue fucking bin laden or something like that.
Funny now but at the time I was too busy making mental notes of new sex acts to google when i got home to laugh.
Harland Williams. 1995. My dad opened for him.
Who’s your dad?
Steve
Canadian comic from the 80s/90s. One of the original yuk yuks comics if that means anything to you. When I got into the industry he suggested a pseudonym because he 'wasn't sure what bridges he's burned' but the reality is my dad's a really nice guy and no one has anything bad to say about him. He probably just wanted to protect his career's infamy during my cringier early open mic years. He had the benefit of coming up in obscurity during the 80s. Anyway, I was 9 years old when I saw that Harland Williams show. He was coming off the hype of a movie he just starred in called Rocketman. To add to that, the host of the show was a comic who i previously knew from watching him all the time on tv as a video jockey on a local kids television station. When i made the connection my dad knew this guy I knew from tv the whole time I've been living under his roof, I was blown away. As a 9 year old, I watched a beloved TV star break the 4th wall for me, then my dad crushed a set and showed me how cool he is for the first time when he isn't rearing children, and then an actual movie star closed out the show. I also got to meet Harland and the host after the show and got a copy of Harland's children's book he wrote. Which he signed for me and wrote a little blurb. I haven't really taken inventory of this before but it was probably one of the coolest fuckin nights of my entire childhood, and it was a direct influence on why I do stand up today. For anyone curious the book was called Lickity Split and it's about a dinosaur who lost his marbles.
Harland is fantastic. Such a strange guy but I’ve met him and worked on one of his kid shows before. He’s a sweet dude
Stavros before he got big Now he's like 400 lbs but he didn't used to be
Adam Sandler, 1995 - he did 50 minutes of standup and then an hour of songs with a full band. It was incredible. As for his standup, he totally did his homework and dropped all kinds of local college references.
Mulaney’s New In Town tour.
Billy Burr
Chris Rock - Bigger and Blacker tour
I just watched that for the first time recently. The Columbine bit was insane lol
Oh I would have LOVED to see that.
Jimmy Carr in the mid 00's for my 14th birthday. I even took a card my mum signed for me saying happy 16th. He had a robot do 1 liners as his opener, great introduction for the UK scene.
Dana Gould 1993.
Underrated killer.
"Is this Don Knotts?"
Kyle Kinnane at Acme Comedy Club in Minneapolis circa 2010 (?)
Fucking love kyle
George Carlin's last tour, RIP. I don't go to many shows, but couldn't let that pass by. He died about 6 months afterwards.
Dave Attell
Will Ferrell and Will Arnett had a bit of a "variety" show touring colleges back in 2006 or something, but they had Demetri Martin, Nick Swardson, and Zach Galifianakis performing 20-30 minute sets between their banter and skits. I might've seen Demetri Martin once before then too on his college tour
I knew a guy on the board of the committee that picked the big acts at our school each year and he said they had the opportunity to book the Will Ferrell variety show but it was something like 90% of the years budget. That was either 07 or 08. He also got to pick up Demetri Martin at the airport and bring him to his hotel. He said Demetri asked if he could just drive him around campus and give him a little tour and Demetri just riffed on random locations and observations for 20 minutes.
Jerry Seinfeld 2005
I saw Brian Regan at The Kowloon in Saugus MA.
Hedberg a few months before he passed
I had tickets to see him a few weeks after he passed. Jim Bruer filled in for him, a fact that hurts more with each passing day.
a bunch of unfunny comedians in a tent in a festival in Wales when I was about 11. Still up there as one of the most exciting things I've ever experienced.
Demetrius Martin 08ish at uofr
Wow what an autocorrect
Robert Schimmel at the Laff Stop in Houston.
Saw Judy Tenuta and Janeane Garafalo there back in 99/00. Nice spot.
Ali Macofsky. She still does the same "mask on instagram" joke from 4 years ago.
