Live from Chicago
Comedy Central · 2014 · 67 min
A hometown set defined by deadpan timing and oddball detours.
Hannibal Buress treats his hometown stage like a personal sandbox, openly playing with the format of a traditional hour. He brings in a DJ to drop audio cues on punchlines simply for his own amusement, offers a director’s commentary on his older material, and routinely breaks the fourth wall to analyze the mechanics of his own act. It is a structural shift that layers nicely over his usual deadpan delivery, allowing him to casually drift through stories about throwing himself a second-line parade in New Orleans or the underwhelming reality of rappers who brag about doing ecstasy.
Filmed at the Vic Theatre in 2014, the set catches Buress right as he was breaking into mainstream television with roles on Broad City and The Eric Andre Show. The Chicago crowd gets a highly animated performance, though some critics at the time noted the transition to a larger venue slightly diluted the slacker charm of his earlier club recordings. Still, his conversational pacing and willingness to follow absurd tangents keep the show grounded in his specific weirdness, whether he is bringing back an old pickle juice joke or recalling a pointless encounter with a palm reader.
The set list
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Organizing a personal five-person second line parade in New Orleans on short notice.
Using it as an absurd recommendation to spice up a bachelor party, complete with a hired police escort.
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Attending a rap concert where the artist just listened to his own music on stage.
Recreating the performance using timed audio cues to simulate the concert experience.
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Rappers taking the drug Molly and its effects on hipster culture.
Mocking the extreme emotional sensitivity associated with the drug ('I'm so emotional, I just masturbated to the color blue').
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The lack of open container laws in New Orleans.
Ordering a Jameson and ginger ale to go simply because he does not like the bar he is in.
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The difficulty of hailing New York City cabs as a Black man.
Chasing down a cab on foot and expecting the driver to respect his speed enough to abandon racism.
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A palm reader inspecting a hand covered in semen.
Delivered as a standalone non sequitur with the explicit disclaimer that the joke connects to nothing.
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An awkward real-life encounter with actress Scarlett Johansson.
A self-effacing biographical story exploring his concern over whether he came off as a creep.
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The closer (spoiler). Show it
A vacation in Mexico and attending a high-pressure time-share seminar.
An extended narrative dissecting the manipulative tactics of time-share sales presentations.
How it plays
- Tone
- Dry, absurd, slightly silly, and worldly.
- On stage
- Signature dry wit, cool delivery, effortless swagger, and a mix of cerebral humor and slacker charm.
- Pace
- A slightly more energetic and animated performance than his earlier hours, maintaining a low-key vocal delivery.
- About
- international travel, drinking, late nights on the road, hip-hop culture, race and New York cab drivers, absurd personal encounters
What the critics said
Generally favorable; critics praised his sharp writing, unique worldview, and creative use of audio cues, though some felt the larger venue led to an over-animated delivery that slightly diluted his natural dynamic range.
In the room: Warm and enthusiastic hometown reception at The Vic Theatre.
Backstory
Filmed in his hometown of Chicago as his second hour-long special for Comedy Central.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- The Vic Theatre, Chicago
- Runtime
- 67 min
- Where
- Comedy Central
- Director
- Marcus Raboy
- Topics
- Before
- Animal Furnace (2012)
- After
- Comedy Camisado (2016)
More from Hannibal Buress
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Miami Nights
YouTube
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Comedy Camisado
Netflix
-
Animal Furnace
Comedy Central
-
My Name Is Hannibal
Stand Up! Records · Album
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