# Comedians and comedy acts you've seen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [September 21, 2026, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244 "2026-09-21T13:30:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/1 "2026-09-21T13:30:21Z")
This past Friday my wife and I saw Jim Gaffigan at the Fox Theater in Detroit. I had not been looking forward to driving downtown, fighting traffic and crowds, and just the whole hassle, having recently injured my shoulder. And his first joke was like he was reading my mind: “I appreciate you guys taking the trouble to come down to see me. Because it’s just easier to stay on your couch and scroll on your phone, right? At first, when it’s hypothetical, it seems like a great idea-- ‘Hey, Jim Gaffigan is coming to town; let’s go!’. Then it becomes real: ‘What? You actually bought tickets??’. Then the morning of the show, you’re thinking ‘I wonder if I can sell these tickets… 🤔’”. It was a great show, and I’m glad I didn’t sell our tickets! I think he’s one of the most consistently funny comedians in the biz right now. I got to thinking, my wife and I have seen some pretty good, or at least interesting, comedy acts over the years. Here’s a list from memory in roughly chronological order from most recent: **Jim Gaffigan** - See above. **Bobcat Goldthwaite** - This was kind of a ‘what the hell’ choice. I thought of him as ‘that weird, not very funny guy with the goofy voice in all those 80s movies’. But tickets were dirt cheap, it was at a comedy club very close to our house, so what the hell. His stand-up turned out to be very funny (and fortunately he’s dropped the goofy voice). He had been good friends with Robin Williams, which I did not know, and had toured with him a lot, so he had a couple touching and funny anecdotes about Robin (complete with a spot-on impersonation). **Michael Kosta** - (one of the commentators on The Daily Show). Funny show, and since he grew up in SE Michigan, he had a lot of local jokes which personalized the show a bit. **Sarah Sherman** - (current SNL member). Known as ‘Sarah Squirm’ when she did stand-up before SNL, she specializes in gross-out humor. And her show had plenty of that. I like gross-out humor, and I think she became a breakout star on SNL for good reason (the ‘singing skin tag’ skit she wrote and starred in her first season is a classic), but I think it was a bit too heavy on the ‘gross-out’ part and light on the ‘humor’ part. **TJ Miller** - Another ‘what the hell’ choice. Having recently been canceled in Hollywood, tickets were pretty cheap. His stand-up was fairly funny, especially considering I didn’t even know he was a stand-up comedian at all. Probably the most memorable part of the show was, we were there with my friend and his girlfriend, and he is kind of a loudmouth, who didn’t exactly heckle Miller, but yelled out a couple responses to things Miller said. Miller started engaging with him, so my friend basically became part of the show. It was equal parts embarrassing and funny. **Demetri Martin** - I’ve always liked his style of comedy, and just the way his comedy mind works. This show did not disappoint. Pro tip: a good chunk of his act (at least, when we saw him) is drawing things on a large pad of paper. Unfortunately, it was very hard to see from our seats, even on the big display screen. So if you ever go to see him, either spring for close seats, or bring mini-binoculars. **Kids in the Hall on Tour** - Kind of a ‘greatest hits’ show, recreating some of their classic skits and characters like chicken lady. Fun show. **Nick Swardson** - Possibly best known as a rollerskating gay prostitute recurring character on Reno 911. Since we both loved the show we went to see him. His stand-up was ok. That’s about all the ones I remember right now. Let’s hear who you’ve seen, and feel free to share any anecdotes you have about the shows… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/2 "2026-09-21T13:43:10Z")
> [@solost](#): > > … > I had not been looking forward to driving downtown, fighting traffic and crowds, and just the whole hassle … So how much actual “hassle” was it? I find a lot of people hate hassle mostly because they greatly exaggerate how much there is. And then since they don’t go, they don’t learn that they’re mostly afraid of a figment of their imagination. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/3 "2026-09-21T13:52:49Z")
I saw SNL’s **Darrell Hammond** in a comedy showcase about 25 years ago. Only part I still remember clearly is watching his opening bit (likely a new joke he was still workshopping) go over like a lead balloon: > I took a cab here…You know, I don’t mind when they control the air conditioning, but I draw the line when **hot** air comes out. I open the window, [irate Indian cabbie voice] “Air conditioner is on!” > > …yeah…hot air conditioner…anyway… (To his credit, he recovered beautifully from there.) ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/4 "2026-09-21T13:52:51Z")