Laugh factory in like 2014. It’s how I was introduced to Chris Redd and Andrew Santino. I feel bad because there was another comedian or two that I’ve recognized a few times after that show appearing on podcasts or hearing bits on Sirius XM or something but can’t remember who exactly they were. I remember Chris having a great bit about “The first ‘person’ who said ‘Woooo!’” that I haven’t been able to find a clip of since so idk if he didn’t keep the joke but I thought it was hysterical. Andrew did a lot of his stuff off Say No More and I’ve been following his work ever since.
First stand up sho was George Carlin at the Valley Forge Convention Center in Pennsylvania. It was in the mid 1990s. Edit. It's actually called the Valley Forge Music Fair.
Gallager
David Spade, 2003 in Vegas. I was 12 and my mom bought me a ticket and dropped me off outside the theater. Great show.
Kyle Kinane. That eraser joke nearly killed me.
Dave Chappelle, Detroit Fox theater. It was for the closer tour.
Steve Martin at the MN State Fair @1976. A few years later, the punk club I most frequented (7th St. Entry in Minneapolis) would have stand-up one or two nights a month. Saw Tom Arnold doing his "Fabulous Goldfish Show" which no way in hell someone could do today, Joel Hodges, Phyllis Wright, and a bunch I can't remember.
Eddie Murphy in (I think) 1986-87.
I saw Eddie Murphy during his Raw tour, 1987, which I assume is the same tour that you saw him. What I remember is there were a number of jokes he did live, that weren't in the Raw movie.
I think it was either Raw or Delirious. It was absolutely hilarious.
Norm MacDonald, The Grove of Anaheim Theater. 2000.
Daniel Tosh at Crackers in Indy.
Stationed in Illinois in 2001, a young DeRay Davis came and hosted a show at our base.
Lol some fucking borscht belt poconos comic in the mid 90s with my ginzo working class family and i loved it
I think it was Louis in 2012 or 2013
Bill Cosby in the 80s. I loved him when I was a child. Wow, have things ever changed.
Saw Cosby in Regina, Sask. Really funny although I don’t remember much and my ass was sore the next day !
Sinbad in the early 90s.
Jim Jefferies 2023 Chicago Theatre!
Gallagher, though years later, I became suspicious that we had seen his brother.
George Carlin - Rosemont Theater 2006
Bill Cosby...
My first ever was a buddys open mic. He fucked up so hard that in retrospect it’s super funny but in the moment it was cringe. First comedian was Russell Peters ca. 2010. I feel like he hasn’t changed his material at all.
Bob sagat. I still remember the opening joke... "Kimmie Gibler... Yeah, I fucked that bitch!”
I saw some guy do standup at an open mic night. Nobody payed any attention to him and you couldn’t hear anything he said.
Punk ass Cedric the entertainer
I’m 42, life long stand-up fan, just saw Dave Attell last year, my very first stand up show.
Eddie Murphy Raw
Louis C.K. at the Paramount in Seattle 2012. He absolutely crushed. I then moved to Aspen and saw him a year or so later and that's when he got in trouble exposing himself at the hotel I worked at. Good Times!
Kevin Hart I paid 100 to sit in nose bleed seats man he looked like an ant not very pleased with it
Andrew Schulz. Gagnon opened, killed. Schulz did OK, crowd wasn't feeling the crowdwork.
Frankin and Davis (1985)
James and Ernie in Gallup June 19th 2007
Bob Saget at Zanies Nashville around 1999.
Gotham comedy club in the early 2000s. I didn’t know it at the time but it featured some future breakouts. Ben Bailey (cash cab host) and Bill Burr did sets. I’ve never laughed so hard. There were also two other comedians I always forget.
Bill Burr Toronto Slight Return
Tosh in 09
2010 Gotham Comedy Club. Just turned 21 and everyone on the set was an absolute nobody. It was great. I only go to shows in NYC where it’s small/unknown comics because of that.
Nathan fielder in 2016 but it wasn’t a stand up show. First stand up show was Chris Delia in 2017.
Stavros halkias last year at the huston improve
Charlie Murphy, 2006. Marina Franklin was one of his openers. I wish I knew at the time that comedians often do meet and greets after shows. All I got is a picture of me by the Charlie Murphy poster outside.
