Which comedian would you go see?

October 17, 2005 8:42 AM

Which comedian would you go see?

For our 10th anniversay, my wife gave me several things, one of which was tickets to any comedy show I would like to go to. We live in the SF area, so I should probably stay around here (although the upcoming Jon Stewart appearance at Ceaser's in Las Vegas is tempting). I looked at Cobb's schedule and am a little interested, but would like other suggestions.

Suggestions can be concert-specific, where you know that someone will be out or that I should go to a specific variety show, or non-specific. Let me know who you would love to see in person. As a barometer, I love Eddie Izzard (went to his show about a year ago), but am not really aware of who else is out there touring right now.

Thanks in advance.

posted by xorowo to Grab Bag (22 answers total)

Eugene Mirman.
posted by escabeche at 8:47 AM on October 17, 2005

Zach Galifianakis and Demetri Martin are my current faves, and both highly underrated.
posted by Heminator at 8:59 AM on October 17, 2005

Well if you could somehow get to LA tonight you could see the absolutely fantastic Dane Cook at the Comedy for Katrina Relief benefit. He's got a couple other upcoming appearances but I don't think he's officially on tour unfortunately. I've actually already seen him live and would love to again. He's definitely one of those comics with a strong visual aspect that you needvideo or live to really get everything.
posted by nelleish at 9:10 AM on October 17, 2005

whoops, warning of automatic audio on Dane Cook's site!
posted by nelleish at 9:12 AM on October 17, 2005

Will Franken is SF-local and has imminently upcoming shows in SF, and he totally rocks. See/hear for yourself.

I'm also looking forward to W. Kamau Bell's early November shows at the Punch Line in SF.
posted by Zed_Lopez at 9:17 AM on October 17, 2005

I'd see Stephen Lynch, although he hasn't been to California in 5 years and is going to soon be in the Broadway version of the Wedding Singer...
posted by plinth at 9:50 AM on October 17, 2005

Lewis Black is my favorite.
posted by ryanissuper at 10:23 AM on October 17, 2005

I saw Tom Shillue at an NYC club, and he was hysterical- the kind of comedy I personally like- clean and clever. He also has a podcast, which is just hysterical- I can listen over and over and laugh every time.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 10:34 AM on October 17, 2005 [1 favorite]

Patrice O'Neal is the up-and-comer, his political humor is excellent in particular.
posted by lilboo at 10:34 AM on October 17, 2005

seconding eugene mirman, although david cross is hysterical as well. Lewis Black is phenomenal, but I've found that Dave Attell's routine doesn't really do anything any more.
posted by shmegegge at 10:37 AM on October 17, 2005

Patton Oswalt in a red-hot minute.
posted by futility closet at 10:42 AM on October 17, 2005

Second the brilliant and discomfiting Patrice O'Neal -- actually, the one time I saw him was on a bill with Eugene Mirman!

While we're on discomfiting, Sarah Silverman is also very good.
posted by escabeche at 11:51 AM on October 17, 2005

the aforementioned Lewis Black's not bad, even if he's no Bill Hicks.
posted by matteo at 12:12 PM on October 17, 2005

I was lucky enough to see Jon Stewart a little over a week ago and I would definitely recommend the Vegas show. If you can get tickets, it's highly recommended.
posted by purephase at 12:35 PM on October 17, 2005

I've seen Kevin Nealon and George Carlin live, but I must third Lewis Black.
posted by Wild_Eep at 1:28 PM on October 17, 2005

david cross
posted by chuckforthought.com at 2:43 PM on October 17, 2005

Heminator, those are my two faves too. I wish Galifanakis' VH1 show had not been cancelled, but I think I was the only one in America who thought it was funny.
posted by vronsky at 3:07 PM on October 17, 2005

Jim Gaffigan cracked me up to the point of tears last summer. And vronsky, I too lament the loss of Galifanakis' show. It was genius.
posted by schoolgirl report at 3:45 PM on October 17, 2005

Mitch Fatel
posted by SlappyPeterson at 4:22 PM on October 17, 2005

I'm a pretty big Todd Barry fan, personally.
posted by saladin at 6:08 PM on October 17, 2005

Although all already mentioned. My favorites are Gaffigan, Stephen Lynch, Dane Cook and Jim Norton. I haven't seen Lynch or Cook live yet though.
posted by AmericnJewl at 7:28 AM on October 28, 2005

A lot of great suggestions in this thread, although I think Dane Cook is a bit of a hack. And he's a joke-thief.

Check out Louis CK, and try The Sound of Young America to find new comics you might like. A lot of the folks mentioned here have been on.
posted by YoungAmerican at 11:31 PM on February 25, 2006