| « Homecoming 1972: Chicago Dramatists' Play Scripts Springsteen Song | The TBS Just for Laughs Festival: "The Lil Rel Show" » |
Comedy Mon Jun 17 2013
TBS Just for Laughs Festival: Seth Meyers & Special Guests
Seth Meyers; photo: TBS Just for Laughs.
The TBS Just for Laughs Festival continued its comedy takeover into last weekend with a set from "Saturday Night Live" star Seth Meyers, along with special guests, Al Madrigal and Hannibal Buress; the comedians, who clearly have distinctive styles, performed in front of a packed house at the Chicago Theatre.
The show's opener was Al Madrigal, whose listless pace began the evening on a rather slow note, so much so, that it was surprising that his jokes about the years-old R. Kelly case elicited any audience reaction at all. Next, the pace picked up with Chicago native Hannibal Buress, whose masterful storytelling was delightful; his bits about Amtrak's lenient gun laws, suspicions about those interested in podiatry, his fitness regime (drinking overpriced juice, combined with his health-conscious girlfriend's repeated warnings of "Hannibal, you're gonna die!"), and the freedom of New Orleans' party lifestyle were the perfect segue for Seth Meyers.
Meyers came out in a suit, immediately putting the crowd in "SNL Weekend Update" mode; however, his energetic set was a whole lot more. Beginning with "all things Chicago," including mentioning Mayor Rahm Emanuel's Time cover photo and questions of his approval rating and the woes of the city's recent public school closings, the Northwestern alum and Evanston native let everybody know the Windy City is never too far from his mind.
He humorously engaged the audience in a variety of subjects that were half political and half everything else, including life before and after his hosting gig at the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner, sports (including [bandwagon] Blackhawks fans), and his love of Xbox; however, it was his hilarious tales of life with and the pressures of proposing to his girlfriend (he appreciates the better quality of their "towel situation") that served as the one universally relatable subject that the entire audience enjoyed.
He wrapped up the evening with a series of "NSFW" SNL "Weekend Update" jokes that couldn't get past the censors, but that the Chicago Theatre crowd certainly appreciated. Meyers' effortless set just may have gained him some new fans and just in time for his NBC "Late Night" takeover in 2014.
