We have tickets for Joel McHale’s live stand-up show in January. We enjoy him on the show “The Soup” and are wondering if anyone has seen his live show and what we can expect. Is it the same format (celebrity roasts etc…). Does anyone have any reviews of his shows (good or bad)?
I heard him on the radio here in Detroit just yesterday. They asked him to describe his stand-up show and he said he incorporates a lot of his views on pop culture into his shows.
He’s only been doing stand-up for one year; he started it because his agent told him how much money he could make doing it.
I saw him in Washington this past weekend. My wife and friends loved him; I gave him a B+. He’s extremely likable and witty, and he’s comfortable on stage, but it is apparent that he is still new at standup. The rhythm and pacing of the show was occasionally awkward, and his material was not always terribly original.
There were no new reality-show clips in the show, but he does talk about pop culture in general. He did talk a lot about the making of The Soup, and such topics as celebrities who hate him. He did a little bit of political stuff, which was probably inevitable for a show in Washington right after the election, but it bored me. There’s a lot about what fame has done to his life, which was pretty funny.
He’s surprisingly tall.
His opening act was awful (a local DJ who at one point was telling jokes about his wife’s C-section). Maybe you’ll have better luck.
Overall, it was solidly funny and absolutely worth seeing. It was not as sharp as the TV show, though. I think he works best in the quick-hit scripted format of The Soup, with the clips to back him up.
This thread inspired me to google Joel. I must say that I am shocked beyond belief to see that he played football for 2 years at the University of Washington. He says he was horrible but just making the squad at a Division I school is quite an accomplishment.
ETA: And running a marathon in 3:06 is pretty damn impressive too.
I remember him from a sketch comedy show in Seattle. He joined the show late in its run and I was never that impressed. (Poke around the web, you might find a clip of him in a kilt and blue and white face paint yelling “we have nothing to lose but our freedom!”)
The same show also gave the world Bill Nye.
Why? For him it’s only 26 steps. 
Ah yes… “Almost Live.” It would air between the local news and SNL in the Seattle area, if I recall. Comedy Central began airing reruns of it in the early 90’s, also. I don’t remember McHale on it, but I loved Bill Nye’s superhero character, “Speedwalker.”