DAN TESSITORE

The 140+ crowd at Sarge's Tap was great, especially considering the fact there were 5 comics on the bill. No matter how funny a line-up is, there's a time-limit on what an audience is willing to endure, but they endured. Rick Omundson did a great job of keeping the show rolling, and even with an intermission for the smokers, the energy in the room didn't suffer. My own set went over very well, better than I deserved in fact. I was a stuttering retard for at least half of it, and while I got the jokes out more or less intact, I'm willing to bet most of the video won't be usable as promo.

This is what happens when you've got a few friends in tow for a show. Instead of hanging out at the hotel getting your head straight or maybe taking a nap, you head to the tavern down the street at 5pm for their tasty $1.50 bloody mary's, and by show-time your performance ability is not exactly at 100%. You have a great time, and the very forgiving crowd likes you anyway (luckily, they are way more fucked up than you are), but when strangers shake your hand and offer compliments afterwards, you feel like you've just picked their pockets.

The folks I met at the show were all very cool, even the guy who couldn't resist telling me his favorite street jokes (which I forgot almost immediately). But the highlight of the night was the waitress at the truck stop diner where we ate a heart-stopping breakfast around 2am. "Oh, here, I forgot your fuckin' jelly." She didn't miss a beat.