Let’s face it; in this day in age the dirtier, the sexier, the crazier things, people, places, or gossip are the more we gravitate toward it and absolutely love it. There is really no reason to be in denial about it. I, personally believe on average a person is more likely to laugh or show some kind of response to an illicit, sexual joke verses a whole-hearted “knock-knock” throwback joke. Some people enjoy racial jokes more than others. The only thing I need to say to support my statement can be summed up in three words: black. male. comedians. Let’s take, for example, Steve Harvey (early pre-radio morning show days), the oh so unforgettable Richard Pryor, Chris Rock, Mike Epps, Dave Chappelle, D. L. Hughley, all the Kings of Comedy, I can go on and on. If music is your thing, let’s say rap in general. If you are a movie buff let’s talk “Coming to America,” “Black Dynamite,” “Undercover Brother,” or “I’m Gonna Get You Suckas,” need I say more? I stopped trying to figure out what it was about dirty or mean jokes that really got me laughing. Now, I just embrace it. That being said, I was excited to go to Taboo 2 Saturday night for a comedy show. Bottom line was I was not disappointed.
The Setting:
Very intimate vibe as evident from the earth-tone wall colors, to the red velvet pillows and the cheetah print throw that was presented on the stage. There were molten red lamps hanging from the ceiling to distinguish between the bar area and dining area. From the look of what can be assumed was the dance floor, it left something to be desired; the length of two cars could snugly fit into that separated space. Arriving at 7:15pm, the atmosphere was laid back with music not disturbingly loud. The wait staff was predominantly female and their choice of dress left little to be imagined, although that was most likely the desired effect. The drink prices were high, valet as smooth as velvet while wishing party-goers a good time and escorting their cars away.
The Response:
There were a variety of comedians, white, black, male and female, straight and homosexual. The voices and acts, material and gestures were different, but the responses were in the same family. The laughs were loud and spread out through the entire lounge. As the comedians joked about single women vs. coupled women, broke women vs. well to do women, it quickly became apparent that the lounge was divided; one group or side of women laughed more frequently at the singles jokes while the other side looked like they were aloof. This divide between the singles and the couples quickly become more ammo for the comedians. There were a few individuals who participated along with the comics when being called out or being joked on.
It was all in good fun as they say, and this group of loungers took no offense even when the content became a little risque. For example, the MC of the night, Karlous Miller, took it upon himself to express what kind of woman he desired, financially and physically. Miller pointed out a lady in the audience with larger than life assets and continued to express his very sexual attraction and imagination. Miller even went further into the “did he really go there” mood by walking behind the lady who was standing at the bar to grab some of her cheetah clad assets. The lady had a good time and her laugh became louder as the joke progressed. In general, the crowd was enjoying the jokes as much as the comedians were when delivering them. There was a lot of crowd participation, everyone laughed when intended, everyone clapped when expected, and everyone seemed to have a memorable time.
The Comedians:
First up there was Karlous Miller. At the time of his arrival no one knew why the show had started and hour and a half late, everyone just knew it started was later than even “CP” time would permit, (colored-people time aka a-little-more-than-just-being-late time for those of you who do not know). When Miller took the stage he did a seamless job of jumping straight into the jokes. It was to a point where the lateness and aggravation of the show was soon forgotten. Miller was everything a MC and conic would be thought of to be; he was honest, entertaining, relatable, very blunt, and musical as it turned out. He sang along with French Montana’s “Ain’t Worried About Nothing” while telling us about his visit to get AIDS tested. Instead of having long extensive jokes where the punch line comes to those who avidly listen to the entire joke, Miller’s MO was with short, sporadic jokes. It seemed as if he was telling five jokes per minute. Miller kept people guessing on where he would go next because he was random, fast paced, and at times rude, but the laugh he brought out in people was oh so worth it.
