Bill me later

once in a great moon, some of the more fortunate people in the world get to come face to face with their idol, their hero, their mouthpiece, so to speak(ha! funny pun). i'm not one of those fortunate few, but tonight i did get to watch my idol from a distance.

since his comedy central days with PI, i've admired bill maher from a distance. a long distance, and with a television firmly planted between us. tonight was different. bill graced our fair city of denver with his presence at the paramount theater.

chad and i bought our tickets nearly 2 months ago in anticipation of this glorious night. we stopped at the espn zone for a quick bite and to take in the day's sports highlights. then it was down the 16th street mall we went to see billy boy.

we had some witty banter with others going to the show, namely an older couple who managed to make mention that they don't get enough, um, "lovin" (trust me, you had to be there). we entered the building and took our seats. well, i took my seat. chad had to wedge himself in his, since i strategically positioned myself two chairs from the albatross seated in the adjacent seat. uncomfortable as chad was, the show finally began....20 minutes late. typically los angelan.

the "real time with bill maher" intro music blared and bill came out to a roar, a standing ovation in some parts of the venue. chad could not stand, as the friction between his body and the rolls of lard seeping into his seat from the mammoth next to him was far too great for one man to bear.


bill started into his routine, much to my delight--delight that turned a bit toward disappoinment about 20 minutes into his 1:15 routine. you see, the reason i love bill is because he expresses nearly my every thought and opinion on politics, religion, sex, scandal, and other topics covered by media outlets such as fox "news," msnbc, and your local newscasts. naturally, i expected this to be the crux of his show. what we could not have anticipated, though, was actually seeing this routine before it was even performed.

there is a saying that good artists borrow and great artists steal. bill is a thief. he stole, nearly verbatim, many of the jokes and one liners used on his HBO series. and thus, my dissatisfaction. the point of live entertainment is to be entertained with fresh perspectives told in a joking manner and with a recognition of the performer's surroundings, not to be able to recite the performer's set for him. lewis black and dave chappelle each tailored their respective sets to the denver crowd, often cracking wise about the mentality of the city or blasting its politicians (or commending them...like for the whole marijuana legalization thing). bill didn't do this. in fact, up until the 30th minute of his set, i wasn't certain he knew where he was. then he dropped the name denver and i knew he was among us.

still, there were many laughs, mostly on jokes or rants i'd not yet heard. but the overall impression i got is that bill didn't or doesn't care enough about his stand-up routine to refresh it or talk to the inhabitants of the city he's in. make no mistake, i enjoyed myself. there are few better ways, in my opinion, to spend a sunday evening than listening to my mouthpiece rant and rave and preach on about the issues of the day. laughter is good for the soul. sadly, my greatest laugh came when the monstrous, sweaty beast sitting next to chad stood up after the finale and chad rejoiced at the ability to once again move his extremities.

so, bill, i know you make fun of people with blogs, claiming they're egocentric (we are), but if you're reading this, next time you come to denver or i go to see you perform, can you make me laugh with stuff i haven't heard? i really hate paying $45 to be entertained by the hippo sitting next to my friend, wedging him into a cramped seat with her rolls of fat. gross.