I love me some Aziz Ansari, so I was pretty thrilled when I found out he was performing at Lakewood Civic Auditorium for his Dangerously Delicious tour. The BF and I ended up with fourth row seats - perfect for a comedy show, where you are close to the stage but just far enough that the performer won't heckle you.

The show was Wednesday, and it absolutely lived up to my expectations.

Max Silvestri opened the show. I don't remember much from his performance, but he was a good warm-up for the comedy that was to come.

Fourth row!

Ansari took the stage without much fanfare, walking out without introduction. The first thing he said was there is no videography or photography allowed at his show, explaining that flashes leave spots in his eyes, causing him to lose his concentration. But, understanding that his mostly young audience needs to publish their lives on Twitter and Facebook, he said we could all get out our cameras and take a few photos of him. So this photo is not so much him doing his performance and more of him talking about how we can tell all of our friends about the great jokes he was telling at this time.

He did an hour of great comedy - all jokes I had never heard before. My face hurt from laughing so hard, and even while seated, my boyfriend was doubled over laughing at several times throughout the show. Nearly a week later, we're still quoting some of his jokes - and still laughing.


After his hour, Ansari left the stage for a few minutes. When he returned, he said the first hour we heard was for his special that was filmed Friday in Washington. With his polished act finished, Ansari got a little more casual, asking the audience what we wanted to talk about. Several people shouted suggestions, like Harris and Kanye, and Ansari had material for that and more.

I haven't been to many comedy shows, but I loved that Ansari gave the audience a tight, well-rehearsed set, then got a little more casual to give us a few more laughs. The way he interacted with the audience made me feel more like we were in a small club, rather than a large auditorium. I definitely want to see him perform again, and I look forward to catching his special on TV.

Want more Aziz Ansari?

I blogged last month about TomHaverfoods.com, an Internet meme based on Ansari's "Parks and Recreation" character, Tom Haverford, and his nicknames for food.

Click here for a NSFW (language) video of Ansari doing stand up.

Get more from Ansari himself, on his website azizisbored.tumblr.com, and his Twitter feed @azizansari.


-- Cheryl Sadler | CSadler@News-Herald.com | @nhcheryl