**Lewis Black / Dave Attel / Mitch Hedburg** - Probably the greatest comedy bill of the 21st century so far. I think it was 2003 or so. Hilarious! **Suzy (Eddie) Izzard** - I don’t remember much about the show cuz it was a long time ago now but it was great! I remember feeling very high class going to the theater to see this classy British comic. **Tina Fey & Amy Poehler** - This was just a few years ago. Went with a few of my girl friends and we had a blast. **Kids in the Hall** - I’ve seen them on 3 different tours and I was blown away. They really put themselves into the shows physically! **Trae Crowder** - “The Liberal Redneck” Not sure why I was moved to go to his show when I don’t really see many comedy shows in general, but I watch a lot of his clips and I liked his style. I wanted to support his comedy. I wasn’t disappointed. **Joe Pera** - Absolutely love this guy’s tv shows so I was so excited to score tix to his sold-out show. It was really intimate, at one of the smaller music venues around town. His opener was pretty weak, but Joe’s set was very tight and kept us laughing consistently. I got to participate slightly. Something about squirrels. **Amy Schumer** - Funny, raunchy, I love her! These are all I can remember. Oddly enough only one of these was at the actual Cleveland “comedy club”. They have all been in various venues in NE Ohio. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/5 "2026-09-21T13:53:05Z")
Sam Kinison. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/6 "2026-09-21T13:58:18Z")
I’ve never been a big going-to-standup-comedy-shows kinda guy, but I’ve seen Gaffigan four times. My younger daughter likes him quite a bit, and I like him fairly well, so going to see him as a father-daughter activity whenever he’s in town has become a thing for us. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/7 "2026-09-21T14:00:50Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Bobcat Goldthwaite Saw him earlier this year. He “opened” for Michael Shannon’s R.E.M. cover band. He was hilarous (and political – well, this was Minneapolis in early 2026…). ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan\_myers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@aruvqan\_myers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan_myers)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/8 "2026-09-21T14:06:02Z")
2015, Cheech and Chong with War. Foxwoods Casino. Fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/9 "2026-09-21T14:08:42Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > So how much actual “hassle” was it? > > I find a lot of people hate hassle mostly because they greatly exaggerate how much there is. And then since they don’t go, they don’t learn that they’re mostly afraid of a figment of their imagination. Yeah, it was a pretty big hassle. Driving is uncomfortable with my injured shoulder, but my wife hates driving in Detroit so I agreed to drive. The crowds and traffic were crazy (there was also some big concert or something at Comerica Park nearby). Lots of construction to navigate around. I had pre-paid for parking to save money (only $40!) and it took like 20 passes for the parking scanner to recognize the QR code. The greedy bastards who run the parking garage make the spots so narrow we could barely open our doors to get out. But, the show was worth it. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > **Lewis Black / Dave Attel / Mitch Hedburg** - Probably the greatest comedy bill of the 21st century so far. I think it was 2003 or so. Hilarious! Wow, that is quite the triple-bill! Lucky you got to see Mitch Hedberg before he died, which was probably just a year or two later. > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sam Kinison. Aw, c’mon now, you can’t just drop a name like that with no comment! When did you see him? How was the show? Did he yell a lot? (I’m going to guess yes to that last question). > [@JKellyMap](#): > > > [@solost](#): > > > > Bobcat Goldthwaite > > Saw him earlier this year. He “opened” for Michael Shannon’s R.E.M. cover band. He was hilarous (and political – well, this was Minneapolis in early 2026…). His act was one of the most ‘exceeded expectations’ experiences in my memory. It probably helped that my expectations were pretty low beforehand. > [@aruvqan\_myers](#): > > 2015, Cheech and Chong with War. War, as in the ‘Low Rider’ band? Sounds like a great pairing. You must have felt like you took a time machine back to 1975. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/10 "2026-09-21T14:28:59Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Aw, c’mon now, you can’t just drop a name like that with no comment! When did you see him? How was the show? Did he yell a lot? (I’m going to guess yes to that last question). I don’t remember the year or the venue (possibly The Comedy Store), but it was in Hollywood the night before he appeared on _Saturday Night Live_. His show was hilarious. It was much-sanitised for SNL. Yes, there was shouting. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/11 "2026-09-21T14:29:34Z")
Off the top of my head, I think I’ve only seen two live comedy acts. Anthony Jeselnik about 10 years ago and Steven Wright in the early 00’s. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/12 "2026-09-21T14:53:26Z")
We used to all but live in comedy clubs and have seen some big acts, including **Seinfeld**. Most recently we saw **Mark Normand** this past July at the Milwaukee Improv (which is not in Milwaukee. It’s not even in Milwaukee County). > [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Sam Kinison. Saw Bad Sam at the Riverside back in '91. His shows were the most fun you could have with your clothes on! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/13 "2026-09-21T14:56:13Z")
