Here at 4E, we like to think we are pretty funny. Any time we get the chance to indulge in a good laugh, we take it so I spent last night at the Verizon Center watching one of the best comedians out there. Aziz Ansari, of “Parks and Recreation” fame (as well as some phenomenal stand-up videos), was in town and he absolutely crushed it.
The show opened with a very impressive Michael Jackson impersonator. While the performance seemed a bit out of place, hearing some classics from the King of Pop is never a bad thing and the impersonator was an incredible dancer. Next up was comedian Hannibal Buress, who put together a hilarious set to get the crowd in the mood for Aziz. While I wasn’t crazy about him tearing apart the sport of baseball, he certainly had me laughing for most of the performance. Finally, after a short delay due to technical difficulties, the moment we had all been waiting for arrived: It was time for Aziz.
For those of you unfamiliar with the comedian, I highly recommend checking out his stand-up, both because it’s very funny and because I probably can’t quite capture his style. For the most part, Aziz is incredibly friendly with the crowd, but has no qualms about verbally abusing those in his audience, either. He can be very explicit, but not in the Dane Cook sense; he will use vulgar language, but really only when it feels natural. He also has a plethora of stories and impressions of bizarre, run-of-the-mill rappers that he loves to feature (more on that later). Basically, if you go to an Aziz Ansari show, you can expect a lot of hilarious jokes about situations that aren’t necessarily funny to begin with.
Last night’s set covered the industrial food industry, a killer Ja Rule impression, the ups-and-downs of texting and relationships, ghosts and even gender equality. He called on volunteers a few times and none escaped unscathed. One particularly brave audience member volunteered a text conversation with a girl he was “dating” to be read aloud, and it did not disappoint; the texts only served to fuel Aziz’s fire about our generation’s horrible texting/dating culture. While I wish I could say I remembered most of his punchlines, I can’t say I do; not that they weren’t memorable, just that the pace of the show was so quick. All I know is he had me — and the rest of the audience — doubling over with laughter.
Prior to last night I had never been to a comedy show, and Aziz Ansari certainly proved to be a great first experience. I would give the performance five stars and two thumbs way up and would absolutely go to see him again. If you’re reading 4E, it probably means that you have pretty good taste so I’d highly recommend an Aziz Ansari show to all of you lovely people.
