Monday August 8th, 2011 - Chicago, IL Boy, did it feel great to get back on stage at Zanies in Chicago this evening. No, it was a lot better than great. It was somewhere between outstanding and orgasmic. After being off stage completely for the longest period of my adult life and then having a rusty comeback show in Milwaukee last Friday, this was like a hit of the purest heroin. I‘m hooked again. I’ve been hosting the Monday Rising Star Showcases pretty steady for quite a while and by all accounts tonight was one of if not the very best ever. The club was sold out and the crowd was red hot and ready to laugh. I didn’t feel any of the rust I felt last week, and was in a groove before I even hit the stage. For whatever reason, everything was right tonight. The comics were all on fire as well, and there were 14 of them. Sometimes there can be a dud or three in the mix, and that’s how it goes. Not tonight. Everyone brought their best and it was the right night to do it because the audience was as good as it gets. This is why I’ve kept doing comedy as long as I have. That feeling never gets old. It’s an intense rush. There were even a couple of celebrities on the bill. Pat Tomasulo is the sportscaster on WGN TV’s morning news and is also a comic. He’s very funny and absolutely rocked it. I’ve seen all kinds of wannabe media monkeys who think they’re big stars rob stage time from real comics because they have a name and club owners fawn all over them. Gag. Pat didn’t do that. He was polite, waited his turn and when he got up on stage he had an act. He did a tight funny set and the audience loved him. He was a total professional and I hope I get a chance to work with him again, especially in front of such a rocking crowd. About halfway through the show Bert Haas told me Tim Meadows from Saturday Night Live had stopped in and wanted to do a guest spot. I’d never met Tim, but he was another total pro who also knocked it out of the park. The audience went wild and I saw first hand what the power of name recognition can do. It’s hypnotic. They hung on his every word. That’s not to say he wasn’t a good comic, it’s just that there’s a whole other level that’s reached when an audience knows the person on stage. That’s not possible with somebody they’ve never seen before. I’ve had literally thousands of excellent shows in my lifetime, but it only went to a certain level. They laughed, but then forgot me in the parking lot. When someone has been on their television or in movies, it’s a whole different form of bonding. The audience knows the person before they even say their first word, and that’s a huge advantage. I’ve had it very little from my radio jobs, but I’ve still experienced it to a tiny degree and it’s powerful. The electricity of being on stage is intensified even more. This was just a magical night. The 14 comics kicked major ass, especially and including Pat and Tim. I was on a roll and didn’t feel any rust at all. It was like I never left, and that was a real relief. It’d be like Dolly Parton losing her boobs. Would life go on? Sure, but it wouldn’t be as exciting as before. Standup comedy is an addiction, and I‘m still hooked.
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