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Comedy Sun Mar 31 2013
The Blackout Diaries: Chicago's Best Drinking Stories
If you haven't been to "The Blackout Diaries" yet, you really have no excuses, unless you were blackout drunk. In that case, you should probably get on stage at the next show and tell us about it. "The Blackout Diaries" is a weekly comedy show on Saturdays at The Lincoln Lodge hosted by the show's founder, Sean Flannery, who was voted the best stand-up in Chicago by the Chicago Reader in 2010 and has a critically-acclaimed one-man show called "Never Been to Paris" at The Comedy Bar.
"The Blackout Diaries" kicks off with a fascinating and fun lecture on a drinking-related topic from Flannery, complete with PowerPoint photos, and continues with drinking stories from some of Chicago's best comics, as well as members of the general public. During the stories, audience members can text questions for the performers to Flannery's phone if they prefer to be anonymous, or they can raise their hands and ask it themselves if they are feeling brave. Questions range from clarifying story details to "Are you single?" Flannery assures us throughout the show that there are no dumb questions, at least not at "The Blackout Diaries."
The show is sponsored by Jeppson's Malört, who not only give out free shots to the audience in between stories but also give a hilarious and convincing presentation about how, when it comes to alcohol, they are the best at being the worst you've ever had. Combining audience participation, slides, information, and debauchery, "The Blackout Diaries" is unlike anything else you'll see in the city. Flannery is a great host and makes everyone feel as comfortable as if they are all just chatting about their drunken family ancestry and looking at slides of drunken grandparents in the basement. And you'll get even more comfortable once you've had your free Malört shots.
"The Blackout Diaries" is every Saturday at 8pm at The Lincoln Lodge. Tickets are $10 online or at the door. Find out more about the show at blackoutdiaries.info and read Nellie Huggins' interview with Sean Flannery before he kicked off his initial run of the show last year.
Photo from blackoutdiaries.info