I have seen a bunch of acts in small clubs because I used to do stand up around NYC but as far as big names: I have seen Seinfeld on stage a few times plus a talk he did at the 92nd Street Y. I have seen Louis CK a few times (including the day before Superstorm Sandy hit and took my power away for a few weeks). I saw Adman Sandler in concert once. I saw George Carlin at a dinner theater in Vegas where he was just a few feet away from me on stage. Even though he did zero new material it was a thrill of my life as he was one of my comedy heroes. I think that is it which is odd given how much I love Stand up comedy. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/14 "2026-09-21T15:11:49Z")
Way back in ~1986 I saw Rodney Dangerfield do stand-up in a Las Vegas showroom. We were a group of 8 semi-drunk ~28yo USAF pilots; no women. We tipped enough to get seats right up close at the base of the stage. We greatly enjoyed the show, but I’m sure our presence did not improve the show for any of the ~1,000 other folks. We did not get thrown out, but it was probably a close call by the security folks. Aaah, the memories of sweet youth! 🤪 Other than that I’ve only seen local no-namers in small local clubs around the country. The one near me now closed a few months ago as the strip center they were in is being demolished. ~~Sadly, the didn’t move, they just closed.~~ Thanks to @solost and this thread I just Googled them and in fact they’ve moved across town. No longer walking distance, but not much of a drive. Yaay! Thank you! ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/15 "2026-09-21T15:31:23Z")
I’ve seen Eddie Izzard a couple of times, Flight Of The Conchords on a triple bill with John Hodgman and Dimitri Martin, Spinal Tap Unwigged & Unplugged and I have a vague memory of seeing Gallagher. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/16 "2026-09-21T15:34:07Z")
**George Carlin** at SUNY Albany. He went over his greatest hits at the time; it was in the second phase of his career with the classic stuff (baseball vs. football). **Robert Klein** at Union College. **The Amazing Jonathan.** I caught his Vegas show. The craziest and funniest act I’ve seen, live or on TV. He was supposedly a magician, but he never completed one trick. Brought a guy onstage and spent a half hour riffing on anything that happened. Prop comedy, violence, slapstick, deconstruction, and general madness. **John Pinette** in Toronto. Part of a trade show, opening for Lyle Lovett. Brilliant in every way, and even made fat jokes respectable, since he told them on himself. ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/17 "2026-09-21T15:43:44Z")
All of the ones I’ve seen have been at the Selena Auditorium in Corpus Christi. I’ve seen Carlos Mencia, George Lopez, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, and Joe Gatto. I have photos of myself and my wife with Carlos Mencia and Joe Gatto from their after show meet and greets. Out of those four Fluffy was the funniest. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/18 "2026-09-21T16:08:45Z")
I saw George Carlin in 1990 (least that’s when the internet says it was). Good stuff, obviously, but we were not close to the stage. He did a bit about how he only washes his hands if he shits on them (two or three times a week, maybe more often during the holidays). After the show, I used the bathroom and was washing my hands with the rest of the ladies, and I thought about making a comment, but kept my mouth shut. 😊 ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/19 "2026-09-21T16:13:16Z")
For loving standup… I don’t go that often. Most recently I saw **Dana Gould** who has been one of my favorite comedians since I was a teenager. Actually decided to get an autographed poster mostly so I could share how we were 4 degrees of separation connected through of all things…roller derby. I used to ref for the league that his daughters were junior skaters in. Also **Sarah Millican** , who my wife is a bigger fan of than me but I had a great time. Like 20 years ago I saw **Willie Tyler and Lester** in a small club in Sacramento. He was co-headling with a female comedian who I cannot remember her name but she was B-level in the 80s and early 90s. Like Joy Behar but not Joy Behar. Talked with them for like 30 minutes after the show at the bar. Very nice. No, Lester was not at the bar. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![caligulathegod](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caligulathegod/32/9685_2.png) [@caligulathegod](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caligulathegod)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244/20 "2026-09-21T16:20:12Z")
Off the top of my head, not including their openers that I can’t remember. Chris Rock Jon Stewart Bill Maher Lewis Black Ron White Dave Chappelle Steven Wright Dame Edna Everage Kyle Kinane Amy Schumer Hannibal Buress Patton Oswalt Dave Attell Jeff Dunham Jay Johnson Willie Tyler Stephen Lynch Suzy (Eddie) Izzard Flight Of The Conchords [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/comedians-and-comedy-acts-youve-seen/1033244.md?page=2)