The last time I set foot in the Theatre was for Peter Frampton's 35th Anniversary Tour of "Frampton Comes Alive." The place is in unbelievable shape, with elegant architecture, clean style, and very accommodating staff members.
Our group took a quick photo in front as a momentum for the evening, and we would then proceed to be split, 2 seats in the balcony and 2 on the main floor. While we were divided for the show, I'm sure our laughter and crying were equal in volume! From start to finish, Flula Borg, Taylor Tomlinson, James Veitch, and Ron Funches carried spectacular bits and pieces to keep the crowd engaged. What I was so surprised by was Conan's spot in the lineup! He was actually second - whereas in a concert setting, "the headliner" or Conan in this case, would be dead last. That's the peak of the evening. But comedy breaks the rules, and I LOVE that.
Flula had his way with the lovely energy, German accent, and music beats. Conan brought us to a heart-warming and down to earth level as to why he loves doing stand up so much. Taylor brought her sassy wit and explanation to her current love life situation. James showed up what happens when you take the persona of a futuristic profile and screw with plans to built a pool at a house, to which you should've never received an e-mail for in the first place. And the hometown man, Ron Funches shared his story of getting into comedy, being different than what was considered the "norm" from his upbringing on the south side of Chicago, and his plan for his mom to date Tom Brady.
All of these acts brought a balance of grit, raunchy, creepiness, love, warmth, sarcasm, and full-blown humor. The crowd spoke for itself for each act and was in pleasant surprise to a hell of a laugh-filled evening.
Concluding the show, Conan came back to the stage and did an impromptu q&a with the entire audience, and Flula was taking care of the mic for questions, running in his jorts, neon fanny pack, and tight winter sweater from question to question. By the time he made it to the upper balconies, where Conan could no longer see him from the stage, he would signal "Conan, I am deeper, going deep." Meanwhile, my friend and I would just laugh at how silly he sounded, and you could not see him. Questions finally came to a close, everyone took a bow, and before we knew it, Flula ran right by our seats, said hello and gave us "hi-fives" signaling a good "Coco-filled" evening. After all, it is just as Conan says, there is something special about the Midwestern audiences. They are great, inviting, and hard working people. Cheers to the Midwest, folks!
EntertainmentDec 26, 2018
Conan & Friends, Sold Out In Chicago!
I've watched Conan for many years in his late night shows. And while there are "die-hard" fans out there, I cannot say I would consider myself one of those - yet, I was lucky enough to attend Conan's stop at The Chicago Theatre.
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