LOL: Comedy Clubs vs. Theatres

I am a very big fan of comedy, and especially live comedy. This past weekend I experienced both, in back-to-back nights. These definitely weren’t the first comedians I’ve seen, but it is the first time I saw I’ve seen both a club show and theatre show in such a short time.

Here are the big differences: The intimacy, the style of joke, and the crowd.

I drove to Charlotte on Friday to see Joey ‘Coco’ Diaz, ‘the funniest man on Earth’ according to his friend Joe Rogan. I saw him at the Comedy Zone, a classic club where Uncle Joey was performing for three days. The following day was Joe Rogan, funny enough, at the Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC). Now, both shows were fantastic. However, Diaz had funniest set I had ever seen.

Part of it was just Joey. He’s a master of personality, she just seems like a good friend without even having met him. But the atmosphere also played a big part in the entertainment. First off, you often made eye contact with the comic, a show of intimacy. Like he was telling just you the joke. Diaz’s set was a lot rawer, as well. It’s something that couldn’t have been more fun recorded. I would make you laugh, sure, but the power and control Joey had with the crowd was incredible. It didn’t seem scripted for one minute, despite the fact that this was the third of six shows on the weekend. The crowd was also so much closer. The felt like buddies all enjoying this experience together. Hundreds of people contrasted to thousands is quite noticeable.

Overall, I don’t for one second regret going to either shows. These are two of my favorite people, and it was a dream to see them in consecutive nights. But I came away with such a clear and strong understanding of the differences of comedy venues. The both require an immense amount of skills. But being on that big stage is a different world. If you see a comic you know and love coming to small stage near you, use this piece of advice: GO.