Saturday Satisfaction

Saturday September 15th, 2007 - Toledo, OH

Did Mick Jagger ever get the satisfaction he was singing about for all those years? I sure got a little piece of it in Toledo this week. Shows went very well and there weren’t any off stage issues or drama with the staff or any of that draining petty politics that can knock all the fun out of the time on stage. This week went like it’s supposed to go and I’m satisfied.

The middle act this week was a guy I’ve worked with many times before. Donnell Berry is his name and he’s from Detroit. He’s probably been doing comedy even longer than me but he had a good paying job and a family and he never took it on the road full time. He’s very professional and it’s always a pleasure to follow someone competent because I know he can handle himself in difficult situations. He did a super job this week without a glitch.

The staff at the club is very friendly and they’re not overly jaded like some staffs can get nor coke sniffing booze hags that could out party Van Halen and Led Zeppelin combined. It’s a perfect mix for me and I could tell they liked me too. I am very attuned to making an effort at acknowledging the staff both onstage and off and not every comedian does that.

It’s not all that difficult. Telling the audience to leave a tip during each show is not hard at all and off stage I tip them too whenever I get a drink, even a water. I try to stay out of everyone’s way and always make a point of asking when I need to be off stage. That’s the main thing after getting tips is to get off stage on time. I am very good at nailing it right to the minute and I did it every show this week except one. I could tell they loved me for it.

The show I went over by five minutes was the first show tonight. WOW what a fantastic energy they had. I have to admit I went long just so I could squeeze every last little bubble of laughter out of them. Last night’s early show I was off a little but not tonight. It started strong and got stronger and by the end I’d stomped them like Godzilla stomped Tokyo.

It was one of those nights when it was firing on all cylinders and I finally know what to do after all these years of experience when that happens - ENJOY IT. I didn’t try to rush anything and I let it come to me in the moment. I did some ad libs and act outs and let the vibe flow right through me. I don’t know where it comes from but it does and I let it pass through me out into the audience. It’s a higher level and when I’m in that zone I don’t try to control it like I used to. It’s almost like an out of body experience and it’s exhilarating.

The late show looked like it could have gotten out of hand with some drunken football fans but I held my ground and established dominance early and they backed down. I had a very strong set and that was probably just as satisfying as the early one because it seemed like it was going to be a lost cause when I got on. Pulling it out of the sewer and closing it as strongly as I did made me feel like I gave the audience their money’s worth and I did.

This whole week was very pleasurable. I got tons of work done off stage and kicked ass on it. I worked with nice people, the weather was perfect and my hotel was clean and dry and not full of greasy bikers or screaming babies. I wonder how Mick Jagger‘s week was?