Bill Burr Played Fenway Park Last Night. And By All Accounts, Absolutely Crushed It
Chalk this one up to a gigantic mistake missing out not going to this show.
Being one of the biggest musical acts in the world and selling out a ballpark like Fenway is an impressive feat, but not unheard of. Which is what Lady Gaga did two nights prior. But being a comedian and doing it is quite another.
We're talking legit rock star status for Bill Burr at this point.
The man played a sold-out special at Red Rocks in Colorado, (another ridiculous feat), which he just released on Netflix late last month, and which was fucking fantastic.
I wanted to blog about the special after watching it but didn't think it would get posted because of how politically charged Burr's set was.
He came right out the gates flying, going directly after the woke crowd and bringing up the overturned Roe v. Wade decision. (His stance on the entire issue could not be more spot on, by the way).
He ripped on both political parties, and their fanatics, equally, and rightfully so. Pointing out hypocrisies left and right. But the focal point, and most hotly contested part of Burr's set revolved around the canceling of dead people, and celebrities, and how stupid it is to hold people from 50+ years ago to the standards of today. Namely, Sean Connery.
The thing I love most about Bill Burr is that he isn't one of those comics who just stands on stage and tells the audience why he's right, and they're wrong. He hits his spots and makes his points, and when he hears the groan responses, he doesn't shy away or back down or switch gears. He actually gets more emboldened and doubles down on his point. You can tell he sidesteps his set, goes off the dome, adlibbing, before coming back to center. He's a fucking genius.
But back to last night at Fenway.
I've been cruising twitter all morning looking for anything I could find video wise but they pouched everybody's phones so there's nada. Just tons and tons of first-hand accounts of how bad Bill killed it.
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Seeing people say they paid a fortune to see you but would do it again in a heartbeat has got to be the best feeling as an entertainer.
I'm on the record, as somebody who's stood on some decent size stages and performed, that stand-up comics have the hardest jobs in entertainment. Period. I have the utmost respect for anybody who has the balls to grab a microphone, get on stage in a room full of strangers, and attempt to make them laugh. It's kind of psychotic when you think about it, but for my money, there's nothing better. When I have a night off, or friends in town that don't want to do the typical dinner, bar, or club thing, my go to is always hitting Zanies in Old Town. For those that don't know, Zanies is one of the oldest running comedy clubs in the country. A small room, that books talent seven nights a week and isn't just throwing up randoms or hacks. There is legit talent there seven nights a week. Every week. And comics work their asses off for years to get a shot to play the room. To me, there's nothing more fun than sitting there and laughing your dick off. Especially in today's world.
So the fact that the pride of Canton, Massachusetts, Billy Burr, got to stand on stage in center field of the most famous ballpark in the world last night, a place he grew up going to, watching Fred Lynn patrol in his youth, while in front of 38,000 Massholes who paid hard-earned money to see him is fucking incredible. Couldn't happen to a better guy.
p.s. - I'm sure die hard Burr fans have already seen this, but for people who love peeks behind the curtains like I do, this is an awesome watch. I am a Tim Ferriss fanatic by all accounts. If he told me to drink motor oil because it helped increase his energy level and brain power I'd do it without questioning it. I am obsessed with the guy. So when I saw he had Bill Burr on as one of his guests on his new series, I couldn't wait to listen/watch. I had no idea how open and honest (Fearless you could say) Burr would be and was blown away at seeing such a different side of him.
Also, finding out that Burr had NEVER watched his famous Philly rant until this moment was kind of mind blowing. But it also says a lot about the kind of personality and mentality Burr has. Enjoy