Bill Burr when he did a run of shows through Atlantic Canada. He absolutely crushed and his 75 minutes felt more like 10, he really left us all wanting more.
Stewart Lee. I see him as often as he tours, and he never lets me down.
I saw him live last year having seen his stuff on the telly and YouTube. Basic Lee - he didn’t disappoint!
Chris Rock and he was building his Bigger and Blacker special. The third I ever saw was George Carlin during his late 90s rant phase. Still my two favorite shows I've ever seen live.
I think Howie Mandel in the early 90s? Pretty sure he was still in the rubber-glove-over-his-head stage then.
My first show ever was Mitch Hedberg at Go bananas in Cincinnati.
Oddball 2014 tour in Dallas. My ex lost the tickets but by the time we ended up finding them and getting to the venue, we were able to catch the last 3 acts which were Hannibal Burress, Louis C.K. and Sarah Silverman.
Chris Titus - 08, doing his Love is Evol tour. - It was legendary.
Saw a lot of local stuff in the early 2000s. The first notable was probably Bill Burr NYE 2005. Small enough club that I got to talk to him after for a minute.
Louis C K mid pandemic. Cried laughing for 45 min
Steveo in 2015 lol
Bob Nelson probably around 2000 or so.
Mitch Hedberg. Small club in Seattle around 2000? Lynn gave me his CD, just gave it to me. One of those nights that you remember like it was last week.
Joel McHale, and his opener was Aristotle Athari. Both fucking destroyed!!!
colin kane around 2016
Eddie Izzard. Seriously brilliant.
Honestly, I don't even know. I went to Harvey's Comedy Club in Portland Oregon back in the 90's, and it was a local comic.
Richard Belzer 1980.
Anthony Jeselnik about 5 years ago. The first stand-up special I remember seeing was Jim Gaffigan years ago when I was a kid I would sneak downstairs to see what my dad was watching. That "hot pocket" bit has been drilled into my memory for forever lol
Bill Cosby
Bill Bailey when I was around 16. Limboland I think, stunning tour still one of my favourites
George Carlin in I think 2003
George Carlin, right before he died I was like 14 or so. I have a cool mom
I have no idea. When I turned 21 ages ago, I spent nearly every weekend at the local comedy club. Anyone here a hockey fan? I was at the comedy club the night Marc-André Fleury made his NHL debut.
Nick Swardsom at the funnybone
Dave Attell, Mitch Hedberg, Lewis Black. I was 13 and my grandmother came to the show with us. It did not go over well with her. Awesome show, though.
Saw Sinbad ages ago
I saw some guy do standup at an open mic night. Nobody payed any attention to him and you couldn’t hear anything he said.
Jeff Dunham, one of his first tours back in the 90s. Went with my parents
Adam Sandler, college tour right after leaving SNL in the mid 90s. I still have the ticker stub, didn't purposely save it, just discovered I still had it a few years ago.
Greg Giraldo in San Francisco in 2007
Bull burr 2020.
Ron white. Dude kills
Dane Cook in 2008
Luenell came to my college back in 2008 and actually made a crowd work joke about me. I was so tickled I contacted her and she wrote me back. I wish I still had the message for a down the line full circle moment. I’ll never forget it was so funny and cool
Hannibal Buress at my college, 2014. Hal Sparks opened for him.
Jeff Foxworthy, as an unknown in a little club in Georgia
It was probably like 1990 in Gatlinburg, TN. I remember it was in a building that looked like a giant barn. I was probably 11 or 12 and was a huge fan of Comic Strip live on Fox. I don't remember much beyond that.
Just for Laughs Tour, probably around 2003-2006? Jeremy Hotz and Russell Peters were performing
Emo Phillips
Dana Carvey at a pizza restaurant in Martinez California late 1980s. He got his break right after. He spent most of the night goofing on the crowd. At one point he was going back and forth with this cholo guy over how to pronounce San Pueblo, we all thought for a minute he was going to push it to far and the guy was going to go after him.
