On Saturday, no one was safe. Christians, Jews, Mormons, Iraqis, gay people, straight people, Halloween, the Super Bowl, dancers, singers, MTV -- nothing was sacred. To Lewis Black, that is. The comedian known for his commentary on "The Daily Show" performed Saturday for a near-capacity crowd of about 3,000 in Bender Arena.
After an hour wait in the cold, in a line that curved around the North Side dorms, students were let into the building at 8 p.m. The seats, both on the floor and in the stands, quickly filled up with students, younger kids and adults alike. The spectators were treated to a simple black stage with a silver stool, a lone microphone stand and a few random pools of colored lights.
The atmosphere in Bender was electric. There was constant movement of people walking up and down the stairs and chatting in anticipation. The voices created a dull buzz in the chilly arena, giving off a sort of raw effect. While the audience was waiting, music played in the background, though nearly inaudible due to the voices. By 9 p.m., when opening act John Bowman took the stage, only a handful of seats were empty.
Bowman, who has appeared on "The Tonight Show" and "Seinfeld," took the stage to kick off this leg of the Rules of Enragement tour. The crowd responded loudly and enthusiastically to his commentary on everything from men and asking for directions, to love and vacations in Hawaii, to dreams about CNN.
Black took the stage after a 30-minute break. He was dressed in black, with a leather jacket, his usual glasses and two water bottles. The comic, born and raised in Silver Spring, Md., tossed out some classic self-deprecating humor to the receptive crowd. His act was stream-of-consciousness style. His jokes and their topics flowed together effortlessly and his variety of topics was surprisingly wide.
Because of the election season, he took some shots at the government.
"I left this area because it's the home of the government," he said wearily.
But Black was not partisan in his barbs. Kerry, Bush and Nader were all on his hit list. Black told voters for Nader that they should just kill themselves.
"The Democrats shouldn't have nominated anybody," he said. "And they would have won."
In a rare moment of sincerity, he said that everyone must vote. Otherwise, what would we tell Iraq: here's democracy, and the best part of it is that you don't have to use it?
Black spent a lot of time making observations on Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl half-time show, which was produced by MTV.
"Why, if you wanted to produce music, would you hire MTV?" Black asked incredulously. "MTV is to music as KFC is to chicken."
He got crazy responses from the crowd when he ventured into a lengthy discussion of gay marriage.
"Gay marriage is on page six of things we need to worry about, after 'Are we eating too much garlic as a people?'" he insisted. "The gays are getting married ... Well, we have to go to code orange!"
Black also covered lighter, less newsy topics. He has a problem with Halloween and candy corn. And toward the end of this act, he hit Michael Jackson. Sort of.
"Michael Jackson," he began. "That's all I have to say. Michael Jackson has become a punchline. Two Jews walk into a bar ... Michael Jackson! Why did the chicken cross the road? Michael Jackson! Knock knock? MICHAEL JACKSON!"
Needless to say, it wasn't the most demure of shows. Black was blunt, honest and wasn't shy of expletives. He energetically employed his biting vocal inflections and wild hand motions. When he was incensed, his sentences built in volume to the last word, which he would scream. He also made a habit of sticking his two index fingers up, shaking them vigorously to make his point.
But when things got emotional, yet still funny, he would walk away from the microphone stand, toward the back of the stage, and pace for a second. Then he would come back as loud as ever. Judging by applause and cheering, the crowd response for both Bowman and Black was wildly enthusiastic.
"I thought we was completely hilarious," said freshman Erik Swanson.
Others also enjoyed the show.
"The opening act, John Bowman, had me and my friends teary-eyed, because we were laughing so hard," said sophomore Samantha Elliot. "Lewis Black was also very funny, but he got a little heavy with his 'Get out and vote' message."
Some students remarked on Black's relevance.
"I thought most of what he said was actually true," freshman Robert Crowther said. "He does a pretty good job of making complex issues seem way more simple."
After the show, the arena emptied quickly, leaving only the autograph seekers. Both Black and Bowman came out to pose for pictures and sign merchandise. Black left his trademark bitter humor on stage, and only made good-natured jokes as he signed T-shirts and took pictures with students.
