August 23 - Austin, TX

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Flight of the Conchords waiting anxiously to hit the #oddballfest stage here in #austin (at Austin360 Amphitheater)

blondesnotbombs wrote:
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[size=150:1v9vcsv3]Dave Chappelle returns with Oddball Comedy Fest (REVIEW/PHOTOS)

On Friday night the Oddball Comedy &
Curiosity Festival kicked off at the Austin360 Amphitheater. The sold out show featured some of the finest talent in comedy, including Dave Chappelle, Flight of the Conchords, Jeff Ross, Al Madrigal, Demetri Martin, Kristen Schaal, and more!
Review by Neil Ferguson
Photos by Arthur VanRooy.

The Oddball Comedy &
Curiosity Festival is certainly one of the more interesting events to take place in the stand-up comedy scene as of late. As a whole I would say that the tour works. While there are obvious flaws, like a lack of intimacy and visibility, in throwing an event centered around stand-up comedy at massive outdoor amphitheaters, the comedy scene as a whole has hit something of a renaissance as of late, and the success of the opening night on the Oddball tour is just more evidence of this. And a whole lot of people really want to see comedian Dave Chappelle hit the stage again.

Hosted by Roastmaster General and professional insulter Jeff Ross, Oddball moved along at a quick and steady pace with a handful of local acts warming up on a smaller stage and each of the bigger acts (with the exception of Flight of the Conchords and Chappelle who did full sets) performing a 15-20 minute set on the main stage. Ross proved to be a perfect host in the way that his constant antagonizing of the audience can make you so uncomfortable that you can’t wait for the next act to take over on stage.


Jeff Ross

We arrived just in time to catch the end of Kristen Schaal’s set, whose bizarrely awkward style of comedy had the crowd laughing as she closed on a high note with a silly aerobic 80’s dance routine. Following Schaal was Hannibal Buress, a loud, outspoken comedian who has built a large fanbase in Austin through his constant touring. If you’ve seen Buress in the last year than you most likely recognized much of his material, but he had the right level of energy to play such a large stage, even managing to hold the attention and get laughs from the distant lawn-dwellers.


Hannibal Buress

Demetri Martin came next, which was a questionable choice in scheduling considering his low-key style of humor. Most people either love Martin or hate him. I’m with the latter group, and I find his peculiar and mundane observations on life to be occasionally flat but mostly hilarious. Martin’s method is all about the punch line. That being said, most would probably agree that Demetri Martin would have been a better act in a more intimate venue, or at least just earlier in the evening.


Demetri Martin

Since their hit HBO series, the New Zealand duo Flight of the Conchords have built up a massive cult following here in the States. I’ve always seen them as sort of a hipster folk version of Tenacious D, which is by no means a criticism considering that they are actually quite funny. Flight of the Conchords may have gotten the biggest response of the night up until that point simply because they play music, which kept the audience more energized and engaged. Their hour-long set consisted of well-known songs like “Hurt Feelings,” “Inner City Pressure,” and “Business Time.” Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie also used the Austin crowd to test out a new song about a father and son, getting confused laughs from the audience as they fumbled the lyrics a few times. The real brilliance of the duo is their between-song dialogue, which centered around “wild” stories of life on the road that had much of the crowd in tears.


Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie of Flight of the Conchords





It felt eerily appropriate when Dave Chappelle’s personal DJ busted out the classic Geto Boys tune “My Mind’s Playing Tricks On Me.” Anybody who has followed the comedian’s career knows that the pressure and expectations from his audience pushed him to a point where he simply couldn’t sustain life in the spotlight. Chappelle’s post-television career has led many to wonder why someone would walk away from so much. Despite his history, when Chappelle appeared from behind a white sheet he received a standing ovation from a crowd of loyal fans who clearly have not lost an ounce of respect for the comedian since he left Chappelle’s Show.


Dave Chappelle

Taking a drag off his American Spirit and looking slightly nervous but comfortably stoned, Chappelle calmly broke the ice when he told 14,000 fans to “relax and have a seat.” For the next hour the comedian rambled candidly about his life, going crazy, dealing with fame, and the stifling Texas heat, often pausing to wipe off his sweaty head with a towel. When he announced early on that didn’t “have any material” there was a collective gasp in the crowd before he said he was kidding. Throughout his set Dave Chappelle appeared lost in thought, yet simultaneously focused on doing what he does best: making people laugh. It was almost as if he was just as surprised as the audience to see himself on stage. He addressed his career in a hilarious bit about his family and giving up, remarking that it’s “easier to resign being pope than to quit a cable show in the US.” After explaining to the audience that he missed them more than they missed him, Chappelle got even deeper as he delved into the pressures of celebrity on his family and the public perception (and misconception) that he had “went crazy” and “hated gays.”

Dave Chappelle did not try to hide the fact that he is doing the tour because he needs the money, but this makes no difference when he can still come on stage and kill such a large audience. When he joked that he had done “11 minutes of material in 45 minutes,” the true comedic genius came out. Chappelle possesses that rare gift for comedy that allows him to effortlessly walk onto a stage and entertain people just by talking to them. His performance felt even stronger when he announced that it was the day before his 40th birthday, and it was impossible not to feel happy for a comedian who has dealt with so much scrutiny but still exudes the most delight when talking to a room (or arena) full of people. “I will see you in another nine years,” said Chappelle as he waved goodnight to an audience of jubilant fans. With a comedian like Dave Chappelle a statement like that can be ominous because he may actually be serious, but after delivering such a funny and entertaining set at Oddball, all of us are just glad to have Dave Chappelle back at all. -Neil Ferguson

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