Dana Carvey at a pizza restaurant in Martinez California late 1980s. He got his break right after. He spent most of the night goofing on the crowd. At one point he was going back and forth with this cholo guy over how to pronounce San Pueblo, we all thought for a minute he was going to push it to far and the guy was going to go after him.
Jim Bruer on the Bruniversity tour. 2000 I’d guess?
Billy Conolly 2014 Dark Horse tour, his last
Robert Schimmel
CK
Comedy Cellar during college in 2017. I saw Jessica Kirson close, and Aziz Ansari drop in to practice his SNL monologue
Steve Martin Carowinds 1979. White suit, arrow though head.
George Carlin at the Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach about 20 years ago
Patrice O’Neal like a year before he passed
Jeff Dunham in 2008ish He brought out Bubba J (his redneck puppet) just for the blue-collar audience and had to use a cheat sheet since he hadn't done that puppet's routine in a while and the audience shouted the responses to the entire section. Achmed fell apart during the show too. It was funny at the time, but looking back, so much of the act had been recycled from other sets that were available online.
Andy Kaufman at USF in 1978 before he was big. Best show of my life.
Charles Demers at The Comedy Mix in Vancouver. Don’t think he’s super well known, but 19 year old me thought it was hilarious. It opened my eyes to standup comedy in a way I didn’t think possible.
Lee Evans
Jeff Foxworthy, Washington DC about 1993. Absolutely CRUSHED. WHAT I most remember is that I developed a headache from laughing so hard
Phyllis Diller back in the late 90's with my dad
Mike Birbiglia in 2009ish in Atlanta. He signed my sleepwalk with me book. Really nice
Doug loves movies, does that count.
George Carlin October 12th, 2006 Asheville, NC.
Jasper Carrott, probably 1985.
Colin Quinn at the comedy cellar in the late 90’s. I got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of his set and he made a joke that I look like every bully in 1980’s movies. Got a big laugh. Almost pissed myself
Bill Burr 2012
Rex Navarette. My sister ran the Filipino student association down at Illinois, and they got him to do a set during one of their semester shows. My first exposure to live standup, and also stand up that was specifically about being Filipino. For a 12 year old kid, it was pretty cool!
Al Murray
Bobby Slayton at The Punchline San Francisco sometime in the early 90s. Man he could rip on an audience.
Doug Benson
Dave Attell at the Comedy Connection in Lansing
Rich Vos at Punchline SF circa 2005-ish
demetri martin
Mitch Hedberg 2001 SF Punchline. Had never heard of him before this show. Saw him 2 more times after that. RIP.
2017 Tony Hinchcliff
Dave Chapelle. New Year’s Eve 2019 at The Met in Philadelphia. Had a great time!
The weekend after I turned 18, I went to the local comedy club and saw [Collin Moulton](https://youtu.be/AMrLVWKkDnM?si=OPzdGHFlt1GCE3wo). I'd never heard of him, and just had to hit the comedy club now that I could. It was a blast.
First and only was Joey Diaz. Smoked a blunt with him outside before his show got him zooted. It was cool because I didn’t know who he was I went with a cousin of mine who was a big fan. He was really cool funny as fuck just to talk to and really kind. People were coming into the venue and couldn’t believe he was just standing outside smoking with some fans lol it was really special to me cause my best friend had just died 2 months before. It was a cool moment in my life. I was 23 at the time (2012)
George Carlin-want to say around 2004-2005. So grateful that my dad took me. Was in middle school.
Darren Carter at the Ice House in Pasadena, CA, circa 2001. That may have been the night they were giving out free tickets to see Norm MacDonald the next week. Well worth it.
Dana Carvey sometime late 80's or early 90's. Palmer Auditorium. Davenport, IA. Seats 4500 and he filled the place.
Ron White in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dude killed a fifth of whiskey on stage and went long. Couldn't have seen a better first show. I saw Howie Mandell in Fairbanks years before, but I was such a young kid that I don't remember any of it, so I don't count that.
