Comedy Tonight

Went to see Steve Martin and Martin Short at the Fox Theater on Sunday evening. Knowing Ceil wouldn’t enjoy the PG-13 material, I took Matthew since The Steep Canyon Rangers bluegrass band would be performing.

We left out early and grabbed burritos at Moes, near Cumberland Mall. All the Moe’s in East Cobb have closed. Got off at North Avenue and doubled back on West Peachtree, just then realizing all the old parking lots had been displaced by new skyscrapers. While looking for a parking deck I spied a Jeep pulling out of a space, so I crossed from right to left and grabbed the spot.

A short walk up the hill to Peachtree and over to the Fox. Found the line for the short wait until the gates opened. A security guard was checking to make sure everyone was wearing a mask. Walked on up to the third level, and grabbed a comfy chair to wait until we could take our seats.

I’d warned M that we were in the nosebleeds. I had just wanted to be inside the building. Around 7:10 I checked last minute ticket sales, and there were a few seats available at cheaper prices. Now that I’ve seen them once, perhaps I’ll go this route next time. 

Turned out we were on the absolute top row, though in the middle in front of the restrooms. A decent view. Some seats nearby had an obstructed view. 

Few get as good a view of the tent-like ceiling near the back, and we could still see some of the stars.

Before the show there was a reel of career highlights of the two performers, as well as instructions on how to silence your pagers, perhaps as a nod to the age to the crowd. Matthew was perhaps the youngest in attendance.

To begin, Steve walked out and began an elaborate introduction of Martin. Throughout the evening they would belittle each other: their age, appearance, career. They shared stories of working together, first on the set of Three Amigos. Occasionally Short would burst out into song. They told stories from their career, sharing and commenting on photos from their childhood.

They kept the show moving. After a bit Steve walked offstage, and Martin continued solo. Their regular pianist Jeff Babko accompanied then. Short marched over, took one step on the bench, a second on the keys, and on up onto top. Babko made a show of shaking his hand, as if it had been stepped on.

Steve came out with a banjo, and plucked as he spoke. He played for a bit, then the Rangers joined him on stage for a couple of songs. Then Steve went off, and the Rangers played two songs on their own.

Martin played one of his many characters: Jiminy Blick, and commented on others – like how he played one SNL character like his make-up artist. At least half the show was a holdover from previous live shows (and their Netflix special), though at the beginning Steve had warned that that would be the case. Still the crowd roared with laughter, including me and Matthew.

What makes their show so special is their professionalism. They make it look so easy. So practiced, though every joke is delivered perfectly. Along the way they mentioned their age. Short is 71, but bounded across the stage. Steve admitted to have turned 75 – still “fresh meat” to Betty White, he’d said. Steve mis-spoke perhaps three times during the fast-moving two hour show, stopping to correct himself. Not sure if it was because of his age. At one point they took turns reading what they’d say at each other’s funerals, like “bigger turnout than I’d expected”.

They made fun of everyone. Their humor was not political, as they made fun of Republicans and Democrats alike: Trump, both Bill and Hillary, Bernie Sanders, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Kim Kardashian. They mentioned their Only Murders in the Building costar Selena Gomez (drawing generous applause), saying they’d asked her to join them, but she didn’t need to money because she was rich.

As they wound down they took to the grand piano. Both made an elaborate effort to drag themselves on top. Finally Steve gave up, sat on the bench, and started to play. They shared jokes younger comedians they admired, like Steven Wright, Chris Rock, Gary Shandling, Bob Newhart, Robin Williams, and others.

As they bade farewell, the Rangers and Babko came out and started playing. Steve and Short ran offstage, but quickly returned to perform a goodbye song. Quite the evening of entertainment.

We didn’t see anyone we knew, but heard that Nancy Shippen had been in attendance. She even took a picture from the same spot as me.

SHERM LOLLAR  [SABR Bio] as a 30-year-old catcher, he  had an offensive game to remember when he got two hits in an inning twice in the same game. On 23-Apr-1955, playing for CHW against KCA, Lollar had a HR & single in the 2nd inning, then two singles in the 6th as the White Sox won a laugher over the A’s 29-6. Lollar is tied with two other major leaguers in this regard. His defensive prowess, considered a liability early in his career, rose to Gold Glove level under the tutelage of Paul Richards. Richards, a former catcher himself, was Lollar’s manager in Chicago 1952-54. It was Lollar for whom Yogi was pinch-hitting when Berra hit the first pinch-hit home run in World Series history, on 02-Oct-1947, game three of the 1947 WS. Lollar had been on twice and had scored twice.