 |
There’s nothing like summertime in Chicago — especially when comedian Mike Epps rolls through with a talented band of comedians ready to shut the city down. Such was the case June 18, when Epps hosted TBS’ Comedy Blowout at the packed Chicago Theatre. The show, which featured the comedic brilliance of Kevin Hart, Earthquake, Damon Wayans Jr., and Aries Spears, cast a favorable light on the true genius of black comedians. While we’re sure the audience walked away with their own impressions, here are ro’s picks for “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly” from this sidesplitting night of comedy.
The Good
Black comedy and black love is alive and well.
It felt good to see so many successful black comedians gracing the same stage last night. What was striking was how they all commented on their excitement that Barack Obama was now our president. While jokes ruled the night, their love for our people wasn’t lost on anyone. You could just feel the love … when you weren’t laughing, of course.
The Bad (It was more unfortunate)
The sets weren’t long enough.
Now there was one instance (we’ll get into that one a little later) where the set was actually too long. But for the most part, every comedian that took the stage left the audience gasping for air, and hungry for more jokes. Kevin Hart and Aries Spears were two comedians in particular that left the crowd upset when they ran out of time. Time does fly when you’re having fun, and the audience wasn’t pleased one bit about it.
The Ugly
Damon Wayans Jr. gets booed off the stage.
Upon his introduction, the crowd was amped to see what Damon Sr.’s son was going to do. After all, you have to be funny with a last name like Wayans right? Unfortunately, no. We’re not sure if he was just having a bad night, but from the moment he walked on stage, the crowd wanted him off. Absolutely none of his punch lines landed, and after the booing and catcalls increased, Damon thankfully placed the mic down and walked off the stage. It was a sad ending to an even sadder comedy routine.
We’ll be back with more coverage of the 2009 TBS Very Funny Festival. –dewayne rogers
