By Samir Mathur
Contributing writer
Staff page | Twitter | Tumblr
Last night, I went to see Aziz Ansari at the UCF Arena as part of his new 'Buried Alive' tour (as I previewed here). Before the show, I wondered if his act was well-suited for an arena. Sure, his profile is bigger than ever, and he's been selling out theaters across America... but an arena? Those are giant, aircraft-hanger-like spaces and aren't always ideal for comedy. I shouldn't have worried. There were two long lines on either side of the Arena's entrance an hour before showtime, and I understand about six thousand people came to see little Tommy Haverford do his thing.
Contributing writer
Staff page | Twitter | Tumblr
Last night, I went to see Aziz Ansari at the UCF Arena as part of his new 'Buried Alive' tour (as I previewed here). Before the show, I wondered if his act was well-suited for an arena. Sure, his profile is bigger than ever, and he's been selling out theaters across America... but an arena? Those are giant, aircraft-hanger-like spaces and aren't always ideal for comedy. I shouldn't have worried. There were two long lines on either side of the Arena's entrance an hour before showtime, and I understand about six thousand people came to see little Tommy Haverford do his thing.
I didn't know who, if anyone, would be opening the show, and I was really happy to see Twitter prankster, Delocated writer and former Hipster chronicler Joe Mande do a half hour. Incidentally, he was introduced over the P.A. by Ansari - playing DJ Chicken Parmesan - as "the director of Titanic, Aliens, Terminator, Terminator 2 and Avatar". Though a couple of his jokes fell a bit flat in the cavernous venue, Mande's stories of sexual fantasies and picking a fight with Gilbert Arenas were all well received. As a comedian, Mande is not afraid to tell embarrassing stories about himself, and his closer, a lengthy piece about the first time he used a new wok, just escalated and had people falling over with laughter.
After a short break, the lights went back out, and, to the strains of 'Gotta Have It', Aziz Ansari took the stage. He was wearing the suit and flower that he has on the tour's excellent Houdini-aping poster. I noticed a slight development in Aziz's material - where his 'Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening' and new 'Dangerously Delicious' specials are 95% pop culture riffs and observations, 'Buried Alive' seems a little - a little - more mature. Sure, there was a great chunk comparing the MTV shows '16 and Pregnant' and 'My Super Sweet Sixteen', and a finale about how every song in the club really sounds. But he had a lot of material about friends getting married, having babies, dating - all topics that indicate a newfound maturity. Don't get me wrong - it was still very funny. I just think it's interesting.
After a short break, the lights went back out, and, to the strains of 'Gotta Have It', Aziz Ansari took the stage. He was wearing the suit and flower that he has on the tour's excellent Houdini-aping poster. I noticed a slight development in Aziz's material - where his 'Intimate Moments for a Sensual Evening' and new 'Dangerously Delicious' specials are 95% pop culture riffs and observations, 'Buried Alive' seems a little - a little - more mature. Sure, there was a great chunk comparing the MTV shows '16 and Pregnant' and 'My Super Sweet Sixteen', and a finale about how every song in the club really sounds. But he had a lot of material about friends getting married, having babies, dating - all topics that indicate a newfound maturity. Don't get me wrong - it was still very funny. I just think it's interesting.
As for my pre-show concerns: Aziz still knows how to work a room, even one as large as this. He was good at connecting with the crowd, talking to a couple of audience members about online dating, wedding proposals, and receiving dick pics. There were a couple of bits which I'd heard before on Fallon and Conan, including another reminder that Seal's 'Kiss From A Rose' is a gift to comedy that keeps on giving. (See also: Jeff and The Dean's duet on 'Community'; Julie Klausner and Ted Leo's earnest version.) Even when sipping tea, Ansari was able to elicit applause - such is his appeal these days. Everyone in the crowd - I felt old, by the way, and I'm 29 - loved it, and it's exciting to see that Aziz Ansari is becoming one of the biggest stand-up comedians around. You can download 'Dangerously Delicious' from his website for a mere $5 right now. You should do that.