Three For Three

Monday May 18th, 2009 - Chicago, IL

If life was like it’s been in the last three days all the time I’d have nothing to bitch about anymore. Saturday was great because of Jerry’s Kidders on WGN. Yesterday it was doing a solid Mothership Connection show on WLIP. Tonight it was a hot showcase at Zanies.

Monday nights at Zanies can be very tricky. Sometimes the crowds are fantastic but the lineup of comedians is weak. Other times it’s just the opposite and the crowd is comatose but the comedians are strong. Tonight nitro met glycerin and everything was explosive.

I can’t remember a recent show where everything just fell together like tonight. What an absolute blast to be part of a show like this. I’m the toughest critic there is and when it’s a bad crowd or a show misfires I’ll be the first to admit it. Not tonight. There was a raw and rocking electricity in the room from the first ten seconds to the last comic of the evening.

I’ve done enough of these shows and shows in general to get a real feel for the audience in a very short period of time. If they’re super or if they suck - I know it immediately. It is no mystery to know how an audience is going to behave. The mystery comes from why?

Why they were so good tonight is anyone’s guess but I think it was the luck of the draw. These particular people as a whole had excellent senses of humor as individuals and when they came together the sum was greater than the parts. They laughed right when they were supposed to and nobody heckled and when a comedian was talking they were listening.

That’s exactly how it’s supposed to be and if it were like this more often there wouldn’t be as much binge drinking by comics. Well, maybe there still would but the reason would be other than trying to forget a bad audience. These people should travel together as a unit and build self esteem to aspiring performers all over the country. They were magnificent.

Nights like this make all the years of struggle seem worth it. We all felt appreciated and who doesn’t want to feel that? I sure do. I need it. Everyone does. Hearing it several times on the walk between the stage and the men’s room confirmed it even more. We rocked it.

Three separate projects in three separate days but all of them were fun and when they go the way they’re supposed to the feeling of satisfaction pulses through my veins and that is the feeling I have right now. The drive home tonight was like floating on a passing cloud.

All of these things are on my terms. I didn’t have to kiss anyone’s ass or compromise an ideal or a moral to make it happen. For the last three days and nights I’ve gotten to do my favorite things without having to get hassled from some imbecile that I’m doing it wrong.

I was in control of all of it and I liked and respected the people around me too. Taking a concept like Jerry’s Kidders or the Mothership Connection or even hosting the showcase and making it come to life from only an idea is a thrill I’ll never get sick of having. I’m in creative heaven right now but I can’t gloat. There are a lot more projects left to conquer.