Opie & Anthony (& Jim & Vos & Rogan & Bobby Kelly & …)
“There’s two hot chicks and like ninety humps,” Robert Kelly noted of the crowd gathered poolside at the Hard Rock for this afternoon’s live broadcast. Though questionably clad in a black tee over a white long-sleeved shirt, Kelly wasn’t suffering heatstroke; the scene was a beer-gut sausage-fest even by O&A standards.
Rich Vos, a pregnant Bonnie McFarlane and Ralphie May kicked off the broadcast reminiscing about their wildest times in Vegas under the 2 p.m. sun. Kelly and Patrice O’Neal joined the three in time for a rowdy group in the pool to chant for the broadcasters to “Shut up and play some music.” Their request was denied. Joe Rogan appeared to roars of “Rogan! Rogan! Rogan!,” followed by Otto & George, with Opie, Anthony and Jim Norton bringing up the rear.
At 3 p.m. Club Soda Kenny got the day’s scheduled press conference, touted as marking “a BIG exciting announcement” underway. The announcement? The preliminary dates and lineup of the XM 102 radio renegades’ second Traveling Virus tour (see dates listing below). Big and exciting, not so much; pretty much expected and a good excuse to hold a kickoff show that night in Vegas, very certainly.
A question-and-answer session with the audience followed, as did an inspiring display of fandom when a hirsute fellow named Chaz volunteered to have his 1) chest, 2) back, and 3) nipple hair ripped out via Kelly’s fist, as Rogan held him immobile in a headlock, for tickets to the evening’s show.
Traveling Virus 2007 Official Dates:
Jones Beach Amp., Wantagh, N.Y., June 16
Confirmed Lineup:
Jim Norton
Frank Caliendo
Bob Saget
Louis C.K.
Rich Vos
Bob Kelly
Otto & George
Patrice O'Neal
Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Conn., June 30
Confirmed Lineup:
Jim Norton
Frank Caliendo
Bob Saget
Louis C.K.
Rich Vos
Bob Kelly
Otto & George
Patrice O'Neal
Tweeter Center, Mansfield, Mass., July 21
Confirmed Lineup:
Jim Norton
Frank Caliendo
Louis C.K.
Rich Vos
Bob Kelly
Otto & George
Patrice O'Neal
Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, Va., Aug. 18
Confirmed Lineup:
Jim Norton
Frank Caliendo
Bob Saget
Louis C.K.
Rich Vos
Bob Kelly
Otto & George
Patrice O'Neal
PNC Bank Arts Center, Holmdel, N.J., Aug. 25
Confirmed Lineup:
Jim Norton
Frank Caliendo
Bob Saget
Louis C.K.
Rich Vos
Bob Kelly
Otto & George
Patrice O'Neal
Tweeter Center, Camden, N.J., Sept. 15
Confirmed Lineup:
Jim Norton
Frank Caliendo
Bob Saget
Louis C.K.
Rich Vos
Bob Kelly
Otto & George
Patrice O'Neal
…which means the roster isn’t too far removed from 2006’s inaugural tour run. Stephen Lynch will also appear on select dates.
***
8 p.m., The Joint
The stage was decked out somewhere between the dearly-departed Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Comedy Central’s annual roasts, with a DJ, four guests riding a bar on the left side and four riding a couch on the right. Vos assumed hosting duties for the first half -- Otto & George, May, Kelly and O’Neal clocking about 15 minutes apiece – followed by “dancing girls” who mostly stood around chatting awkwardly during the intermission. Opie & Anthony emerged to a standing ovation to intro a few videos including an unaired XM Radio commercial and, according to Anthony, “The greatest video we’ve ever shot in our studio,” the infamous "Baby Bird.”
Then on to sets by Frank Caliendo, Norton and Rogan. Among the evening’s highlights:
• Robert Kelly, who’s still got the same socks to bed/peeing problems/girlfriend mimicking routine he’s had since 2004’s Robert Kelly Live, added a new dimension to his act after he got in shape a few years back, then put the pounds back on. If the best comedy comes from comics who are unflinchingly honest with themselves and with an audience of strangers, his self-effacing bits about body issues and sex are about as heartfelt and hilarious as you can get. Very few are willing to lay themselves as bare (figuratively, thank Gawd) as he does onstage, and it’s always a thrill.
• Jim Norton used to be a lot angrier as a comic, not to mention a bit more disturbing as a human being in general. He’s still filthy, no doubt, but now that he’s got a girlfriend to help fulfill some of those highly-questionable fantasies of his, he’s come up with a whole new set that had never been heard before in Vegas. Way to go, ’lil Jimmy.
• Joe Rogan. Though his set was entirely comprised of material from his recent Shiny Happy Jihad, it was to be expected. Unexpected, however, is how much edgier and philosophical Rogan the Stand-Up Version 2.0 is than his pre-Fear Factor counterpart. Back hunched, eyes bulging out, he not only commands full attention and standing O’s, he completely deserves them. It was the third time he’s been in Vegas in a six-month span; each occasion different and each proving that he’s well on his way to being this generation’s answer to Bill Hicks.
