Rockin’ out

As with D.C., we could tell Richmond was a cool town from the moment we arrived. Music was pulsing somewhere in the distance, the streets were lined with brewpubs and restaurants, and its small size gave it a cozy feel. We found a mic at an Irish pub and decided to stroll around before the show.

The area was packed with bars, mexican restaurants, ice cream shops and all kinds of places to get fat. We even found where the music was coming from - a karaoke bar that was already lit at 5 p.m. Even at this early hour patrons were drunkenly belting out high energy tunes like ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ and ‘Sweet Caroline’.

You can tell how cool a city’s people are by what time they begin carousing and what they’re singing. If they let loose and sing ‘The Final Countdown’ while the sun’s still out, they’re generally awesome. Conversely, if you’re at a dingy cocktail lounge in a crumbling strip mall at 2 p.m. where leathery crooners sing ‘The Dreams in the Ditch’ - hightail it outta there.

Set list

We went back to the van to practice our sets. Miraculously, there was a parking lot near the venue, which was perfect; parking is usually an arduous ordeal. We walked back to the pub and met the host of the show, who was a really nice dude. As time went on, more comics began filtering in and we all hung out. We met comics from DC, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, and other local spots.

The mic's layout wasn’t great but that’s normal for open mic. You learn to deal with whatever space is available. If we had to perform on a crate in an alley to a rat orgy, we’d do it.

For this particular set, comics stood at the front of the room next to the pub entrance (no stage). The bar was on the left, booths were on the right. Given the layout, only about 30% of the audience had a straight, unobstructed view of comics. Another challenge was constantly moving out of the way so smokers and patrons could get in and outside - people were literally walking through every set.

In addition to spatial hindrances, comics also faced verbal interference from inebriated bar patrons. Not necessarily heckling; they just seemed to think standup was participatory and responses were merited for every joke.

There’s almost no better way to ensure a punchline dies a slow death than to interrupt the setup. If the crowd doesn’t understand the premise, the joke is fucked.

Post game analysis

When the layout and crowd aren’t ideal, it’s a learning opportunity. If you can capture attention and get laughs in less-than-ideal environments, it makes ‘real’ shows that much easier. It’s the “sweat more in peacetime to bleed less in wartime” mentality.

I did just ok that night. The jokes were landing as written, but I didn’t do enough crowdwork to forge a connection that turns regular laughs into belly laughs. Dan C did much better with the crowd. He had great interactions with the drunks at the bar and everyone was feeling his jokes.

After we performed, we stayed to see how more experienced comics handle distractions and the audience. At one point a huge black dude walked in, mid set, and sat right next to the comic performing at the front of room. This experienced comic started in on the guy right away. He questioned if the man was lost, why he had chosen that particular seat, and called him Mark Henry (the enormous WWE wrestler/worlds strongest man).

The comic obviously didn’t take it too far, lest he be eaten by the huge guy. We were impressed by his ability to poke enough fun that the big guy moved ‘offstage’, but not so much that the jokes became angry or personal.

After the show wrapped up, we started driving to Raleigh.