Skip to content
Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy
Promotional art for Live at the Beacon Theater
Cover image credit:

Source

Live at the Beacon Theater

Louis C.K.

LouisCK.com · 2011 · 62 min

An exhausted father complains about board games and recreational drugs.

Watch on LouisCK.com(opens in a new tab)

or watch it free on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

The standout material centers on the sheer, mind-numbing boredom of spending time with young children. Louis C.K. breaks down the physical toll of sitting on the floor reading Clifford the Big Red Dog and admits to harboring a bitter grudge against a specific, annoying classmate of his daughter. When he steps away from domestic complaints, the set moves into his inability to handle recreational drugs and the burden of constant sexual thoughts.

Recorded at the Beacon Theatre in Manhattan in 2011, the hour captured the comic during the mainstream ascent of his FX television series. Instead of taking the recording to a network, he sold it directly to fans through his website as a DRM-free, five-dollar download. The direct-to-consumer model was a financial success that altered how comedians distribute their own work. The performance also won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Statistical certainty of audience mortality

    Opens the set by reminding the 2,500 audience members that statistically at least one of them will die before Christmas, later joking about refusing to run errands with ashes after someone dies.

  2. Soldier on an airplane

    Explores his selfish nature by fantasizing about giving up his first-class seat to a soldier in coach, ultimately congratulating himself simply for having had the thought without doing it.

  3. Calling Native Americans 'Indians'

    Examines white guilt and historical absurdity by noting that Columbus knew he was not in India but persisted in the name anyway, framing the absurdity through a dialogue with God.

  4. Abandoning a rental car

    Recounts leaving a rental car in an airport lot without properly returning it, discovering that a quick phone call to Hertz solved everything, which fuels his developing cockiness.

  5. Vendetta with a child

    Confesses to harboring intense, childish hatred and holding a bitter grudge against a six-year-old boy.

  6. Too old for drugs

    Recounts an intense and paralyzing experience getting high and realizing he is too old to handle recreational drugs.

How it plays

Tone
Edgy, brutally honest, darkly humorous, and introspective.
On stage
Candid, self-deprecating, and unapologetically flawed; portrays himself as a selfish jerk who acknowledges his own arrogance and worst impulses.
Pace
Brisk and confident with sustained momentum, opening casually without an opener and holding energy throughout.
About
parenting and boredom, selfishness versus morality, death and mortality, flying first class and newfound success, race and American history, drug experiences and aging

What the critics said

Extremely positive; praised as brilliant, insightful, and maintaining the exceptionally high standard set by his previous specials, with critics lauding his unflinching honesty and sharp observational writing.

In the room: Enthusiastic and engaged crowd in a packed 2,500-seat theater.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, danwin.com, chortle.co.uk, nytimes.com, avclub.com, underthegunreview.net.

Backstory

Filmed in November 2011 and dedicated to comedian Patrice O'Neal, who died two weeks prior to its release. Bypassed traditional television networks and physical DVD distribution by selling directly to fans online for $5 DRM-free.

Details

Released
Taped
Beacon Theatre, New York
Runtime
62 min
Where
LouisCK.com
Director
Louis C.K.
Honors
Won Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music, or Comedy Special (2012)
Topics
Before
Chewed Up (2008)
After
Oh My God (2013)

More from Louis C.K.

If you liked this