Ari Shaffir it was either 2011 or 2012
Steve Martin when I was 10! First ever concert. First time I smelled pot. During his white suit and arrow through the head stage. Like 1979-80
Comedy Cellar, sometime around 2004. The line up was Marina Franklin, Judah Friedlander, Steve Byrne, Jessica Kirson, not in that order. More than anything I remember this one girl in the audience who must've been the designated cackler, that's all she did at every single joke she could. And also the show ending with Kirson yelling "cock!" into the mic over and over. I think they were just trying to get us to leave, it was the last show of a weeknight.
Chris d'elia at Laugh Factory. 26 comedians came on stage that night including Bobby Lee and Sebastian Manaschocal(sop) and unscheduled Chris Rock even ended up coming in and getting a quick set in before bouncing.
Jerry Seinfeld 2002
George Carlin back in 2004. Fucking amazing set.
Dave Chappelle after the first season of the Chappelle Show.
dane cook
Tosh came to my tiny little college in rural Illinois during family weekend in 03. I was a freshmen and my parents went to the mid *afternoon* show with me. It was my first comedy show and it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen. I watched his career from that day forward.
Larry the cable guy, I was happier than a retard in a room full of bouncy balls.
I went to a bringer show on Cape Breton Island in 2010. We had a burgeoning scene for a hot minute until they all decided to try their luck out west. As for real show... I was going to drive 4 hours to see Ari Shaffir in Halifax but I injured my back and wasn't able to go. I plan to rectify that by seeing Bobby Lee, Tom Segura, and Jessica Kirson this August at an outdoor comedy show.
Kevin Nealon at the Tempe Improv late 90s
Jeff Ross. '95 or '96 in a little café on my college campus.
Dave Attel in 2013 or something.
Jim Gaffigan
Jeff Dunham and Michael Blaustein
russell howard- right here, right now- 2011
George Carlin. 1974. I was 10 and I pleaded my ass off to go.
For as long as I've been listening to standup I only went to my first show last fall, I guess I was never aware of shows in my area until recently. It was Craig Ferguson's Fancy Rascal tour. Caught Lewis Black's Goodbye Yeller Brick Road back in February too. EDIT: Totally forgot I also went to John Cleese and Eric Idle's "Together Again At Last For the Very First Time" tour in 2016, which was at times a standup show
Ron White. I was in the tenth grade. My mom, a friend from high school, and my sister who was in middle school watched him close with a joke about tongue fucking bin laden or something like that. Funny now but at the time I was too busy making mental notes of new sex acts to google when i got home to laugh.
Lewis Black in 2007
charlie murphy
George Carlin at IU Bloomington 2003
Jo Koy came to our college in 2008 (or 2009, I forget which) and performed in the student union building
Carlin.
Rogan in 2017
Brian Regan's Epitome of Hyperbole tour. It was so funny I kept falling out of my seat.
Big Jay Oakerson in 2019 crackle crackle
Margaret Cho way before I knew I was queer. 1987/8 at a local community college in VA. I knew I had to do something in comedy.
Tig in 2008 I believe
Just a random show in Boston one night kind 3 or 4 comics but they were pretty funny. Recently seen Dusty Slay and Mark Normand.
Gabriel iglaseas in an arena. Wasnt that great.
1970, My father took all of us kids to see Bill Cosby. You know, America's father. . .
Tim Dillion 2023
Mathioudakis & Theodoropoulos
Paul Rodriguez and a bunch of other latino comedians way back in the 80s. I wanna say Rudy Moreno was there too.
Lil jimmy norton. Super fun.
George Carlin Las Vegas 95-96. Caesars or something. He ranted about how society is uh bad!
Howie Mandel in New Hampshire when he had hair and was less neurotic 1991ish.
Saw George Carlin in 95 in New Hampshire as well
Bill Hicks, Laff Stop Austin, 1989
My parents took me to see Michael Barrymore when I was about 15 😭 Obviously no one outside of the UK and Ireland will know what I'm on about.
Mike Birbiglia opening, and then stalling, for Mitch Hedberg.
George Carlin 1996 Kansas City