Comedy Show at DC Improv

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This past weekend, I went to the DC Improv to see Gabriel Iglesias ("Fluffy") perform stand-up. I had seem him on Comedy Central and always wanted to see him live, and I finally got my chance. This was actually a last-minute show for Gabriel's 19th anniversary of doing stand-up; I bought a ticket as soon as I saw the email from DC Improv, and supposedly it was sold out within a matter of hours! So I was lucky I got mine early!

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His long-time friend Martín Moreno was the opening act. He is quite the character, and I think his jokes were the most memorable! He joked about smoking weed, visiting the "Orchard Towers" in Singapore, and excused women for being moody during their periods because men would be even worse about it if things were the other way around. 

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Next up was Alfred Robles. He joked about his cat and moving in with his girlfriend (begrudgingly). I don't remember much of his act, but I do think he had it the worst growing up (he mentioned that he didn't finish school and he had to go to school with people who were criminals in a program in which he got paid to go to school), so I think he had the most to gain from touring with Gabriel. So things are turning around for him for sure!

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Then it was G. Reilley's turn. I liked that he straight-up said that comedy isn't supposed to be PC, so people should just deal with the jokes. I was surprised that he told a joke about farting in the men's room, because just a few years ago, Godfrey told the same joke. I honestly don't remember much about this guy besides the fact that he had a mohawk and wore dark glasses. At the end of the evening, he sat next to me at my table! He talked to me a little bit, but I couldn't really understand what he said, so I just nodded and smiled.

All of the openers expressed so many thanks to Gabriel. He helped them start their careers, supported them financially by hiring them to go on the road with him, etc. They were all so thankful, and it was really touching to see how all of these men consider Gabriel not only a friend but a family member, a brother.

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Onto the main act! I didn't think this performance was as memorable as the ones I have seen on TV, but he did tell funny stories about his son (who is 18 but doesn't have a driver's license and doesn't seem interested in college), and told us that because he has a pilot out with Disney, he has to be really careful about the things he does and says ("The mouse is always watching."). I liked how he engaged with the crowd, and most people were good sports, including one man who is from Nigeria but said he was Arab (to which Gabriel responded, "I get that. Like, I'm American, but I'm Mexican."); one woman did ask how his mother was, which was awkward because his mom passed away five years ago...After he performed for 45 minutes (what he was contractually obligated to do), he invited people to leave before things got real. From that point on, he was throwing back Patrón tequila shots (I think he had at least ten of them?!), getting to the point that he had to sit on a chair on stage because he could no longer stand up by himself. While he is a funny man, at that moment, I couldn't think about his comedy; all I saw was someone with a drinking problem who needs help. I'm glad he's lost some weight (He said he was 440 lbs at one point and now he's down to 325 lbs), but he should really start thinking about all aspects of his health if he wants to continue to have a long career! While sitting at a table with some strangers, they told me about all the comedians who had died recently, and I had no idea! Greg Giraldo and Mitch Hedberg were so young, and they're gone! I hope Gabriel does not face a similar fate! 

Throughout the performance, the show "Fluffy Breaks Even" was mentioned several times. So I might have to check it out on Fuse. Make sure to look up videos online from all these guys: they were all really funny, even if this blog post doesn't do them justice!