Second comedian was Big Sal. Yes, as much as his name hints at it, Big Sal is definitely big. Physically, he dominated the stage, vocally, he commanded your ears to listen and his sense of humor was very big…on the sexual side. Sal’s arsenal was loaded with Viagra jokes, sexual encounters, and topped off with food. Sal was on the stage considerable shorted than any of the other comics.
After Big Sal, Miller came back on the scene to have his moment in the light then pass the stage over to his light skinned “brother from another mother” and all of that, comedian Joe Myers. What was likable about Myers right off the bat was that he address his being white and turned around all the typical “white guy performing stand up for a black audience” stereotypes around. The main topic for him was how great people believed the white status was with his reality of how his actually was, from his barley above minimum wage job to his Good Will “dress up” wardrobe. I can’t give out all of the details of everything that was said Saturday night because obviously that would take away from the live performance punch lines.
Switching over to the female comedians, Ms. B came on stage and took the house down. This Haitian origin sassy lady had people about to roll on the floor talking about topics that every single person could relate to. Paycheck eve was my favorite joke. Paycheck eve makes people bold in their purchases, happy in attitude, and confident in general. Paycheck eve leads to fuller gas tanks, longer weave, etc. Although, speaking of longer weave Ms. B made the connection that the longer the weave, the faker the accent, the bourgeoiser the female, the more blatant the lies about “I’m mixed with this that and the third.” What made 90% of her material funny was that I am pretty sure every female either was like that or knew someone who was like that, no matter how brief. All in all, this comedian was one of my favorites. Ms. B can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ComedienneMsB. I cannot tell you enough that Ms. B did not disappoint!
The second to last stand up comedian was Chaunté Wayans whose material could be summed up in one word: lesbians. Wayans joked on lesbian couples, saying how women do not understand how crazy we are until we date one of us. After lesbian couples, Wayans shed light on lesbian lifestyles, way of thinking, and she briefly touched on the “so many fish in the sea” topic. Wayans was full of laughs and had a very in your face manor that actually worked for her. Wayans will also be on Nick Cannon’s “Wild ‘N Out” show for the fifth season.
The final comedian, said to be the main attraction, was Tony Tone. Where do I even get started on him….he blew the house out of the water with a strong performance through and through. I am not surprised, seeing as he began his comedy career in the 1990’s and has performed at the Apollo. Tone is on countless Youtube videos and his past shows can be viewed online as well as a few interviews. Tone’s resume also encompasses work on HBO’s “Def Comedy Jam.” Tone came on the stage strong and left it strong. He did a beat box combination of Doug E. Fresh songs and Whodini “Friends,” among others. Tone’s talent with the beat boxing was unparalleled in the lounge. Tone also peppered his performance with celebrity impressions. Everything he did on that stage was a 10 and the crowd’s responce proved it. People got out of their seats, danced into the aisles on the dance floor, by the bar, everywhere. This older-generation comic, (and when I say older generation, do not get offended, I merely mean older than early 20s, thus older than me, ergo…”older”), had a continuous chorus of laughter throughout his entire set. Keep in touch with Tony Tone on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ComedianTonyTone.
All in all, Taboo 2 did a very good job of hosting this comedy show. The atmosphere was laid back and pleasant, the stand up acts were different from one another, surprising, and of course hilarious. The food was on par…if only the champagne did not range from $50 to $700 then I would have been a little happier, but I digress. In the end, it was a great experience that men, women, rich, middle class, frugal individuals…etc should make an effort to experience first hand. Laughter is said to do many things, heal the soul, lift stress away, probably even make you look younger. I personally categorize laughter into three groups; the polite chuckle, the “I just got an ab workout” laughter and the “I’m probably going to pee in my pants” laughter. Thankfully, I experienced the last two so my time was definitely not wasted. As yes, the jokes will be dirty, the comedy will be fun, and the laughing will be addicting. If laughter is what you want, then with the Saturday night comedy club at Taboo 2 laughter is what you will get.
