Stand Up Comedians Hit It Out Of The Park At SXSW

I have always been a fan of stand-up comedy, so when I found out that there would be a free show for South by Southwest badge carrying members at Esther’s Follies, I was there. UCB Comedy Presents: The Best Stand-Up was headlined by Pete Holmes and featured a surprise performance from Ron White. The rest of the line-up featured comedians Eliza Skinner, Kyle Kenane, Chris Gethard, Gabe Liedman and Saturday Night Live alum Jenny Slate.

The Good: This was a rare event where all the comedians hit their mark. In other words, it was all killer and there was no filler. Every comedian had a tight set. My personal highlight was the performance by Kyle Kenane, he started strong from the start and then he rode the momentum to one of the most disturbing jokes about Bigfoot I have ever found myself laughing at. There was a point where I knew I should not be laughing, but I could not stop myself.  The night ended with Pete Holmes hitting it out of the park with a rapid fire delivery that had people laughing while they were still laughing at the prior joke.

The Bad (or rather not so good): Ron White was a complete surprise, but at the same his established jokes were dicey at times. He was the only comedian standing up there making jokes about married life while the other comedians spoke about the degradations of the single life. Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate performed as a duo which I have never seen before. The jokes were humorous, but the banter was a little too much to process. Their act sounds a lot better on paper, but I am hopeful that it can only improve.

The crowd’s reaction: These comedians had the crowd eating out of the palm of their hands. However I think that they were into Ron White the same way I would be into Cheech and Chong or even George Lopez. In other words, I feel that people are laughing at jokes they are familiar with. For example, Ron White’s “can’t get sex from my wife” joke is our version of every Latino comic’s “menudo” joke or joke about “the birthday piñata.” I have more respect for Ron White than I do for Larry The Cable Guy, and it pains me that someone this funny has had to open for the mayor of lowbrow comedy.

There is so much focus placed on the music and film aspects of South by Southwest that sometimes comedy gets lost in the shuffle. Stand-up comedy is one of those experiences that can put a smile on your face or it can be death when the comedian on stage goes into the crowd to find his or her material. It is a slower and much unfunnier death when it comes to improv. However, these comedians can deliver with their talents and I cannot recommend them enough if only because you will find yourself laughing at things that you previously did not find humor in.