LIVE COMEDY WITNESSED IN 2018

I didn’t met my live comedy goals for 2018 (of which there were two). My streak of going to more events than the previous year was snapped, but worse – my goal of seeing a more diverse array of entertainers fell extremely short. With one exception, every show on the below list was led with somebody that looked a lot like me.

The point of writing that is to challenge myself for next year. It’ll be accomplished if I make a better effort to see new people – this year was dominated by acts I’ve seen before and it’s not like I’ll stop supporting them in the future.
[Previous years: 2017. 2016, 2015]

• Todd Barry at S.P.A.C.E. (Fri Jan 26)
• Amazing front row seats for his Crowd Work tour. The highlight was when he named a new chicken product we had in development.
• Rory Scovel at Lincoln Hall (Sun Jan 28)
• One of the best in the business. This was the 3^rd time I’ve seen him perform.
• Myq Kaplan at Zanies (Thu Feb 1)
• The highlight of this night was not Kaplan, but the feature act: Derek Graf. He’s someone that had the unfortunate displeasure of seeing me attempt comedy at an open mic – and now through his hard work and perpetually improving set is now getting consistent stage time at the most established comedy club in Chicago. I’ve yet to hear a better joke than dehumidifiers.
• Never Not Funny at Zanies (Sat May 12)
• I’ll never stop going to live podcasts. The second time I’ve seen NNF, but the first time I saw him in his hometown.
• Playing Games at Zanies (Sat May 12)
• Can someone give Jimmy Pardo a hosting job? He’s simply the best at it.
• Jon Gabrus and Friends at UCB Sunset (Thu May 24)
• This was the comedy highlight of my year. I insisted that I take two of my friends (who were vacationing with me in Los Angeles) to this the first night in town and it was funnier than the large amount of hype I gave it.
• ASSSSCAT at UCB Sunset (Sun May 27)
• First time I saw a founding member of UCB (Matt Besser) perform. I’ve been to three ASSSSCATs and hope there are many more in my future.
• How Did This Get Made at Athenaeum Theatre (Sat Jun 2)
• Rad was pretty cool. MVP of the night was my friend Chrissy’s amazing sign that got brought up on stage.
• How Did This Get Made at Athenaeum Theatre (Sat Jun 2)
• Damn right I went back for a second show! Blues Brothers 2000 is one of the worst five movies I’ve ever seen and I could’ve have been more happy (Scribbles Forever)!
• Josh Gondelman at Zanies (Thu Jul 5)
• Potentially the nicest comic on Twitter, I’ll never stop supporting him when he comes into town. You should also act in this manner.
• Canned Tears at Judy’s Beat Lounge (Fri Jul 27)
• As amazing and funny as timely and relateable. Never underestimate the luxury of knowing funny people.
• Gary Gulman at Park West (Sun Nov 18)
• A more personal set than I expected. He amazingly crafted humor from the decent of depression.
• Team Coco Presents Conan & Friends: An Evening Of Stand-Up And Investment Tips at Chicago Theatre (Wed Nov 28)
• Conan forever. In any form, in any medium.

Help me fix this mistakes for next year. Know a show off the beaten path and want company? I’ll join you. Writing or directing a show yourself? Let me know and I’ll support it.