Saw Lewis Black Live tonight

[Mackeyser]

The wife got me two tix to see Lewis Black at the Van Wezel in Sarasota for Father’s Day (she also got me 2 tix to see Straight No Chaser on the 19th) and we went. Yeah, I been waiting a long time on this gift...

We got there a bit late because I’ve been in a wicked bad funk these past few days and I actually thought it was Thursday and she hadn’t checked her phone and we almost missed it. We missed the opening act, but I got to hear him from the lobby and he was meh.

Lewis Black was freaking fantastic. Lemme just say that he was topical, he picked out stuff from the venue, even, so while some of his material was rehearsed, you could tell that he was able to really roll with it and be creative with when and how to use his material.

He was political, as is typical of Lewis Black. What I didn’t expect seeing him live is that some people pay a not inexpensive sum to get uptight about it. There was a palpable chill in the air when he went after some of the Republican candidates (Manatee county is a pretty heavily Republican county even though Sarasota is “artsy”, it’s OLD money). Which, I don’t get. It’s like going to a Sarah Palin speech and being offended at the incoherence. You know you’re going to get that when you buy the ticket.

He talked about socialism for a little bit which was pretty cool…about how he was a socialist, but in typical Lewis Black fashion, those of us who cheered were told to knock it off because there was little to be excited about….LOL. Still, he talked about what socialism was…and wasn’t. Which was cool because context is important. And he used boobs to illustrate context and for mostly white males, anytime you can use boobs to illustrate a point, that’s a HUGE bonus. Boobs and Denmark. Was so damned funny, I could hardly see him, I had tears in my eyes.

Anyway, I got my ticket signed at the end of the night and here’s me and the wife with Lewis Black…

 

[Selassie I]

You clean up real nice Mac!

Looks like you guys had a great night... now get out of your funk mister.

 

[LesBaker]

Mac he is hilarious live, I've seen him and it was a riot.

You look a little leaner.......have you lost weight?

And what @Selassie I said, get out of your funk!!!

 

[fearsomefour]

Nice.
Saw him several years ago and he is hilarious. A good example of the curmudgeon.
Looks like a fun night.

 

[Mackeyser]

@Selassie I Yeah, I try, LOL. Brain chemistry is no joke. Wife and I just got back from our 25th Anniversary Cruise and the minute we got back...WHAM! Super funk... What I think was the deal is that I drank coffee on the cruise and I don't normally. I tend to have a positive reaction to coffee, but it was like a depression hangover being in caffeine withdrawal. After a few days of trying to figure it out, I figured out that other than my Isagenix shakes, the only thing that was really different was that I had caffeine on the ship. So I had the wife make me a coffee in her Keurig and I started feeling a lot better. Had a few more cups and having one more today and I'm pretty much back to normal. But man alive, what an education in how even innocuous dietary changes can really throw a person for a loop...

@LesBaker Actually, yeah. Since we went to the game, I think I've lost 45 pounds. If I could quit having crap happen to me (kidney stone, renal infarct (blood clot in artery of kidney), joint rehab and now a hernia...ugh), I'd be further along, but I'm getting there, dangit!!!

And yeah, he's really funny live. I love that he's willing to take on just about anything.

When we got our tickets signed, I shook his hand and told him I'm a service-connected disabled vet and that I appreciated his work with the USO, he was genuinely taken aback. I don't think a lot of people know about that part of his work. I wish that I coulda had even a minute more to share with him because we coulda commiserated about how both our hands shake...LOL. We're not Josh Blue, but neither of us is gonna win any penmanship contests any time soon, either...hahahaha.

 

[LesBaker]

@Selassie I Yeah, I try, LOL. Brain chemistry is no joke. Wife and I just got back from our 25th Anniversary Cruise and the minute we got back...WHAM! Super funk... What I think was the deal is that I drank coffee on the cruise and I don't normally. I tend to have a positive reaction to coffee, but it was like a depression hangover being in caffeine withdrawal. After a few days of trying to figure it out, I figured out that other than my Isagenix shakes, the only thing that was really different was that I had caffeine on the ship. So I had the wife make me a coffee in her Keurig and I started feeling a lot better. Had a few more cups and having one more today and I'm pretty much back to normal. But man alive, what an education in how even innocuous dietary changes can really throw a person for a loop...

@LesBaker Actually, yeah. Since we went to the game, I think I've lost 45 pounds. If I could quit having crap happen to me (kidney stone, renal infarct (blood clot in artery of kidney), joint rehab and now a hernia...ugh), I'd be further along, but I'm getting there, dangit!!!

And yeah, he's really funny live. I love that he's willing to take on just about anything.

When we got our tickets signed, I shook his hand and told him I'm a service-connected disabled vet and that I appreciated his work with the USO, he was genuinely taken aback. I don't think a lot of people know about that part of his work. I wish that I coulda had even a minute more to share with him because we coulda commiserated about how both our hands shake...LOL. We're not Josh Blue, but neither of us is gonna win any penmanship contests any time soon, either...hahahaha.

45 pounds is a ton of weight, you must feel great.

I think that's fantastic!!!! And you look great, good job.

 

[RhodyRams]

Damn, you looking good there Mack!!! Almost didnt recognize ya

Wifey and I saw LB at the Newport Yacht club about 3-4 years ago. He does put on a great show.

 

[Athos]

knock it off because there was little to be excited about

Always love this one. Especially when it comes to Healthcare. Not that anyone in this fucking country understands why socialism is in the first place and how has an economic practice, it is practiced by LITERALLY NONE of the developed countries of the world..... but sure. Okay.

As for Black. He's always hilarious. Love the way he works political satire. Dude bleeds the passion. Can never argue that. Would love to see him live. So I'm jealous. Would love to see Jon Oliver live as well.

 

[Mackeyser]

Actually there are a number including Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland among others. The rest of the Industrialized world is a hybridized version of capitalism and socialism including the US (Social Security, Military, VA, police, fire depts, etc)

The knock it off part was because people don't know what socialism is (and don't really want to know) and they freak out about the bogeyman of what it isn't and he deconstructs the nonsense of it in typical Lewis Black style.

That was the most hysterical part. He used this bus ad on a Denmark bus with naked breasts to get into it and the whole crowd was rolling. Now, if you'd have told me that a fairly conservative crowd would be rolling about jokes that painted socialism as anything less than evil, I woulda bet against it and lost...badly.

Then again, Lewis Black is one of the funniest comedians and one of my favorites for a reason.